Videos that make me happy

Cover: Hannah Hunt (Vampire Weekend) by I’m With Her

Spotify’s algorithm first introduced me to I’m With Her. The trio recorded the “Hannah Hunt” Vampire Weekend cover for a Spotify exclusive, and it’s hauntingly beautiful. This clip is a live performance of the song for “Live From Here” with Chris Thile. It’s the (now defunct) spiritual successor to “News from Lake Wobegon” with Garrison Keillor.

The vocals are outstanding, but I love the minimal use of instruments. Between the pizzicato fiddle to the mandolin picking up the bridge.

My absolute favorite moment, though, is when the trio hits an alternate harmony on “If I can’t trust you, then dammit Hannah” and you can see the pure ecstasy on Chris Thile’s face on the background. That’s how I’m feeling, too, Chris!

Billy Joel - Kid plays New York State of Mind

Imagine if Billy Joel showed up to your school and you had the nerve to stand up and ask him to sing along with you. That’s what this fella Kevin did in this video.

Billy could have easily said, “No, thank you.” But you can tell what really wins him over is that Kevin mentions that he’s played alongside Richie Cognata before. Cognata is Billy Joel’s long-time horn player, so that cements some legitimacy into this random kid.

My favorite moment is when Billy Joel asks him, “What key do you play it in?” to which Kevin replies, “Whatever key you want.” For the non-musically-inclined: that’s really tough to do and honestly kind of a humblebrag. It’s fun to watch him crush and and hear the crowd go wild.

Deadmau5 hears vocal mix for The Veldt for the first time

I don’t remember how I stumbled upon this gem. It’s a recording from a livestream of an electronic music producer Deadmau5 (pronounced “dead mouse”). Deadmau5 had released the instrumental track to “The Veldt” out into the wild, and an internet stranger Chris James came out of nowhere to add lyrics and a vocal track.

In the livestream, Deadmau5 is pretty skeptical and even says he’s going to be brutally honest if he hates it. But within seconds, you can tell that he’s blown away. He calls in his partner to share his incredulity. You know he’s not faking it because he shares his distaste for the bit of artificial vocal stutter the person added. It gets even better as he realizes the deep understanding the person has of the source material for The Veldt.

The went on to work together on the track and released it under both of their names. Super cool to see that bit of magic happen in real time.

Jeff Daniels Shocks Kelly Clarkson With Moving Original Song Performance

When I think of Jeff Daniels, I think of a comedy actor in the Dumb and Dumber movies. Until this video, I don’t think many people realized that Jeff is a full-on accomplished musician and songwriter—and that includes Kelly Clarkson.

Jeff joined Kelly’s show and offered to play a song on his guitar. He starts playing an original composition, “When Your Fingers Find My Strings,” for Kelly and the live studio audience. You can see the shock on Kelly’s face as soon as Jeff starts playing a legitimately beautiful song with meaningful lyrics. The song talks about the relationship between a man and his guitar.

By the end of the song, Kelly is tearing up and the audience is going crazy. I’ve watched this thing a million times and I’ve never grown tired of it.

Maggie Rogers - folk / Alaska (Pharrell’s feedback)

I didn’t realize that Maggie Rogers was “discovered” as a grad student at NYU. And it turns out, the moment was caught on tape.

In the video, legendary artist and music producer Pharrell is visiting an NYU music class and is offering feedback to students on their original compositions. Maggie comes off as a humble, reserved student who clearly has won the respect of her professor, and she shares that this song was inspired by a trip she took to Alaska. She says it could use “a couple more hours of mixing and mastering” but is almost ready.

What she ends up playing for Pharrell is pretty much exactly what you hear on the pop radio today. “Alaska” starts with a bunch of unique layers and is topped off by Maggie’s amazing vocals. It’s fun to watch Pharrell’s reaction to each section of the song as it builds. Some funny moments are when Maggie is sneaking glances at Pharrell throughout to try to see whether he’s enjoying the song. You can also tell that Pharrell is trying to get past the shock of how good the song is to try to zero in on any feedback he could give when the song’s over instead of just being flabbergasted. He fails to find any critiques, though, and showers her with praise at the end.

Chris Stapleton sings the National Anthem

America. That’s it.

Seriously, though, imagine being in the broadcast booth as the technical director and producer are cutting to coach Nick Sirianni just as a tear drops from his face. Impeccable timing. Chris nails it and proves that he’s a generationally talented musician.

Jacob Collier & Daniel Caesar - Best Part

Throw a bunch of music nerds in a room, and then bring out a musical artist they all adore, and you’re in for a nice moment.

Jacob Collier starts by playing “Best Part” by Her/Daniel Caesar. As he builds and vamps on the piano, Daniel comes out and shocks the room. You can see the unbridled happiness on the fans in the front row that he’s showed up. The vocal performance is awesome, but then they break down the song and do some participatory crowd work at the end. I think this is pretty common at Jacob Collier shows (see the part about music nerds).

Adele Celine Dion love Las Vegas

After Celine Dion’s medical condition prevented her from continuing her residency at Las Vegas, Adele took over her spot in the same venue. In this video, Adele is singing a song and walking through the crowd when she spots Celine Dion. The moment means a ton to Adele who probably idolizes Celine, and it’s sweet to see how much the moment means to her. The crowd helps sing the song when Adele is too emotional to keep going.

Sara Bareilles and Rufus Wainwright Perform “She Used to Be Mine”

This collab was not in my cards, and I loved it. Sara is awesome. As a millennial, I can’t help but associate Rufus Wainwright to his “Hallelujah” performance in Shrek. But damn if he can’t sing and harmonize perfectly with Sara Bareilles in her own song. Their voices blend together so well.

The Greatest Showman Featurette - This is Me with Keala Settle (2017)

It’s awesome to see Keala start a bit timid and nervous at the beginning of this performance. As she builds, you can see her start gaining confidence, especially as Hugh holds her hand and gives her reassurance.