Pittsburgh native's viral "Puerto Rico Song" becomes unexpected hit

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer, and a new song may be the unofficial anthem of summer.

The song created by Pittsburgh native Bill Stiteler is getting national attention, and it all started with his sobriety journey.

"I try to find the Pittsburgh of other places," said Stiteler. 

The videos started with his sobriety when he refocused his life on one team: the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"My addict brain started to kick in. I didn't just get to one game. I went to every single game," he recalled.

In 2024, he attended every Pirates game and followed the team on the road for 18 away games.

His travel sparked his comedic content creation. He writes the lyrics, then types them into an artificial intelligence generator.

"Again, my account is a comedy account. I'm not a musician. I don't make this for music," said Stiteler.

However, "The Puerto Rico Song" struck a note far beyond his followers.

"Honestly, I didn't even see this as a top-10 one of my videos," Stiteler said. "It's crazy, I mean, when you look, and you see Luke Combs and the Savannah Bananas."

Celebrities and even a whole territory are loving the catchy tune. 

"The tourism board of Puerto Rico discovered [the song], is flying me down, and we're going to shoot a video for like four days," Stiteler said. "I mean, the song blew up out of nowhere." 

"You're going to be the voice of Puerto Rico, you realize?" KDKA-TV's Megan Shinn said.

"Hey, I will take it," he responded.

This song ties back to his Buccos, too.

"And as Pittsburghers, we all know Puerto Rico. Why? 'The Great One' Roberto Clemente," said Stiteler. "I've always wanted to go to Puerto Rico just to show respect, tip the cap.

"By myself, I took the bus, and I went to Caguas, which is where Roberto Clemente played when he was 19 years old. It's all the Pittsburgh ties. It all comes back to the Pirates."

Now, he's one man representing Pittsburgh on a global level.

"The density, the walkability, the friendliness, the sense of community. We really are the best midsize city in the United States," said Stiteler.