Young man turns children’s lullaby into an absolute masterpiece

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is a song we’re all familiar with.

It shares its tune with the Alphabet Song and “Baa baa black sheep” but gets its lyrics from a Jane Taylor poem written in 1806. The song has never been heard the way it was performed recently on Sweden’s Got Talent, however.

“The music that usually accompanies this poem is a French children’s folk melody called “Ah vous dirai-je, Maman” (roughly translated as “Oh I say to you, Mum”), which appeared in France in 1761,” SongFacts writes about the origins of the melody.

YouTube - Got Talent Global Source: YouTube - Got Talent Global

Johannes Johansson’s performance starts out a little differently.

When Johannes Johansson performed on Sweden’s Got Talent, he started off just playing the basic Twinkle Twinkle tune out on the piano. Considering the song is a simple children’s lullaby, it did not seem an appropriate one for a competition meant to showcase people with extraordinary talent.

Yet Johansson would prove to Sweden’s Got Talent’s judges and viewers that he was, in fact, quite talented.

YouTube - Got Talent Global Source: YouTube - Got Talent Global

This was not Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as you are used to it.

Johansson played a few simple bars from the song as some of the judges mulled hitting the buzzer to get him out of there early. Other judges wanted to see where was going, however, and they are now quite glad that they did.

YouTube - Got Talent Global Source: YouTube - Got Talent Global

All of a sudden this musician’s fingers begin tickling the ivory with confidence and purpose. This was a far more complicated rendition, one that required particular skill.

The Twinkle Twinkle melody almost becomes the notes in-between the music as Johansson’s performance began to captivate the judges and audience.

YouTube - Got Talent Global Source: YouTube - Got Talent Global

Johansson wins over the audience.

After only a few more bars, the judges and audience members who at first were confused by his performance had been completely won over by it. It’s a tune that we all have some emotional connection to but Johansson’s performance brought out the feeling of being a child.

YouTube - Got Talent Global Source: YouTube - Got Talent Global

“Although fairly literal, the lyrics of “The Star” contain the simile “like a diamond in the sky.” This was possibly intended by the author to facilitate a child’s development of imaginative association,” a description of the song reads on SongFacts.

YouTube - Got Talent Global Source: YouTube - Got Talent Global

Johansson picked for Got Talent Global.

The young Swedish pianist’s performance earned him a spot on the Got Talent Global competition. Not only that but video of his performance has gone viral online. It has been viewed more than 1.4 million times on YouTube. Many viewers felt compelled to leave a comment about his unique rendition of the popular song as well.

YouTube - Got Talent Global Source: YouTube - Got Talent Global

“First 10 seconds : twinkle twinkle little star the rest : twinkle twinkle little star, planet, galaxy, etc,” one viewer described the performance.

“If he didn’t start with the simple melody, they wouldn’t have recognized the song,” another viewer pointed out.

“This piece summarizes the phases of life: Baby, toddler, teen, adult, grandparent,” one person commented.

“And so a children’s song has evolved into a masterpiece” another YouTuber wrote.

YouTube - Got Talent Global Source: YouTube - Got Talent Global

Thankful for all the kind words.

Johansson was touched by all the kind words people sent to him in regards to his performance. He posted the following to thank everyone he could:

“This is Johannes, the performer in this video. I just wanted to say that it’s so inspiring and motivating to read all comments here, such a nice atmosphere, thank you! <3” the talented musician wrote.

You can view Johannes Johansson’s performance in the video below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Got Talent Global/Song Facts

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