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Dad recorded his baby’s sounds for a year, then used them to remake AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’

You've been thunderstruck.

Representative photo credit: Canva

Ever seen a baby "sing" a rock song before they can talk?

Few things bring as much joy to a parent’s heart as the adorable sounds their babies make. But when a dad with a vision, a camera and a year's worth of footage uses those sounds to recreate one of the most iconic rock songs ever…let's just say joy alone doesn't quite cover it.

In one of the most epically adorable and adorably epic song renditions ever, dad and video editor Matt MacMillan spliced together tiny snippets of his baby's sounds to make AC/DC's "Thunderstruck." And it's one of those things you just have to see to believe.

Baby Ryan singing "Thunderstruck" is jaw-droppingly awesome

Nothing but awe and respect for a guy who takes a whole year to get just the right sounds at the right pitches and figures out to put them together to create this masterpiece:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Making a sneeze into a cymbal? Are you kidding me?

People have been understandably impressed, with the video getting over 6 million views.

"Ryan becomes the vocalist of AB/CD."

"I need a cover in 17 years whenever he is an adult singing over the instrumentals lol"

"'I recorded my son for a full year. I edited for the next 5'"

"The fact that he genuinely found clips that fit every note he need instead of just pitch shifting like most videos like this do really makes this stand out. Good job he’s adorable."

"This dude had a kid just so he could make this song. What a Legend."

"Other parents: 'I want my child to create masterpieces.' This guy: 'my child IS the masterpiece.'"

"I'm a residential plumber and I've had an absolutely horrible day on a work shift that's lasted 13 hours and even after crawling through human poop all day this made me smile laugh and giggle like a small baby."

Believe it or not, it's not autotuned or pitch-shifted. Those notes are all baby.

The question is: How did he do it? This isn't just some autotune trick. MacMillan really did it all manually, going through each video clip of Baby Ryan, organizing them by pitch and figuring out what notes they were.

Perhaps most impressively, he didn't even know the notes of "Thunderstruck" to begin with and doesn't really read music. He had to pluck the song out on the piano and then match those notes with his baby's sounds.

As he wrote, "It took forever." But he shared an inside look at how he did it here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Seriously, doesn't seeing how he did it make it even more impressive? Pure human creativity and perseverance on display. What a delightful gift Ryan will have for the rest of his life. Much better than a standard baby book.

Baby Ryan's "Thunderstruck" was not MacMillan's first foray into baby covers, either. He previously created a rendition of "Carol of the Bells" using Baby Ella's sounds, and it is just as impressive (and adorable) as Baby Ryan's. Here's one to add to your holiday playlist:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Here's to the humans who wow us with their ambitious, innovative projects that exist purely to bring a smile to people's faces.

You can follow Matt MacMillan on YouTube.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Parenting

A dad posted his 5-year-old's paintings online and couldn't believe the huge response

Kudos to this dad for helping to unlock his son's impressive talent.

Unsplash & bruncvik/reddit

Joseph, a dad from Dublin, Ireland says he started drawing and painting in the evenings about a year ago to help him unwind from work. It's a great idea, because adult coloring has been shown to have a ton of positive mental health effects. Plus, it's fun! But one unintended and adorable side effect of Joseph's coloring was that his young son, Philip, decided he wanted to emulate him.

Philip had always loved coloring but, Joseph says, "I had to get him some pastels, and he started trying on the same drawings as I did," Joseph says. "I found it absolutely adorable when he was seriously repeating the same movements as me: cleaning the tips of the pastels, blend the edges of colors, etc."

One thing quickly became apparent: Philip was much, much better than his old man.

"About a month ago, he made a painting that was so good I had to share it on Reddit. Within two days, it generated over 100,000 views and 3000 likes."

The overwhelming response? "Uh, 5-year-olds can't do that."

bruncvik/reddit

The first piece Philip shared is wildly impressive. Some commenters couldn't believe that a 5-year-old could have made it, but I think you can see it pretty clearly. It has just enough childlike crudeness, but the stylistic flair is just off the charts, from the whispy sky to the slightly foreboding trees. Redditors agreed that it was incredible.

"Thats better than I can do now at 25," one Reddit user wrote.

Others questioned whether the boy might be related to Bob Ross.

"I told [Philip] about it, and I guess that was his first big dopamine hit," Joseph says of going viral. "Since then, he is asking to draw more often, and there's often an intrinsic reward for him. One painting got submitted to a charity auction at his school ... I don't pressure him to draw; he's coming to me to ask whether he can use my pastels"

One critical part of the story is that Philip often follows along with YouTube videos that his dad finds for him. Lest you think this should diminish how impressive the painting is, quite the contrary. As someone with an almost-5-year-old of my own, I've seen the kind of stuff kids this age are capable of drawing — and it's not this! No matter how much instruction they have.

The structured YouTube videos were able to unlock Philip's natural talent and guide him in a way that his dad never could.

Here's the finished painting he was following along with. Honestly? I like Philip's better! It has a lot more personality.

She'z ART/YouTube

The response to Philip's first painting was so positive that his dad decided to post another piece.

You gotta give the people what they want!

I love this one, too. The youngster's talent is on display again, with an excellent color palette and aggressive strokes giving it life. Remember — the kid is five years old! Five! Usually they can barely muster a convincing stick figure.

bruncvik/reddit

And again, here's the model painting from YouTube. Joseph said his own versions of these paint-alongs come out looking a lot like the example, but that his son has an incredible way of making them his own.

She'z ART/YouTube

Philip's dad gives a lot of thought to the right way to nurture his son's talent without pushing too hard and snuffing it out.

"He attended an afterschool art club, where they experimented with different media, but he found it too restrictive. He is still bringing home new art at least twice per week, but it's something he does on his own," dad says, not sure if pushing his son into formal art instruction is the right thing to do.

Experts say that pushing too hard when your kid shows a flair for something, especially regarding longterm goals (like going to art school or becoming a professional artist one day), can backfire big time and make them feel overwhelmed and resentful.

Joseph finds other ways to encourage his son's interest.

"One thing I do with him, though, is to talk about painting when we are out and about. Last weekend, we went to watch the sunset, and I asked him what colors he'd use for the clouds. ... Philip is just as obsessed with different shades (his current favorite word is 'vermilion' and his favorite color is 'turquoise'), and how they mix."

Being the parent of a talented or gifted kid is no easy job. There are a lot of pitfalls and plenty of ways to bungle your attempts to nurture that talent. As impressive as Philip's artwork is, especially for his age, the thoughtful parenting on display in this story is just as awesome.

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Joy

Artist uses trash to make absurdist sculptures that become lifelike animals from one angle

This is absolutely mind-blowing—and perspective-shifting.

Courtesy of Tom Deininger/Instagram

This is the exact same sculpture, just viewed from different angles.

They say one man's trash is another man's treasure, but happens when whole lot of people's trash becomes one man's art? In the case of Tom Deininger's sculptures, you not only get a miraculous viewing experience but also an opportunity to reflect on the natural world and the impact of human overconsumption.

If you look at one of Deininger's sculptures head on, you might see a beautiful cardinal, a lifelike trout, or an unblinking owl staring straight at you. But as you move to one side or another, the illusion quickly disappears, morphing into an increasingly random-looking 3-D conglomeration of toys, action figures, straws, plastic mesh and other discarded human waste that can't possibly be what's forming that realistic animal. Keep walking around it, and you'll eventually come back to your original perspective, but with a whole new appreciation for the stunning creature before you—and the artist who created it.

Check it out:

@theartrevival

Trash Art by Thomas Deininger #thomasdeininger #contemporaryart #textileart

What an artist expresses in their art isn't always what an observer takes away from it—that's part of the fun of art—but sometimes a medium and a message mesh so well that the effect is profound and palpable. Deininger's creations are part beauty and part statement, as the best art tends to be, and the statement in these sculptures is clear: We're throwing away a whole lot of plastic junk that can't break down and it's impacting the natural world.

The Rhode Island-based artist told Yahoo! News that he got the idea for creating sculptures out of trash when he saw plastic waste washing ashore on a trip to the South Pacific. He said the act of making his art helps quell some of the "gut sickness" he feels when he observes the destruction of the environment.

“I don’t think we’re alarmed enough," he said. "Everyone's not alarmed enough, enough of the time, is my fear. We should all be petrified and willing to do whatever it takes,”

- YouTubeyoutu.be

But there's even more behind Deininger's sculptures. After all, he could just make a realistic animal from all angles and call it a day. There's a purpose to making them abstract from all angles but one.

"The goal is to make an interesting, completely abstract sculpture that also contains provocative, subversive, or humorous elements (by manipulation of the various action figures) that from one very particular vantage point resolves into a convincing image of a creature," he told Jejune magazine. "The whole thing is really a meditation on perspective and illusion and the fragility of our world view in any given emotional state. The practice is also about order in chaos."

"Ideally the viewer falls for the 'trick' then as the illusion falls apart and they become disoriented for a few seconds that inspires curiosity, wonder or harmless vulnerability," he added. "This would then give way to a kind of repulsion or soft despair when one considers the implications of the materials… this could then be broken by a little comic relief, social narrative or nostalgia smashing. So in short, a range of emotions. Some good some not so good, but perhaps necessary."

“There is a confidence that we understand our world,” he told the Provincetown Independent, but he wants that confidence to turn to unease as viewers experience the full perspective of the sculpture. “What we thought we knew comes apart.”

People often ask Deininger if his sculptures are for sale. According to Yahoo! News, they are, if you have $12,000 to $50,000 to spend. Honestly, with the amount of time it must take to create one of these pieces and seeing how much other art pieces go for, that doesn't seem outrageous.

Oh, and it's not just animals that Deininger creates out of trash. Check out this masterpiece of another masterpiece:

@tomdeininger

I faithfully analyzed every stroke of paint and found a plastic equivalent. The honor was all mine. #vincentvangogh #tiktokart #abstractart #fyp

Absolutely unbelievable. You can follow Tom Deininger on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

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Art

3 science-backed reasons coloring books are the hottest mental health hack around

Adults are just realizing what 5-year-olds already know: Coloring is amazing.

Unsplash & Jenni Whalen/Upworthy

There's never been a better time to feel like a kid again. For as long as there have been mortgages, taxes, jobs, and speeding tickets, there have been adults who wish they could turn back the clock to simpler times. That's nothing new. But nostalgia has recently gone next-level.

If you want, you can now go away to adult summer camp, where you'll leave all technology at the entrance and enjoy four days of archery, tie-dye, and hiking. You can also spend a day at adult preschool, where you'll do arts and crafts, play games, and reconnect with your favorite childhood buddy: nap time.

Coloring books, though, are by far the most popular kids' activity for grown-ups. And it's not hard to see why.

Just imagine your favorite coloring book as a kid, only updated to reflect your much-improved motor skills and worldliness. Wouldn't it be nice to take an hour with a cup of coffee and get lost in a sea of possibility and imagination?

If you did, it might look something like this.

Jenni Whalen/Upworthy

Beautiful, isn't it? So beautiful, in fact, that crotchety, jaded adults all over the world are dusting off their crayons and giving it a try.

Coloring books have been picking up popularity for close to a decade now. They had a big moment in 2016 before dying down again, and now thanks to TikTok, interest in adult coloring is absolutely exploding.

What's new is that it's easier than ever to find a community based around a mutual love of coloring. #ColoringTok on TikTok is full of million-plus view videos of people showing off their amazing creations and tools. A subreddit dedicated to adult coloring currently features over 50,000 members. It's a solo activity meant to calm your body and mind, but it adds a little something extra when you're able to share what you've made with the world.


@amandlnee

Have a good night 😴💤✨ @bobbiegoods coloring book @Ohuhuart markers • #coloring #coloringtherapy #coloriage #cutecoloring #amsrcoloring #ohuhumarkers #coloringbook #bobbiegoodscoloringbook #bobbiegoods #cozycoloring #colorwithme #relax

These books are selling at breakneck pace. Publishers are even having trouble keeping them in stock.

The book that started the craze, "Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book," has sold over 2 million copies worldwide since its release in 2013.

Jenni Whalen/Upworthy

And there are many more like it burning up the bestseller lists.

"We've never seen a phenomenon like it in our thirty years of publishing. ... We just can't keep them in print fast enough," Lesley O'Mara, managing director of Michael O'Mara Books, told The New Yorker.

It doesn't look like this coloring book train is slowing down any time soon, so here are three reasons you need to get on board.

1. A good coloring session can relieve stress and anxiety.

Jenni Whalen/Upworthy

There might be more to this whole coloring thing than just feeling like a kid.

Marti Faist, an art therapist, told the Baltimore Sun, "When someone is coloring, their mind and body are operating in a more integrated way. It's almost a meditative process."

"I've watched people under acute stress, almost panic-attack levels, color and have their blood pressure go down very quickly. It's cathartic for them."

And Marti's not the only one. Maybe you've heard of a guy named Carl Jung?

Jung was a big fan of art therapy, and he used coloring as a relaxation technique back in the early 1900s. He even believed that the colors his patients chose reflected an expression of deeper parts of their psyche. Jung himself actually used to draw and color mandalas, or spiritual geometric shapes, every morning. These same mandalas are the foundation of a lot of the most popular stress-relieving coloring books today.

2. No paper? No problem. Now, you can color on the go.

Photo and digital coloring skills by Heather Kumar/Twitter.

You know the rule: It's not an official craze unless it's integrated into social media. So, as appealing as drawing at your kitchen table for hours on end sounds, you can now color on your smartphone or tablet with just a few swipes of your finger, and you can easily tweet or Instagram your creations, too.

Colorfy, the most popular coloring app on the market, has been a huge hit with the mobile crowd, pulling in over 300,000 reviews on iTunes (it's also on Android).

A recent reviewer wrote: "This is a really great app. It lets me pass the time in a calming yet creative way."

But maybe the best thing about a coloring app is that it's easy to erase your design, start over, and create something completely different.

Exercising your creativity on your phone is lightyears better for your mental health than scrolling social media.

3. These coloring books are also hilarious.

Photo and coloring skills by Clare Emily/Twitter.

Coloring isn't just about the beautifully elaborate sketches like those found in "Secret Garden" and its follow-up, " Enchanted Forest."

If you're more into some mindless fun, you might also enjoy coloring pictures of Ryan Gosling or iconic images from '90s pop culture!

And, if you're a real free spirit, you might enjoy a, um, truly "adult" coloring book.

(Just a suggestion: might not want to pull that one out in public.)

Coloring a humorous coloring book will boost your mood, and again, is a great alternative to mindless scrolling in the evening which has been proven to exacerbate symptoms like depression and anxiety. Try it before bed for a better night's sleep!

Whether you're coloring to relax or just to have some fun, there's a coloring book out there for you.

Coloring might just become your favorite hobby ... again.

Turns out, as a kid you had it right all along!


This article originally appeared a year ago.

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