HOW A 'PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN' COVER BECAME AN ANTHEM FOR NORTH SEA TIKTOK
That One Sound is a weekly column from senior internet culture writer Audra Schroeder that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.
Over the last couple of months, videos showing massive waves tossing around ships, allegedly in the North Sea, have taken over TikTok. And they’re largely accompanied by the same haunting song.
The sound
One TikTok from @ukdestinations, used this sound to document footage of cargo ships facing impossibly tall waves and hazardous weather—allegedly in the North Sea. These kinds of videos, which often play up how “dangerous” or “treacherous” the North Sea is, got very popular in December 2023.
Creator and vocalist Bobby Waters, better known as Bobby Bass (@the.bobbybass) is behind the sound, which is a cover of Hans Zimmer’s “Hoist the Colours” from 2007’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
Where’s it from?
It was initially conceived on TikTok in June 2022, way before the North Sea trend, as a vocal duet with six other singers. It’s now been used in more than 195,000 TikToks, and has more than 7 million views on YouTube and 10 million on Spotify.