Synopsis

The Baseballs recast Rihanna's "Umbrella" as a lively 1950s rock-and-roll spectacular. The band performs on a retro television-style stage before an enthusiastic period audience, with pompadours, suits, dancers and old-school showmanship reinforcing the throwback concept. The performance grows increasingly theatrical, combining tight vocal harmonies, energetic choreography and deliberately exaggerated stage antics. Vintage-looking visuals and slapstick touches turn the modern pop song into a playful rockabilly party.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Umbrella" was one of The Baseballs' breakthrough recordings and appeared on their 2009 debut album, "Strike!".

• The German trio became known for transforming contemporary pop hits into 1950s and 1960s rock-and-roll and rockabilly performances. Their version of Rihanna's song was central to that image.

• The official video was published in December 2009, during the period when the song was becoming a major European hit.

• The clip uses the visual language of a vintage television variety show, including a formally dressed audience, period styling and an exaggerated live-performance atmosphere.

• The video also plays up the theatrical side of the act with comic stage business, including a burning piano and a bass player appearing to collapse onstage.

• The Baseballs' "Umbrella" charted in several European countries, including Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Iceland.