…is it, though? 

Back in late 2014, a friend of mine introduced me to PMJ for the first time. We were driving from Be’er Sheva to Tel Aviv, and in the middle of the ride he connected his phone to the car’s speakers, and played this song:

I bursted out laughing. Needless to say, when I got back home and actually watched the video – I was somewhat amused and scared simultaneously.

He also played these two songs, leaving me with the conclusion that a very talented group of musicians had managed to come up with an elaborate joke:

(frankly, the ridiculous outfits didn’t make them look good, either.)

It wasn’t too long until I realized how wrong I was.

Turns out, they release a new video every Thursday (to this day!), raising the bar from one video to another. A month went by, and Youtube’s homepage recommended me this gem:

This is where I begin arguing:

Some songs were just “born” in the wrong decade.

So I went down the rabbit hole, found some more crazy sh*t:

(yup, that’s Korean for ya)

But even some of the funny ones sound better than the original, in my opinion:

Though it clearly does not translate to the view count:

Anyone who took the 60’s course should be able to recognize the intro:

A klezemer cover to a rap hit that is based on sampling an Israeli groove tune:

(I’m not even going to dignify Derulo with the comparison. The right thing to do is to watch BBB in live concert:)

When sleazy songs become classy:

Not to mention…

Once upon a time in the wild wild west:

This groovy version:

to this depressing song:

Those pipes (2:20):

A veriaty of styles:

(Get it? Style?)

(All of their Taylor Swift’s covers are great. Check out Shake It Off and Blank Space).

He (Scott Bradlee, creator of) always brings some damn-talented musicians, that you probably wouldn’t be hearing of otherwise (unless you’re an avid America’s Got Talent / American Idol viewer):

Here she is in a Disney classic:

(The first scene ever to introduce a Disney and Pixar Studios collaboration, by the way. Around 2:15)

Along came Haley Reinhart with her raspy voice:

A much-needed makeover to this stadium anthem:

(Not PMJ, but I had to put this cover too:)

And, of course, she stars in their most viewed video to date (unjustified, if you ask me. Don’t kill me):

(most annoying Radiohead song, while we’re at it)

Different times, different gangsters (in chronological order):

Tapdancing to Lady Gaga:

As one commented:

If the ship is sinking you might as well enjoy it.

But if I had to pick ONE:

Obviously, everyone knows the original by heart. Everyone:

Who the f**k is Justin Bieber?

(To be fair, the original is pretty good too).

They cover a lot 2000’s and 90’s megahits, but even more modest 80’s hits get a beautiful rendition:

Cyndi Lauper has some moving melodies, and this one exploits that one perfectly:

It’s almost as if this song was COVERED in the 80’s and not the other way around:

Just imagine Tony Bennett’s voice to this arrangement:

(The modern version is already a classic:)

For those of us who miss the 90’s (myself included):

If only Noel and Liam could have recociled:

This came out right after the horrible shooting in Las Vegas:

For the emos out there (Be sure to check out her cover to MCR’s The Black Parade):

From Casablanca to NYC:

Are you speechless yet?

I wish Bowie could have seen this:

I could have gone on and on…

So, Mel, the last one is for you:

If I weren’t clear enough – I think this is, by far, one of the coolest Youtube channels around. Jokes and fun aside – I truly believe this is a revolutionary gateway to otherwise forgotten music. Even if that’s not their intention. I, personally, wouldn’t have got more interested in jazz and early pop music if it weren’t for them.

I highly recommend you to go through the playlists in the channel – they are sorted by genre or era.

The man behind it all, Scott Bradlee, also maintains a personal Youtube channel with mostly instrumental covers to classic tunes. I included a piece any gamer should recognize.

Speaking of which – he actually been working on soundtracks for video games! Here is his arrangement for the timeless Beach Boys song:

And if you want to know how the whole thing started out – watch his TED and Google talks.