HOW HAVEN’T I HEARD THIS? FIRST TIME HEARING Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal | REACTION

In todays video we are reacting to Alien Ant Farm- Smooth Criminal
Link to the original video- • Alien Ant Farm - Smoot...
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[@johnbarraco5561]

Micheal Jackson loved this cover 💯

[@kizunadragon9]

MJ loved this cover, he had a fantastic sense of humor, he loved every Weird Al parody of his songs too

[@everyonelovesmajima]

MJ set Al up with the original set and his own dancers for the Fat video.

[@memnarch129]

@@everyonelovesmajima As well as MJs choreographer for both Fat and Eat It. MJ wanted the dance moves as close to his as possible.

[@hellrazor6868]

If it wasn't for MJ Weird Al may not have been as popular as he is. MJ was one of the first major artist to give the ok for his songs to be paraded.

[@jdmmike7225]

Not only did MJ approve of this cover he attended one of the days they shot this video. He had a dance off with the kid in the mask

[@luckystar9239]

No parody all homage.

[@laudanum669]

For those people that are old enough to remember, the singer looks like "Alfalfa" from the original "Little Rascals" movies.

[@dizastro5437]

I knew him and the rest of Spanky's crew

[@aaronpincus6095]

Just missing Alfalfa's cowlick.

[@zacatkinson3926]

hes missing the spike part

[@user-sm2ql7nq4l]

The originals were not movies they were short films back in the 1920s and 1930s that were shown before a feature film.

[@GeorgeSmith-ze5vk]

Hahah I have always said that too…

[@garrickdouglas6804]

The bass player is hitting the High notes.

[@billholder1330]

Ty Zamora - also a MONSTER bass player.

[@mercedeslewis4598]

@@billholder1330and super cute

[@johndeeregreen4592]

@@billholder1330, VERY underrated bassist... while singing falsetto, too... as a bassist, I can tell you that is very difficult.

[@jeffjones6221]

No hate brother!!! I prefer this over the original too😅😅😅

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

This is one of the best covers of a major hit ever made IMO.

[@kerrykeeler1490]

This was MJ approved!

[@MrMelo34]

He approved it but was not so happy about the boy wearing a mask .. Thought it was poking fun at him 😷.. But guess he liked his dancing so much.. 🔥🔥❤‍🔥

[@faithpearlgenied-a5517]

So was bumming little boys 🤢

[@capatheist]

Ofc he approved it... If he didn't approve it, it's not legally allowed to exist.

[@TurntBucket]

​​@@capatheist You don't need permission to cover a song. You need a permit/license and to pay some fees.

[@capatheist]

@@TurntBucket a permit or licence? No... You mean licensing rights. And if they got that... Then they got permission. And if it's a big time music video that was being played alot on the radio and made a bunch of money... It couldn't exist without being approved of by at least Michaels people. So thanks for that completely useless and incorrect clarification

[@Thatgirl1973]

have always and forever will love MJ...and this song. It doesn't surprise me MJ approved, because they really did him proud. Definitely on the best covers list, because while they made it theirs they still stayed true to the song! That's the mark of a great cover, and it's rare.

[@davidstanley9543]

Alien Ant Farm already said that MJ had control over what they could release as the final video. This was filmed in 2001, and MJ approved the mask on the break-dancing kid. Throwing shade on MJ, always wearing a mask. 30 years ago! Haha.

[@dangauldin6497]

I love all the little micro-throwbacks to other Jackson songs and video elements. The monkey, the silver glove, the sidewalk, the car scene from "Black or White", the thriller dance, just a lot of easily missable moments if you aren't watching fast enough.

[@andieolson5693]

AAF is so underrated! They are so much fun to perform with and have some of the best energy I've seen at shows. Movies, Simpatico, and So Cold are some of their best tracks ❤

[@potentiallyacommentor5648]

The house the kid was dancing in front of was the home the entire Jackson family used to live in. Check out the band Sabaton, they do metal songs about actual historical war events.

[@mr_hardy5329]

"In May 2001, American rock band Alien Ant Farm released a cover version of "Smooth Criminal" as the second single from their second studio album, Anthology (2001). According to lead singer Dryden Mitchell, the band would play a few riffs of the Jackson song while warming up before gigs and audience members would request them to play the entire song. This positive feedback encouraged them to record their own rendition of "Smooth Criminal" and include it on Anthology. Originally, the song was not planned to be released due to Jacksons copyright infringement, but Michael Jackson listened to the cover, he liked it and let Alien Ant Farm release the single, with the official video. The cover became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and was also a number-one hit in Australia for eight weeks. In Europe, it reached number three in the United Kingdom and charted within the top 10 in 10 other countries. Alien Ant Farm's 1999 album Greatest Hits includes a hidden track named "Slick Thief", which is an early version of "Smooth Criminal"."

[@nb8817]

They are seen as a one hit wonder by most people but they made themselves a part of rock history when they created this cover. Anyone who’s heard this considered it to be either one of the best or the best MJ covers of all time

[@Sarah83_metalhead_4ever]

Yes it's the bass player who hits those high notes 😅👍🏻

[@scottwynia6494]

The bass player is hitting the high notes

[@darkangel_1978]

I have always enjoyed this version. When my Mom was still alive, she loved this version.

[@vaazig]

A woman of great taste

[@spcwild]

a few years ago i learned "good music is good music" doesnt matter what genre it gets played in. also props to bands that cover songs out of their genre and smash it.

[@NatReacts_]

💯

[@richardcurtis5281]

One of the biggest in recent years is Disturbed's cover of Sound of Silence

[@808teckie6]

100 percent agree. the original version was cool, but this version is my favorite lol

[@ursularang4126]

Tribute to Michael Jackson.. different pieces of MJS Videos.. Thriller, Billie Jean, Bubbles the chimpanzee, Glove , Liz Taylor, ETC....

[@DarkAngel1985Mike]

Love this song, it came out when I was a freshman in high school, and MJ holds a special place in my heart because I’m named after him in tribute to my oldest sister who died 3 months before I was born because she was a big fan and even had a red leather outfit like the Thriller video

[@NatReacts_]

Sorry for your loss man 🙏🏽

[@belladoran222]

Quite a cool one is the duet between Michael J + Paul McCartney, SAY SAY SAY, no one seems to react to that much but it's gold. Cheers aussie girl x

[@RayfordRaySiegel]

It's not a re-mix. It's a cover.

[@DHFHades]

nah, it's a tribute

[@flipjupiter1]

​@@DHFHadesnah, it's a cover.

[@VegasYouTuberSteve]

If you happen to be in Las Vegas Friday April 12th, AAF will be live on Fremont Street. The Ataris is the opener. See you there 😎

[@tammyfinnemore]

I also love all the refernces to MJ through it from Bubbles the monkey, to the silver glove MJ wore, to the light up steps from Billy Jean, the costumes and moves from Thriller..the list goes on

[@JoRhade]

Speaking of "remixing the GOAT," you ought to dive into the rabbit hole that is Weird Al Yankovic. King of parodies, absolute genius, has done songs in almost every genre. He's been performing for over 40 years and has outlasted a lot of the bands he covered. I'd recommend starting off with: - White and Nerdy - Couch Potato - Trapped in the Drive Thru - Word Crimes - Hardware Store Have fun!

[@girs666]

Eat it was huge 🤣

[@johnevans8106]

White and nerdy was my s**t lol

[@ghrayfahx]

Amish Paradise would be a good one too.

[@GabaWocky]

I swear, late 90s early 00s had THE BEST music

[@abemorales6104]

This was a great song back in the day!

[@robperry5293]

How they got approval to do this song is... The bass player knew Mike's long-time drummer. The drummer told Mike these guys get it and Mike said okay.

[@mikefarrington7141]

You don't need permission to do a cover, so long as you're comfortable kicking back nearly all of the money to the original songwriters. It's known as "compulsory licensing". In contrast, a parody artist like Weird Al will seek permission because he crafted new lyrics and wanted to negotiate some co-authorship rights (which would give him more revenue than a strict cover).

[@kikivon3501]

@@mikefarrington7141you are correct, if you do not change the lyrics you don’t need permission, but you will pay🤑

[@kardeef33317]

You might like Iron Maiden. Hollowed Be Thy Name Hammersmith, the offical video is live.

[@krz.777]

their Drummer is on 🔥🔥🔥

[@markyates1116]

Remember when premier videos were a big deal? Back when MTV was your only choice for music videos amd when they actually played then. I still remember where I was when Thriller premiere. I was a little young and it was almost a little scary. But in a good way. Like a mini movie

[@kevp3378]

Another banger from them...MOVIES..it's a bop on god ..

[@user-ux8ix4xy2t]

Actually the first time I saw the band was crazy, I was shocked they rocked an sounded awsome.

[@Danandrea919]

The ONLY cover that equals the original!! Both are now Classics!!

[@mercedeslewis4598]

Seeing them next month! Woo! Woo!

[@logantritt1834]

They did a great job in the details! Glad you found it man!

[@JustinSeara]

They’re having a blast playing that

[@dereknordling3070]

Love this song. If you haven't seen it yet, you should check out Weird Al's "White and Nerdy".

[@NatReacts_]

Will definitely check it out!

[@astralvenus]

This is the best MJ cover song

[@aaronpincus6095]

The house the little kid dances in front of was the house MJ grew up in when the family moved to CA.

[@Organicme1]

TY for the great reaction!

[@adamg4754]

They almost didn't put the mask on the little kid dancing on the sidewalk because they thought it would offend Michael Jackson but he was cool with it and told them to leave it in the video 💯🔥

[@NatReacts_]

🔥🔥

[@user-pl8sx3kl4w]

great cover, RIP MJ

[@Daxtarr1]

MJ signed off on all of this. He loved it. BTW, it's the bass player hitting the high notes. Bass players need love too.

[@NatReacts_]

For sure!

[@wiccan75]

The Bass player is hitting those high notes, according to the video

[@rickyratte5643]

Its made with love❤

[@cultivatinggrace]

What I want to know is where is the kid with the yellow shirt now? He was killing those dance moves! Is he still dancing?

[@MrMelo34]

His name is Bobby Edner.. He danced in several famous peoples music clips after this..

[@cultivatinggrace]

@@MrMelo34 thank you! He killed it in this video. Looking forward to finding out more now that I know his name. Thank you, I really appreciate the lead.

[@MrMelo34]

He always got me hype watching him on MTV in this when i was a teenager @@cultivatinggrace 🥺 seems so long ago lol 😳😂🙄

[@cultivatinggrace]

@@MrMelo34 I’m Right there with you! I think I’m a little older than you so was a little younger when this came out, but damn, boy had some skills! Looking forward to checking out what else he’s done since then-I’m so grateful for the lead

[@annecaminer2988]

There are a lot of references to MJ's life and past videos in the video.

[@tiffanyabell9070]

The white house with bars on the windows behind the kid in the yellow shirt dancing (other kids in yard behind him) is micheal jacksons childhood home in gary indiana. I live 20 min from there. I have visited before and after his death.😊

[@KristineFriling]

All these are from my high school early 20s, i remember watching that video on MTV and just couldn't take my eyes off them. These first few have been such good picks! I totally recommend Soundgarden: Black Hole Sun!

[@AylaCT]

They put so many references to a lot of MJ's music videos too

[@politicalscientist8880]

bassist doing the high parts

[@karleenag86]

I just subscribed! Love your reaction

[@NatReacts_]

Thank you🤝🏽

[@michaellamb9596]

Best cover ever

[@capatheist]

Any commercially successful song that has a comercially successful cover made has to be approved by the original artist .. Or more accurately whoever owns the original song.

[@RebornLeveller]

Great reaction. This band is so underrated it’s criminal (pun intended). Many people see them as one-hit-wonders (or 2 hit wonders with their track “Movies”) but they’ve released 5 brilliant albums, and are just about to release a new album on the 26th April. Please do more Alien Ant farm. I’d recommend “Movies”, “These Days”, “Wish”, “Simpatico”, and “Attitude” (Chester Bennington’s favourite song).

[@NatReacts_]

Thank you man and I will definitely do more!

[@ashleymcgriff270]

Cult Of Personality by Living Color. Nothin' but FIRE! Have a listen. Great reaction by the way. Alien Ant Farm is awesome!

[@NatReacts_]

Thank you!

[@aussierob3860]

Try Enter Sandman in Moscow 1991 from Metallica’s Black album. Once you’ve heard Black, you won’t go back.

[@TanyaQueen182]

In my opinion, the best cover of any song ever.

[@philipmcinturff404]

MJ loved this version

[@AriasandtheNATION]

Hey man just subbed. like the vibe here bro. Much love

[@NatReacts_]

Thanks man!

[@timlloyd1454]

SERIOUSLY?? You HAVEN'T heard but 3 rock songs??? Thats insane to me bro you got soooo much great music to explore sit back relax and enjoy the journey it'll be life changing bro😊😊👍👍ill just give you ONE ok lynard skynard ... Freebird alot of people do the live version but i prefer the studio version myself😊😊👍👍

[@richardcurtis5281]

64 yr old white male here and yes, that was fire!

[@theoman6718]

Genius cover

[@scottboyd9383]

weird Als white and nerdy (ridin dirty spoof) is fire just like the guy below recommended.

[@NatReacts_]

Bet!

[@SentientPickle]

yeah, this shit was legit. Wasn't a mean-spirited parody but a outright homage and done well. Got MJ's seal of approval which says it all. The little tidbits of MJ lore throughout the video is great

[@rothed16]

Just subscribed after watching 3 vids. MJ gave his seal of approval on this. ❤

[@CrowTag]

Man i miss music and music videos like tihs, awesome and funny at the same time!

[@emcsquared8681]

Wait until you hear Chris Cornell cover of Billy Jean, it’s absolutely amazing

[@barefootenvelope442]

Punk rock covers of other genres are usually hype! Check out Me First and the Gimme Gimmies doing Still Rock and Roll to Me

[@joenewman6494]

Pure fire

[@zelgkopitar8799]

Always been an MJ fan but this version kills. Absolutely love it and agree that it's better than the original. Amazing cover.

[@johnbarraco5561]

Glad you enjoyed it .. stay up big dog 💯❤️✌️🙏

[@NatReacts_]

You too🤝🏽

[@Brosati68]

This is probably the best cover ever 😂

[@NatReacts_]

For sure🔥

[@ccormx]

Lord, saw this at Buzzfest sometime in early aughts, teenager, strange to see it catch on now

[@Vote_Blue]

they didn't even record it with the intention of releasing it. they were just messing around in studio one day trying to set mic levels and locations while playing this song... one of the sound techs sent it over to MJ's people, who played it for him, and he told them to make it a single, so they did.

[@NatReacts_]

🔥

[@mikexxx11]

AAF was way to i read somewhere not only did MJ approve but loved this version and the video as well.

[@JamesPerry-wt7no]

He said it in an interview for a radio in 2001

[@sherriandwaynejohnson3185]

Listen, I listen to all kinds of music. I love everything from freaking 50s to hip-hop, etc. I don’t like Country but anyway I’m a huge MJ fan and I’m a huge rock fan so this is a beautiful blend of the two!

[@donapaterson832]

buddy with the bass is hitting the high notes

[@johnmartin9854]

Check out Leo Moracchioli’s metal cover of Thriller. Also Nonpoint’s cover of Prince When Doves Cry

[@reignking2360]

I have 2 covers I believe do justice, or surpasses the original. 1 is this song, the other is Sound of Silence. I prefer the Disturbed version personally

[@Kookygirl111]

I'd love to see you react to some Weird Al. His Amish Paradise is hilariously on point.

[@annecaminer2988]

I think it's the bass player hitting the high notes.

[@jonmay3044]

You want a rock song with a twist, check out The Kinks. Especially Lola, but Well Respected Man is a pretty wild ride too.

[@kristinekuehn6528]

I recommend Fall Out Boys cover of Beat It and We Didn't Start The Fire. MJ and Billy Joel respectively.

[@jimg1787]

Can you imagine being a member of AAF back in the day and writing or emailing the record company that owned this song and asking for permission?

[@boblozaintherealworld3577]

Amazing version, almost note for note, and just as tight. Never saw the video. Equally amazing and hilarious. Good one Nat.

[@NatReacts_]

Thank you!

[@boblozaintherealworld3577]

@@NatReacts_ You welcome.

[@toad5769]

Hollywood Undead "Heart of a Champion" feat. Papa Roach & Ice Nine Kills

[@thefluxcapacitor1]

This entire album is phenomenal beginning to end. They are doing a free show in Vegas in a couple weeks. Unfortunately I can't make it, but I have seen them live before and they are awesome. They do a cover of Billie Jean live sometimes that's great as well.

[@ieyke]

Yea, honestly, this IS straight up better than the original. The original is like the blueprint for a great sing, but MJ only turned in the riugh draft. And then Alien Ant-Farm came along and was like "Let's actually go all-out and blow the roof off this damn thing."

[@RichieOllis-vo2yl]

This was alright! The first time I actually listened to it but the lyrics are excellent

[@adm5163]

Some great covers: Electric Callboy - Every time We Touch Disturbed - Sound of Silence Disturbed - Land of Confusion Johnny Cash - Hurt

[@CarlDalach-px4cj]

Really good

[@khandragon7950]

Enjoying this one, then you owe it to yourself to check out the next step down the line of adaptation and visit Leo, He's a Metal musician that painstakingly applies this same loving attitude to the original music, in his covers.. and he can turn ANYTHING into a metal tune that blows the roof off.. :) Thriller (metal cover by Leo Moracchioli feat. C.J Pierce) keeps in the line of this vid, as well as his other MJ covers, but check out his Adele - Hello (metal cover by Leo Moracchioli) to be amazed.. ;)

[@johnwesch5926]

💥

[@TonySalazar933]

When I first heard this I wanted them to cover all of Michael Jackson's songs. 😊

[@SonicMegaKing]

People hated on them hard for this cover at the time.

[@genageeraert8039]

There are so many MJ Easter eggs in this video

[@jamestaylor3805]

Remakes in the rock genre that take ownership away from the originals. Do a series of originals followed by the remakes. Hurt by Nine Inch Nails was fucking epic, but Johnny Cash now owns that song. Simon and Garfunkle gave us the Sounds of Silence as a warning, but Disturbed renewed the song with anger that we never heeded the warning. They own it now. There are others, please people comment some in the replies. You can also do a series of originals followed by the Weird Al Yankovich parodies, which were often superior to the originals as well. He and MJ had a good relationship musically. Gansters Paradise vs Amish Paraidise Riding Dirty vs White and Nerdy