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Arts & Entertainment

'Massachusetts Song (You Athol)' Clobbers Competition for 2013's Top Story

Our #1 story in 2013, according to Patch readers, is last week's report on the viral music video created by a Martha's Vineyard dad and his 11-year-old son. We also list 15 runners-up including "The Vineyard" on ABC Family and the Obama visit.

Patch jumped the gun earlier this month when we posted our list of readers' top Martha's Vineyard news stories for 2013.

But who could have predicted that our off-season Island would produce a regional blockbuster like "The Massachusetts Song (You Athol)," by the father-and-son duo of Dana and Jaiden Edelman?

The morning of Dec. 20, when we published our article about their ditty that uses more than 50 Massachusetts place names in the lyrics, the video had been online for almost a month and was just cracking 10,000 views on YouTube.

Less than a week days later, the Edelmans' video was closing in on 25,000 views and their story had drawn more readers than anything else we posted on Martha's Vineyard Patch this year.

Read "Island Father-Son Duo's 'Massachusetts Song' Goes Viral"

The story was also a hit with readers in other Patch communities mentioned in the song, including Peabody, Marblehead and Needham.

And while not everyone was happy with the duo's pronunciations and the spelling in the lyrics included with the video, a sampling of more than 75 comments on YouTube, Patch and Facebook shows that Bay Staters are definitely paying attention:

  • It's "Stow" you Peabodys, not "Stowe." Stowe is in Vermont. Cotuit, you two. That one needs to be Concord.
  • Love this song!! Don't want to be a Masshole about it... or an Athol, if you will... but "Barre" is pronounced "Berry" and "Worcester" is "Wister" (or "Wistah" if you really wanna give it some Massachusetts flair). Regardless, this song is so cute!! Love the creativity!! Thanks for this guys! 
  • There were three towns named after Governor Endicott Peabody: Peabody, Marblehead, and Athol.
  • Very cute. As a native Athol-ite, we've been hearing those jokes all our lives so at least this was one was done with rhythm, talent, & good humor. LOVE the dad & son.
  • But, Foul - Mouth? People always say Foul-mouth, this doesn't help.
Now that the Edelmans have clobbered all competition for the Vineyard's top story of the year (presuming no cataclysm in the next few days), let's take a look at what have become the runners-up:

2. The Real Martha's Vineyard: Income Inequality and a Housing Crunch, Aug. 20 (54 comments, 76 Facebook likes)

3. "The Vineyard" TV Show Gets Scathing Reactions on Facebook, July 24 (23 comments, 30 likes)

Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

4. Caroline Kennedy to Sell Aquinnah Land, May 8 (2 comments)

5. 'The Vineyard' TV Show: 'Wow This is Bad,' Aug. 7 (3 comments, 93 likes) 

Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

6. Cliff Collapses at Lucy Vincent Beach, March 7 (video, 5 comments, 1 like)

7. Nudity Still the Norm at Some Martha's Vineyard Beaches, July 23 (9 comments, 119 likes)

15. CarMax CEO Buys Jimmy Cagney's Former Edgartown Home, Nov. 19 (3 comments, 49 likes)

16. Casino in Aquinnah? Wampanoag Tribe Says It Has Federal OK, Nov. 12 (31 comments, 125 likes)

What other Martha's Vineyard stories were noteworthy in 2013? Tell us in the comments.


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