YouTuber Moyun showed off her amazing talent by playing AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” on guzheng, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. The Hong Kong-based performer pulls out all the stops, playing not only the rhythm and lead guitar parts, but also the vocals and drums on the instrument.
So far her cover has picked up 3.1 million views on her YouTube channel, 墨韵 Moyun Official, which has 276,000 subscribers. Her performance, which you can watch below, really shows off how dynamic and creative her arrangement is, using every part of the instrument to flesh out the full sound of the rock anthem.
Moyun plays an enormous variety of guzheng covers on her channel, with rock covers being a particular favourite, but she also plays pop, classical, soundtracks, hip hop and Chinese music. Fans have been enjoying her diverse output, with over 25 million views on her channel so far. She never shows her face in the videos and also adds a visual element by dressing up in different costumes.
Her most popular video is her guzheng cover of The Eagles’ “Hotel California”, which sounds eerily beautiful when played on the traditional instrument. The video, which also showcases her percussion playing, has clocked up six million views. The arrangement is quite unique and she brings her own flavour to the song, as you can hear below.
Moyun’s cover of “Thunderstruck” is her second most popular video. AC/DC dropped the song as the lead single of their 1990 album The Razors Edge. The song has become a firm fan favourite over the years and is currently their third most streamed song on Spotify, with 1.2 billion streams. Since its release the track has been played at nearly every single AC/DC show.
“Thunderstruck” was written by guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young, and Angus kicked off the writing by coming up with the iconic lead guitar intro, which he called “a little trick I had on guitar”. Like most AC/DC songs, the lyrics aren’t all that deep. In fact the title was inspired by the brothers’ favourite childhood toy, the Thunderstreak, which was a propeller-powered racing vehicle.
If you would like to see more from Moyun, you can subscribe to her YouTube channel or follow her on Facebook.