Yodeling Walmart Kid Gets a Very NYC Tribute

One way to tell if something has gone viral is to look for any imitators. Eleven-year-old Mason Ramsey, known as the “Yodeling Kid,” has one person in New York City doing his own rendition of the performance on a subway platform.

In his take of the viral video, Instagram user Cavemen yodels a version of the song Ramsey sung, Hank Williams’s “Lovesick Blues,” on Saturday, but he takes a few liberties with the lyrics to give it a New York spin. His stage is not a local Walmart, yet talented performers have been known to start their careers performing in subway stations. This performance, however, may need a little more work.

Yodeling is not an easy form of singing. Alpine goat herders used it for a time as a form of communication, but it was adopted by cowboys in the Fifties. In order for a person to get that perfect yodel sound, they have to manipulate their larynx to allow for just the right amount of air to get through to the lungs. This causes a certain vibration, which creates that see-saw sound.

Ramsey’s performance in a local Walmart went viral on March 27. The video of the 11-year-old’s yodeling act at the superstore in Golconda, Illinois, received hundreds of thousands of likes and even garnered some attention from musicians such as Steve Aoki and The Chainsmokers. He tweeted on April 2 that he’s been singing since he was three years old.

Cavemen’s Instagram video has itself gone viral with more than 695,000 views as of this writing. Regarding his success, he tweeted Saturday, “Today I went viral. I’m gonna eat some pop tarts.”

On his Twitter account, Ramsey retweeted some other imitators doing their best yodels. Some YouTubers remixed the yodels from the video into a variety of other music styles including trap, EDM, and even a Wonder Woman remix.