They call Datu Eljohn ‘The Blind Genius,’ and after hearing him play piano, you’ll instantly know why. Eighteen million viewers couldn’t get enough of Eljohn’s touching cover of Scorpions’ ballad “You and I.” The Filipino talent partnered with golden-voiced Datu Bogie for a beautiful take on the classic hit. Instead of Scorpions’ hard-hitting groove, Eljohn delivered such a poignant rendition with just his piano paired with his friend’s voice.
Aside from Eljohn’s gorgeous melodies, fans loved to see the pure joy that playing piano gave him. You can really see that Eljohn and Bogie love to play music together, and there are plenty of heartwarming moments throughout their collaboration. The Music Man has to give it up for Eljohn and his impressive ability to strip back Scorpions’ big rock sound to a single piano part and still capture the essential elements!
YouTube channel Pinoy Music Lover uploaded Eljohn and Bogie’s cover of “You and I,” where it hit 18.8 million views. Viewers loved the duo’s ability to make magic out of a minimalist setup and added comments such as “No matter the quality of the piano. The pianist makes it priceless” and “The piano player was amazing, it made me cry without understanding, you are amazing, I salute you, you are amazing, the Lord gave you such a blessing.”
Eljohn and Bogie have collaborated on a number of popular covers. Another of their viral collabs was their cover of Air Supply’s “Chances.” Eljohn provides a stately piano part on this number while Bogie really gets to shine while singing Russell Hitchcock’s majestic vocal lines. The Music Man readers may want to tune in at the 1:50 mark when Eljohn goes to town with his brilliant keyboard interpretation of the guitar solo.
Scorpions issued “You and I” as the lead single from their 1996 studio album Pure Instinct. The ballad was written by Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine, while the band handled production alongside Erwin Musper. The lyrics relate to the songwriter’s devotion to his beloved and his steadfast resolve to make their love an enduring one.
The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that “You and I” was Scorpions’ final international hit. The song hit the top 40 in five European markets and was the band’s last single to reach the top 40 in any market. Scorpions would go on to score six more top 100 songs in their native Germany, though.