READ these words: Pen. Pineapple. Apple. Pen. If these words evoke memories of a wacky song and infectious jingle, welcome - you're missing the simpler (and sillier) times.
For the uninitiated, these words are part of the infamous song that caught the world by surprise a decade ago. It's PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-apple-pen), a tune performed by Japanese comedian Pikotaro.
While many loved the song (and some felt it was cringeworthy), did the song actually achieve a world record?
Verdict:
TRUE
In October 2016, PPAP was frequently played worldwide, which made it into the US Billboard Top 100 list. As the 45-second song with limited English words, it also achieved a Guinness World Record of the shortest song to chart in the Billboard Hot 100.
Of course, before PPAP managed to hit that level of fame, Canadian singer Justin Bieber tweeted to his followers in September 2016 that it was 'his favourite video on the Internet" (https://x.com/justinbieber/status/780860684426895360?s=20), which pushed the song to wider audiences.
When Pikotaro, whose real name is Kazuhito Kosaka, received the achievement, the video on the official YouTube channel got about 400 million views.
Today, the clip has been viewed over 506 million times on YouTube since it appeared.
“In the past, I was accustomed to performing in front of audiences of between zero and one person,” Kosaka was quoted saying in press conference at the foreign correspondents’ club of Japan in 2016.
“And then this happens … the internet is a wonderful thing.”
Apart from being recognised in the street, the singer had said that he had been unaffected by his sudden fame.
“It’s only been about a month since the song went viral... to be honest I haven’t even received my first paycheck yet,” he was quoted by The Guardian.
Of course, PPAP held on to the title for several years.
But in 2025, A Minecraft Movie came along, in which actor Jack Black (who plays Steve) sang the catchy song "Steve's Lava Chicken", and the song started to pick up traction among the fans of the movie.
The song made it to the US Billboard Hot 100, and with its length being 34-seconds long, it took the Guinness World Record from PPAP.
If you've not watched the Minecraft movie or listened to that song, check it out here:
Of course, this is not Black's first song on the chart. Another song of his, Peaches, from the Super Mario Bros Movie (2023), made it into the charts as well.
While PPAP is no longer has that record, it is still an enjoyable song to listen to. Maybe lighten up your day with that wacky jingle.
