11 popular songs played using unconventional instruments

If there's one thing we love, it's an unconventional song cover.

There's no way this is going to work, we think. This'll be terrible. And then... we're blown away. These covers really have no business working, but they do, and they're pretty cool. They're positively bonkers, but we're glad there are people out there doing this stuff.

Here's 11 extremely weird song covers you'll be pleasantly surprised by.

1. "7 Rings" played on actual rings

YouTuber Andrew Huang covered "7 rings" by Ariana Grande, using actual rings. It's pitch perfect, but damn, something about this video hurts. We think it's the flicking. That should hurt right? Still, it makes for a wonderfully unusual cover.

2. "Africa" played with sweet potatoes and squash

This starchy cover by Pupsi hits all the notes of "Africa" by Toto using sweet potatoes and squash. The potatoes are tuned by cutting holes in them until they match a certain pitch, and once that happens, they're fully equipped to bless the rains down in Aaaaaafricaaaaa. We couldn't be more grateful.

3. "Bad Guy" played on a door lock

Pretty sure nobody asked for this Billie Eilish "Bad Guy" cover with a door lock, but are we mad it exists? No way. YouTuber Big Marvel made it happen by typing in the most elaborate door lock code of all time. This house clearly isn't protected from Billie Eilish stans.

4. "Sweet Victory" played on Otamatones

Many people will recognize "Sweet Victory" from perhaps the greatest SpongeBob Squarepants episode of all time, "Band Geeks." TheRealSullyG covered the legendary tune with Otamatones, which are wonky little synthesizers shaped like music notes. Enhanced even further by eerily similar (if not the exact same) background imagery from the episode, this cover is a dream for any nostalgic SpongeBob fan.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean theme played on wine glasses

It's debatable whether the Pirates of the Caribbean films have faded into the realm of irrelevancy or not. But one thing you can't forget, no matter how hard you try, is the main theme "He's a Pirate" originally produced by Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer for Curse of the Black Pearl. Thanks to Dan Newbie, we now know what it sounds like when clanged on lots and lots of wine glasses. It's an experience, for sure.

6. "Old Town Road" played on a cat keyboard

This cat keyboard is more than unsettling, but that didn't stop Amosdoll Music from crafting a solid "Old Town Road" cover with it. The notes are correct, the words are now "meows," and now cats can get down to Lil Nas X's smash hit.

7. "Cruel Summer" orchestral cover

Epic Orchestra's glorious cover of "Cruel Summer" by Taylor Swift is big and elegant and might just sweep you off your feet. Pop songs arranged orchestrally are always a bit disorienting at first, but by the time you get into it, you're sure to be supplying the vocals. We're definitely not belting "I'M DRUNK IN THE BACK OF THE CAR, AND I CRIED LIKE A BABY COMING HOME FROM THE BAR" in the office right now.

8. "Bad Guy" played on grass

"Bad Guy" gets covered frequently. But on grass? Well, if you take that another way, people probably listen to "Bad Guy" on grass a lot. But to actually play the song using a literal piece of grass is quite an unusual achievement. Uploaded by Bröderna Norberg - Daniel och Emil on YouTube, this Billie Eilish cover could not get much weirder. Still, it works.

He's the graaaasssss guy. Duh.

9. "Despacito" on marimba

Marimba Pop's cover of "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi is played on, well, a marimba! The instrument resembles something of a giant xylophone, and this cover is just as fresh and danceable as the original song.

10. "Galway Girl" played on bagpipes

"Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran gets the bagpipe treatment. TheSnakeCharmer on YouTube absolutely slays this cover of the song, making it a fun tune even Sheeran himself would likely be proud of.

11. Star Wars theme played on calculators

Evidently, calculators can do more than just math. These calculators can play the entire Star Wars intro, including the Twentieth Century Fox jingle that plays before the theme composed by John Williams. Uploaded to YouTube by It's a small world, the cover, one could say, is meticulously calculated, and most impressive, indeed.