Michael Jackson

YouTube channel EveryOtherBeat has a single gimmick – removing every other beat from popular songs. Sometimes it works, and other times it’s downright strange. But in the case of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal, the result is simply magical.

Enjoy a little Halloween fun with this not-so-evil version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller played by the Melodica Men, as they ham it up and terrorize y’alls neighborhood with the funk of 40,000 years.

It’s close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark… Fortunately, musician Luca Stricagnoli is here to shine his light on it, with a simply fantastic fingerstyle cover version of Michael Jackson’s 1984 megahit Thriller.

Students from Bosnia and Herzegovina music school JU muzička škola Prijedor turn in an energetic performance of Michael Jackson’s 1983 classic, played on more than a dozen accordions. Just one question: are these kids all agents for the Men in Black?

Musician Peter Bence previously wowed us with his cover of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. Now, he’s back to blow us away with an incredibly energetic version of Michael Jackson’s Beat It, performed on the grand piano, with the help of some looping and effects pedals.

The last time we checked in with the talented young Feng E, he was entertaining audiences in the park. Now he’s wowing us from the back seat of a car, and asking Annie if she’s okay with a fantastic ukulele cover of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal.

Electronic musician Scandroid presents his take on Michael Jackson’s Halloween classic Thriller, applying his synthwave style to the track, along with a great ’80s-look music video, complete with a trio of awesome dancing robots.

We can pretty much guarantee that you’ve never heard Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean quite like this. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a beautiful cover version played on the sitar by musician Ronobir Lahiri, who gives the King of Pop’s megahit a whole new vibe.

Michael Jackson truly lived up to his “King of Pop” nickname. Nerdwriter1 looks back on the musical mastermind, and attempts to deconstruct what made his tunes so popular. As we previously learned, repetition and variation in rhythms had something to do with it.

The guys from Pomplamoose are back with another great mashup, this time combining Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling, and The Weeknd’s Can’t Feel My Face into a single seamless track. It’s basically the live equivalent of a dance mix.

Leo Moracchioli intensifies Michael Jackson’s already taut pop-rock track by infusing the 1987 mega-hit Smooth Criminal with his trademark blend of gravely, headbanging heavy metal that puts Alien Ant Farm’s rock cover to shame.

DJ Cummerbund smashes up Michael Jackson’s classic The Way You Make Me Feel with Childish Gambino’s This Is America, yet again deftly melding two very different songs with very different meanings into something totally new and refreshing.

Musician Billie Eilish applies her resounding jazz vocals to Michael Jackson’s 1987 hit Bad, with this smooth and soulful reinterpretation. We have little doubt that this will turn up in a movie trailer as some character walks away from a giant explosion or some other badass move.

Musician Amine Ayadi performs the strangest cover version of a Michael Jackson song ever – They Don’t Care About Us played on the mizwad – a middle eastern bagpipe. His performance will pull you in regardless if the instrument sounds like a goat being strangled.

Musician Douglas Borsatti cranks out a wonderful and unique cover version of the King of Pop’s 1982 uber-hit on his squeezebox. If Michael Jackson performed while strolling the streets of Paris wearing a beret, we imagine this is what his music might have sounded like.

Back in 1995, Michael Jackson asked someone at Sony Music to explain how Compact Discs were manufactured, so they put together this factory tour video just for him, while producing his album History. It’s a fun time capsule, and a perfectly awkward corporate video.

(PG-13: Language) Zveki put together this fantastic mashup of music from Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, and The Weeknd. The track blends together Starboy, In the Air Tonight, and They Don’t Care About Us, resulting in They Don’t Care About the Starboy in the Air.

Every time we hear the Bottle Boys perform a tune, we think it’s the calliope on a New Orleans riverboat. Here, they turn in an impressive cover version of Michael Jackson’s 1982 pop juggernaut, Beat It, performed on a variety of bottles and plastic pipes.

Musician Alexandr Misko performs a wonderful fingerstyle guitar arrangement of the King of Pop’s massive hit, infusing new life into the 1982 track. His covers of The Cranberries’ Zombie and System of a Down’s Chop Suey! are equally sublime. (Thanks Nathan!)

Musician Brian King Joseph (aka “Brian’s Violin“) delivers a wonderfully different sort of tribute to the King of Pop on his electric violin, with this fantastic and passionate performance of the 1982 classic Human Nature.

Our arm is sore from just watching musician Patrick Mathis turn the crank on this vintage instrument called a Barrel Organ. But what makes it more compelling is the track being played – Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal. His Miles Davis is pretty awesome too.

Bamboo flautist (we just like that word) Yoshimi Tsujimoto is accompanied by two talented koto players for a truly unique rendition of Michael Jackson’s 1987 classic Smooth Criminal, with a traditional Japanese flair.

Guitarist Miguel Rivera turns in an incredible acoustic rendition of Michael Jackson’s classic Beat It, finessing out wondrous rhythms and crazy harmonics along the way. You can download his originals over on Bandcamp.

The incredibly talented a Capella vocalists of Pentatonix present a medley of hit songs spanning Michael Jackson’s expansive career, from I Want You Back to Thriller to You Are Not Alone.

(Spoilers) Mashup maker Simonb02 saw an opportunity at the end of the amazing Hardhome episode of Game of Thrones – and decided to set the epic battle sequence to the tune of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Also, this.

The Piano Guys mash up the sounds of Johann Sebastian Bach with the Jackson 5’s I Want You Back – which is now permanently intertwined in our minds with Dancing Baby Groot – who should now be wearing a powdered wig.

Not to be outdone by Wendy’s classic training videos, McDonald’s created this cheesetastic Michael Jackson inspired video to motivate its employees to keep the joint clean. An oddly appropriate companion piece to Weird Al’s Eat It.

Anthony Vincent went all out for the Halloween episode of Ten Second Songs, dressing up as zombie Michael Jackson and singing the King of Pop’s Thriller in a variety of voices, from Oingo Boingo to Scary Spice.

Dancers Ricardo Walker and Poppin John show off their incredible control as they perform to a dubstep remix of Michael Jackson’s Beat It. But instead of a dance battle breaking out, it’s a seamless collaboration between the two.

Musician Kawehi records unique cover versions of popular songs and original tracks by combining electronic loops with her soothing vocals. Here, she covers one of Michael Jackson’s classics. Be sure to check out her YouTube channel.