The duck song is by Bryant Oden, and is accompanied by an animated video. The song was uploaded to YouTube on March 23, 2009, and today has reached 561 million views.

This animated piece of media should be considered an audiovisual assemblage. The duck song consists of a series of sounds and images grouped in a coherent manner; it explores the use of multiple technological apparatus. YouTube is a virtual space which gives an audience access to a cinematic experience.

The number of clips streamed on YouTube stretches to the sublime – 1.2 billion videos a day, enough for every person on the planet to watch a clip a day. Part of what separates YouTube from other media clips is brevity and the ways they are often encountered through exchange with others. In reference to the duck song, there is a comment on YouTube stating “Me and my friend used to watch this video all the time when we were young. I am 23 now and just 3 months ago my friend passed away due to complications with the Whooping Cough. This song holds so many memories of me and my friend, and I really wish I could see him now. Thank you for this funny, yet great song” which suggests the duck song is an influential part of audiovisual.

References:

Vernallis, C. (2014) Unruly Media: You tube, music video, and the New Digital Cinema. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.

jeffery_sergent (2022) The Duck Song, Know Your Meme. Know Your Meme. Available at: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-duck-song (Accessed: December 1, 2022).

By Tia Brown