Shark songs appeal to young and old alike. It conjures a summery vibe and takes listeners from idyllic mornings through cool summer nights. Sometimes, a shark song may just be the pick-me-up anyone needs to keep swimming.
While there are plenty of great shark songs out there, we rounded up 11 of the best shark songs, with one of these songs guaranteed to stick in your head. Can you guess what that is? Read on and find out if you got it right.
Songs about sharks to listen to
1. Mr. Jaws (Dickie Goodman)
Let’s start with a novelty song from 1975 about a shark called Mr. Jaws. This is not a usual shark song —it is a montage of interview questions answered by a portion of a popular song. The whole two minutes of the song is as catchy as it is silly!
Dickie Goodman created this song as a parody of the summer blockbuster movie Jaws, which came out in the same year.
Trivia: When Jaws 2 came out in 1978, Dickie Goodman wrote a sequel to the song and called it Mrs. Jaws. There’s no follow-up for Jaws 3, though. Maybe no Baby Jaws is born.
2. Fins (Jimmy Buffett)
Now let’s have a shark song from 1979. This easy-listening type of song is something that anyone can listen to while driving along the coastal highway.
In this song, Buffett alludes to guys flocking around gorgeous girls, with imaginary fins coming out of guys’ backs as they hit on the ladies. A feeding frenzy, he said.
Trivia: Jimmy Buffett (along with T-Pain and Pitbull) penned new lyrics for the song as football team Miami Dolphins’ fight song in 2009. But the team preferred Fins over the traditional fight song, and so they played Buffett’s song during the regular season.
3. Sharks Patrol These Waters (Morphine)
This alternative music from the 90s has the elements of poetry delivered through the jazzy beat and tune. The song warns of sharks that, well, patrol the waters and that the best course of action is to just stay within the safe confines of the shore. Mark Sandman demonstrated in this song the slow and murky style that he was known for.
Trivia: A fan theory suggests that this song was written about Mark “having been stabbed in a robbery when he worked as a taxi driver”.
4. Shark (Dwight Twilley Band)
The 70s seem like the era of shark songs. Maybe blame it on Jaws.
Another shark song from 1975 made it on this list. Dwight Twilley Band’s Shark song has that characteristic rock and roll flavor typical of the songs in the era. In this song, Dwight Twilley recounts an experience with a lady who made him feel like a shark.
Trivia: The record label, Shelter, shelved the song after the movie Jaws came out to avoid looking gimmicky. Never mind that the song came first before that film about sharks terrorized the moviegoers.
Next: Songs About Monkeys
5. Megladon (Trippie Redd)
Trippie Redd’s cool and deep vocal strain soars in this punk-rock-hip hop love song of sorts. In Megladon (co-written by Travis Barker), the American rapper expresses his romantic pursuit of a special lady and likens it to the wild megalodon.
Trivia: There is another shark song in the same studio album (which is, by the way, called Neon Shark vs. Pegasus) called Female Shark. In this other shark song, Trippie Redd sings about his yearning for a girl so freaky like a shark. It seems like the rapper has a special affinity with the mighty sea creature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bcRqt3_h30
6. Deepest Bluest (LL Cool J)
Some like it, while some hate it. Don’t be fooled by the song Deepest Bluest’s opening line, “my hat is like a shark’s fin”; the song goes deeper into the blue, like obscure poetry carrying some secret message. If it doesn’t make sense, maybe the film Deep Blue Sea will help shed some light.
Trivia: LL Cool J had just accepted a significant role in the said film when he was entrusted to work on the movie theme song, pronto.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cYcdBVQ8NM&list=RD6cYcdBVQ8NM&start_radio=1
7. The Rapper Eater (Lil Wayne)
This is the song for when you’ve accomplished something and wanted to pat yourself on the back. Southern rapper Lil Wayne equates himself to a ravenous shark ready to eliminate the competition.
Trivia: In one of Lil Wayne’s Studio Talk sessions, he spoke about rappers’ work ethic, specifically those who just sit back and wait for the song being written for them (as opposed to them actually working on their songs). Fan theories suggest that The Rapper Eater is about devouring these Long John Silvers of the rap music scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj8_XJ8-PhY
8. Shark Attack (Grouplove)
A danceable indie rock song, this one talks of despair and sadness without radiating despair and sadness. The result is a fast-paced song that seeks comfort in the unknown.
Trivia: In an interview, Hanna Hooper confessed that she and Christian Zucconi were on psychedelics when they wrote the song —and they wrote what they experienced, like a shark attack. That explains the frenzied quality of the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXHrfIZe484
9. Victorious (Panic! At The Disco)
Brendon Urie sings about being victorious in a string of little situations and growing his self-confidence in the process. He was inspired to write this song to acknowledge the fact that, despite his poor athletic skills, he excelled in many others. A shark is his risky yet utterly gratifying prize and demonstrated his newfound confidence by voicing his desires to catch it and bleed the water red —the ultimate sign of victory.
Trivia: Urie’s 10-second scream on the song almost caused him to faint while recording it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUChk0lxF44
10. Shark (Oh Wonder)
Another easy listening type of track on the list, Shark is a groovy love ballad exploring the probabilities of being in a destructive love. In this song, they are asking their partner if they could be the demon in the dark, the shark, the force that pulls them under, and of being a shark in a love landslide.
Trivia: Shark has been featured in season 1 episode 2 of American horror anthology Scream, with Oh Wonder’s other song Technicolor Beat on episode 5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njkzpq3c890
11. Baby Shark (Pink Fong)
What list about shark songs is complete without ever mentioning the famous South Korean rendition of Baby Shark?
The Baby Shark song, which has actually been around for a long time, gets reborn in Southeast Asia in 2015 and became a phenomenal hit in 2016. Pink Fong, a South Korean children’s entertainment company, released the viral song that spread from Southeast Asia to the rest of the world.
Its claim to fame is the catchy lyrics (that get stuck in your head for at least a few hours —you’ve been warned) coupled with amusing dance moves. Children and adults alike enjoyed the craze, and many have joined the #BabySharkChallenge wherein they upload their Baby Shark sing and dance videos.
Trivia: This song has more than 9.9 billion views as of this writing, occupying the top spot on YouTube’s most viewed videos of all time. Part of this song’s fame stemmed from well-known K-pop groups such as Girl’s Generation, Red Velvet, and Black Pink carrying out their own Baby Shark routines in their concerts. Their fun renditions of the sing-and-dance craze helped push the song to insane worldwide popularity.
