If you were to ask someone what Michael Jackson song seems to be covered the most, some would say, “Eat It.” Then once they realized they mistook “cover” for “parody,” they would probably answer with “Smooth Criminal.” The rock band Alien Ant Farm has covered it. A pre-Flash Grant Gustin covered it on Glee. Last month, we even posted a video of it being covered with traditional Japanese music.

Once, again, someone has gotten creative and found another way to determine the well-being of Annie. French musician Patrick Mathis took it upon himself to arrange Jackson’s hit on an barrel organ.

For those of you that are unsure what a barrel organ is, it’s a musical instrument using bellows and pipes to create the sound, but instead of using keys to create the notes, they are inscribed either onto wooden barrels or paper and turned with a crank. It’s very similar to writing computer code. A lot of texts that look foreign at first, but when fed through the right machine, can create something beautiful.

The video shows the paper “code” being fed through the organ, and the music plays through flawlessly. I like how they show the coding on the paper as it is being played, matching up with the notes. Just like with creating a website with HTML, it’s obvious hours of time went into creating this fantastic version of “Smooth Criminal.”

So what do you think? What method is left for “Smooth Criminal” to be covered by? And where is the “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” mandolin cover? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.

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HT: Laughing Squid