What does the fox say?

“What does the fox say?” goes the new viral video “The Fox” by the comedy- and music-making duo, Ylvis. Of Norwegian heritage, brothers Bård Urheim Ylvisåker and Vegard Urheim Ylvisåker have been doing musical comedy since 2000. Ylvis uploaded a music video called “The Fox” to YouTube on Sept. 3, and since then it has amassed 38 million views.

 The video is unique because of the myriad of sounds that the singers make when trying to answer the critical question, “What does the fox say?” 

The singers gradually introduce more and more ridiculous sounds, creating a chaotic torrent of random noises that do not sound anything like a fox. Lyrics range from “hatee-hatee-hatee-ho” to “jacha-chacha-chacha-chow,” silly but catchy sounds that stick in the listeners’ brains. And although it may seem like a lousy idea for a music video, Ylvis has somehow created what news articles are claiming to be the next “Gangnam Style.”

The video has gotten millions of views in such a short period of time, but students are skeptical about its ability to reach the hype of “Gangnam Style.” 

 “I thought it was one of the funniest things that I've seen in a while and I think it will be hugely viral, but probably not to ‘Gangnam Style’ extent because ‘Gangnam Style’ was incredible,” senior Neel Tiwary said.

However, other students find the video more pointless than funny.

“I don’t understand why these things exist. Is this even considered music?” said sophomore Ingrid Zhou. “It doesn’t deserve its viral status because compared to ‘Gangnam Style,’ it’s dumber. Gangnam Style actually had meaning and was a real language.”

Although controversy over the video still exists, many students believe that it is very catchy and easily gets stuck in their heads. Even so, the biggest mystery that still remains after watching the video is: What does the fox really say?