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A Māori choir sings the Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been covered dozens of different ways, but you've never seen it performed like this.

As one of the most iconic songs in rock music, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is recognizable no matter how it's done. As children, my brother and I used to belt out Galileos and Figaros in the backseat of our parents' Volkswagon whenever the song came on (yes, just like in Wayne's World). While other kids learned about Beelzebub in Sunday School, I learned about him from Queen's perfect harmonies. If there were an anthem from my classic-rock-filled childhood, it would be "Bohemian Rhapsody."

It's one of those songs that is hard to cover well, though it hasn't stopped people from trying. Some renditions are definitely better than others, but this kapa haka version from New Zealand has caught people's attention and delight like few "Bohemian Rhapsody" covers have.

A Māori choir in native garb sang the song live in the Māori language, and it is something to see.

The group Hātea performed the song on February 21, 2019, at New Zealand's national kapa haka festival, Te Matatini, in Wellington. The festival brings 46 kapa haka (Māori performing arts) groups together to compete against one another.

Newshub reports that Hātea collaborated with musical artist William Waiirua to create a "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover in the Māori language, both as a tribute to Freddie Mercury and to celebrate the Oscar-nominated movie about his life.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The group had previously created a music video for their cover, but seeing it performed live is something else. The voices, the harmony, the presentation—everything—is wonderful.

This kind of cultural mashup reminds us how small our world has become.

The contrast between Queen's 1970s British rock and the Māori people's traditional kapa haka could not be more striking. And yet, the melding of the two totally works. Music has the power to bring people together, and this performance is a great example of how it can bridge cultures with beautiful results.

Watch the live performance here:

- YouTubeyoutu.be

People loved seeing it:

"Lump in the throat. Im so proud to be a Kiwi. This Kapa haka group is so talented. The harmonies are fantastic. The Maori language is so precious as are our Maori people. I could listen to this group over and over again. Spectacular."

"I was just totally moved, and have legitimately got goosebumps from this beautiful Maori rendition, of a Queen classic, Bohemian Rhapsody. I just had this wave of emotion, come soaring throughout my whole entire body."

"I’m just a simple Aussie but that was incredibly moving, something inherently beautiful about the Polynesian peoples, don’t ever change."

"Freddie told his executor before he died that he didn’t care what was done with his legacy, just ‘don’t make me boring’. This is exactly the kind of thing he was hoping would happen with his legacy when he said that."

"The reach of this song, far and wide, across all kinds of languages, cultures and ages, is astounding. This is GLORIOUS. No one could have imagined this in 1974/75. Thank goodness the record exec who said it wouldn't sell didn't stop Queen from releasing it back then."

"That was freaking awesome! Freddy is smiling down on this! Thank you!"

As one commenter pointed out, it's interesting how often "mama" is a common word among different languages. It's unmistakable in this song, even if you don't understand any of the other words.

And if you want more, check out the official music video for the "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover as well:

- YouTubeyoutu.be


This article originally appeared six years ago.

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Portugal. The Man's new music video is a guide to resisting Trump.

Not only is it a catchy tune, but it's also packed with tips to making a better world.

The music video for "Feel It Still," a song by a band called Portugal. The Man, isn't exactly what it seems.

To the casual observer, it's your standard music video. But if you look deeper, it becomes a bit more obvious what it actually is: a toolkit for resistance in the age of Trump.

An interactive version of the video is on the band's website.

There, viewers are instructed to click on a series of "easter eggs" hidden throughout the video, which depicts lead singer John Gourley as a party guest who, after getting knocked out during a fight, wakes up in a junkyard filled with problems that need fixing.


Every time a clue is clicked, a message such as "Give to the ACLU" or "Combat climate change" pops up on the screen. At the end of the video, viewers are taken to a page where they can take action on the items they've unlocked (as well as clicking an "unlock all" button to bring up the full range of choices). In all, there are 30 different action items.

[rebelmouse-image 19528911 dam="1" original_size="750x308" caption="This moment in the video, which links to the "Fight Fake News" easter egg, resulted in an angry tirade from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube." expand=1]This moment in the video, which links to the "Fight Fake News" easter egg, resulted in an angry tirade from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube.

[rebelmouse-image 19528912 dam="1" original_size="750x306" caption="This steamy shot of two people in the back of a car links to the band's "Fund Planned Parenthood" call to action. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube." expand=1]This steamy shot of two people in the back of a car links to the band's "Fund Planned Parenthood" call to action. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube.

[rebelmouse-image 19528913 dam="1" original_size="750x302" caption="The quick shot of a lawyer in a junkyard takes people to an "Understand Your Protest Rights" website. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube." expand=1]The quick shot of a lawyer in a junkyard takes people to an "Understand Your Protest Rights" website. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube.

Juxtaposing the devil-may-care attitude of the song with tangible ways to resist the Trump administration is by design.

"This project came at an interesting time where music and culture and politics are coming together in a way we haven’t seen in decades," explained Jason Kreher, the creative director of Wieden+Kennedy, the creative agency the band partnered with to bring the video to life, in a press release. "We loved the idea of presenting the apathetic, decadent 'rebel just for kicks' from the song against a hidden message of resistance."

He described the video as being "for the people out there who are still feeling something [...] a real, practical laundry list of ways you can get out there and fight injustice."

[rebelmouse-image 19528914 dam="1" original_size="750x306" caption="Down for the count and outlined in white chalk, this scene links to the "Stencil Your Own Designs" action item. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube." expand=1]Down for the count and outlined in white chalk, this scene links to the "Stencil Your Own Designs" action item. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube.

[rebelmouse-image 19528915 dam="1" original_size="750x309" caption="This woman, shown mouthing the lyrics during the party scene at the song's beginning, represents the video's clue to "Elect Women." Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube." expand=1]This woman, shown mouthing the lyrics during the party scene at the song's beginning, represents the video's clue to "Elect Women." Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube.

[rebelmouse-image 19528916 dam="1" original_size="750x304" caption="And this silhouetted man with a saxophone links to the "Support Undocumented Artists" action. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube." expand=1]And this silhouetted man with a saxophone links to the "Support Undocumented Artists" action. Screenshot from Portugal. The Man/YouTube.

In all, there are 30 action items listed on the band's website along with links to get you started:

Give to the ACLU, fight fake news, stand up for equality, combat climate change, talk about difficult subjects, support Black Lives Matter, send native people to college, contact your representatives in D.C., fund Planned Parenthood, find out where to resist, pick up wheatpaste skills, call the White House, stencil your own designs, understand your protest rights, have a newborn outlook, aid refugees, protect people in the shadows, push for gun control, use your wallet, support undocumented artists, back reasonable drug laws, save an Alaskan village, cross out hate, learn about global warming dislocation, know your rights, download some posters, save the EPA, follow the money, elect women, and help the House Ethics Committee.

Were you able to find them all?

Portugal. The Man's new album, "Woodstock," is now available online and in stores.

16-year-old Courtney has had to overcome her fair share of health challenges in her life.

The teenager needed a liver transplant a few years ago due to autoimmune hepatitis.

But today she's thriving, according to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and her struggles haven't prevented her from loving to "bust a move" on the dance floor.


GIF via Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/YouTube.

Courtney is one of the kids featured in a smile-inducing music video produced by the hospital that's been spreading online.

The video paired several patients up with their doctors so they could dance it out — and have some fun while they're at it.

13-year-old Nina enjoyed boogying down with Dr. Bergsagel. GIF via Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/YouTube.

"We have some of the toughest patients who face battles that many people couldn’t imagine," cardiologist and dancing doc Martha Clabby, M.D., said in a statement provided to Upworthy. "In those tough times, dancing and having fun can be the best medicine for staying positive."

5-year-old Anthony's got some mad rhythm. GIF via Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/YouTube.

"We are here not only to help them heal," Clabby said, "but to celebrate their strength and triumphs.”

The concept for the music video started with a popular TV show.

"I saw 'Dancing with the Stars,' and I realized it would be really cute to have Dancing with the Doctors — that it'd be a really fun experience for our patients," Amanda Wade, a public relations coordinator at the hospital, explained to Upworthy. "It just sort of spiraled from there."

Dr. Clabby partnered up with the smallest dancer, 7-month-old Zainab, who Wade said "might be the happiest baby [she's] ever seen." GIF via Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/YouTube.

The video — which features kids living with various health challenges, from Hodgkin's lymphoma to transplant patients — has racked up an impressive 280,000 views (and counting) since it was shared on Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Facebook pageearlier this week.

Pageviews and TV shows aside, the video is really meant to do one vital thing: put smiles on the kids' faces.

These patients have been through a lot, Wade explained, and a big part of the hospital staff's job is to keep the blues away. This video is just one way they're making sure to get the job done.

“It’s just so important for kids to be kids," she said.

Watch the "Dancing with the Doctors" music video below:

The band OK Go is out with a new music video, and if you haven't seen it, it's amazing.

Yes, that is two flight attendants spiraling through the air. GIF from OK Go/Facebook.

They're in zero-G! They're not on a green screen and this most definitely isn't CGI. They really did choreograph an entire routine — complete with flying laptops, acrobatic flight attendants, and a storm of colored floating balls — all set to a remarkably catchy song.


But OK Go definitely didn't go to space for this.

OK Go is known for doing some crazy stuff in their videos, like dancing on treadmills or constructing a musical car obstacle course, but even they don't have the wherewithal to blast into space. Instead, their latest video all takes place on a special airplane from S7 airlines in Russia that can simulate zero gravity.

A similar plane in Germany. Image from borsi112/Wikimedia Commons.

How it works: The plane flies in long arcs up and down. At the very top, right as it stops going up and is just starting to fall back down, the passengers can experience what it's like to be in space. It's like how a pop-fly in baseball will sometimes appear to hang in the air for just a second before falling back to Earth.

A lot of people have used this technique before.

In fact, you may have seen it before and not even realized it.

It's been used in movies, such as the weightlessness scenes in "Apollo 13."

GIF from "Apollo 13."

But it has applications beyond the silver screen as well. It's been used to train astronauts, for one thing.

And in 2007, physicist Stephen Hawking got to go for a ride as well!

But the secret behind this production is more than just a special plane. It also took a little video magic.

Here's the rub about making a three-minute video on this plane. Each bout of zero-G only lasts about 20 seconds. After that, the plane needs about five minutes to reset.

And, fun fact, that weight they lose at the top of the arc comes back with a vengeance afterward. Any passengers on the plane will be plastered into their chairs for a few seconds.

So while they were able to film the entire thing in one continuous shot — by pausing their actions for the non-weightless periods and snipping that out of the video — the actual trip took about 45 minutes! You can read more about how they found those amazing flight attendants, how many people it took to do this (a lot), and how many times the crew experienced stomach troubles from the constant up and down (also a lot) on the video's FAQ page.

Or you can just go ahead and indulge in the catchy, pastel awesomeness of OK Go: