How long can you avoid the Harlem Shake?

Harlem Shake viral videos

Until today I ignored the Harlem Shake. I knew it was a video found online but that was it. I knew models were doing their own version of it, and fire-fighters, and bored office workers, but I didn't know what they were doing. I was not going to be sucked into another online meme. When people spoke of it down the pub, I would shake my head and proudly announce that I had no idea what the Harlem Shake was.

I took a similar tact with Gangnam Style, refusing to watch it despite parody versions being made by everyone from Ai Weiwei to Jersey Shore cast members. But then one day I cracked; it was too hard to ignore. Sometimes you just want in on the conversation.

The first Harlem Shake video, (OK, OK, the idea is that people film themselves staying still while others dance around them to a track called "Harlem Shakes" by Baauer) was uploaded on 2 February. YouTube estimates that by the end of last week over 40,000 versions had been uploaded and collectively they have been viewed over 175 million times. The song is currently at number two in the UK charts. So I surrendered. If you've managed to come this far without watching it, I'd suggest you keep it that way.