'Take On Me' By A-Ha Covered By North Korean Accordion-Playing Students

Our favorite teen cover of an '80s classic might be the music featured in the above video, which stars five talented young accordion players from Kum Song School in Pyongyang, North Korea playing a-Ha's 'Take On Me.' According to the YouTube channel to which this video was originally posted, this performance is "part of multi-genre project, "The Promised Land," by director and artist Morten Traavik, opening at the international arts and culture festival Barents Spektakel in Kirkenes, Norway February 8-12, 2012. You can check out www.traavik.info and www.barentsspektakel.no for more info. (via Buzzfeed)

Here are a few other YouTube cover videos by talented teens on our radar this month (with fewer accordions but just as much awesome!):

- Miley Cyrus covers Bob Dylan (and, according to our comments, does the song justice!)
- Young singer records his own music video for Adele's "Someone Like You"
- 16-year-old guitarist writes her own rendition of Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never"

Comments

[stjoshy]

05:46 PM on 02/04/2012

*unimpressed cookie monster is unimpressed* if you want to hear a real good version that rivals the original you should youtube reel big fish and their cover.. epicness

[Mark Vaccaro]

03:03 PM on 02/04/2012

What's funny about this video is that you actually have 5 people from one country that play the accordian. What sucks is they are North Korean and a free world news organization puts them out there like it is really important or special. Nothing about any communist country should even be a mention in passing until communism is dead.

[perceptive24]

03:00 PM on 02/04/2012

What fun! And they're very good!

[flossophy]

02:31 PM on 02/04/2012

The free world should liberate these people. 

History will look back and wonder why we didn't do it when we had the chance.

[Mark Vaccaro]

02:59 PM on 02/04/2012

Because the stinkin Communist Chinese jumped in where they became part of the problem rather than part of the solution. Most countries in the UN forces had already had enough of having to liberate the world from oppressors. Maybe you should take the time and go read a book on the Korean War or do they not even mention that in History class these day?

[kushibo]

03:42 PM on 02/05/2012

Dang, Mark Vaccaro beat me to it.

Yeah, last time we tried liberating them (early 1950s) they shot at us and killed quite a few South Koreans, Americans, and others in the United Nations forces before the Chinese came and solidified their position.

Right now our goal is making sure they don't spread the love like they did in June 1950.

[Junior Kitty]

01:56 PM on 02/04/2012

OH VEY!!!

[mygenericemail78]

01:24 PM on 02/04/2012

This was awesome! Who would have thought about accordians???? Finally something good in the news.

And the only funny part, was the phone ringing in the background as soon as they stopped the last note!!! LOL

[dmoongo]

01:16 PM on 02/04/2012

Huh. Something good from North Korea. Who'da thunk it?

[tkenneymia]

12:57 PM on 02/04/2012

i love it!

[grifrn]

12:56 PM on 02/04/2012

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[flyingtuna]

11:55 AM on 02/04/2012

I predict that North Korea will soon dominate Polka Band championships in the near future. Thank goodness we still have Weird Al on our team.

[Brooklyn Cyclist]

11:44 AM on 02/04/2012

Last seconds Kim Jong il was calling from the grave, asked to stop it

[kushibo]

03:43 PM on 02/05/2012

Ha ha!

[GrammaTina]

11:32 AM on 02/04/2012

Awesome! (applause)

[bogey1]

11:10 AM on 02/04/2012

very nice and great how the phone rings at the end

[GeoTor]

10:37 AM on 02/04/2012

Bravo !! I loved that. Also, check out how the guys play with their legs spread wide, and the girls play with their legs closed up tight. It would look weird if it were the opposite.

[northcountryliberal]

10:27 AM on 02/04/2012

I'll bet it would be easier to balance if those women had pants on and could spread their legs like the guys.

[Paws Up]

11:06 AM on 02/04/2012

I doubt its because of the skirts. Its not considered ladylike to sit with your legs spread out like that in a chair.