“Harlem Shake” by Baauer (f/ Chris Dalla Riva)

In early 2013, the Billboard Charts underwent a major change by incorporating YouTube streams into their formula. Almost immediately, the internet responded with chaos. The bizarre, bass-heavy electronica track “Harlem Shake” by producer Baauer skyrocketed to #1, fueled by a wave of absurd, meme-fueled dance videos that dominated social media. It became the first instrumental track to top the Hot 100 in over two decades, but just as quickly as it rose, it vanished, taking Baauer's mainstream presence with it. This week, we're joined by musician and data analyst Chris Dalla Riva, author of the upcoming book Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves, to explore how a joke, an algorithm, and a relatively unknown producer collided to create one of the strangest chart-toppers of all time.

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