You Didn't Ask for It, So You Got It...

...10,000 Japanese peeps singing Ode to Joy.

In Osaka, a 10,000-person-strong “Number Nine Chorus” of amateur singers performs daiku every December, to thundering effect. While there are some professionals involved (the soloists and orchestra), the Number Nine Chorus is largely a community effort. And the sound of 10,000 singers, trained or untrained, is unbelievable.

In 2011, in the wake of the devastating earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, the Number Nine Chorus gave this performance. If you want the most dramatic part, skip to about 6:30, turn it up, and prepare to weep:

To be honest, I'm such a fucking idiot that I'm not sure I knew there were even words to the song, possibly because I've come to associate the Cashmere Jungle Lords instrumental version to be the definitive version, but then I remembered oH YEAH, I've heard it sung before!