It seems a new genre of music parody has come about through all the chaotic mess that is coronavirus. With thousands, sometimes millions, of followers at singers’ and celebrities’ and YouTube stars’ fingertips, their influence to encourage people to stay home and flatten the curve is essential, and also creative. Many have decided to put pen to paper and write parodies of famous songs to encourage people to stay home and wash their hands. They have also been documenting the quarantine through song as well.
Take for instance YouTuber Sharon Luxenberg dubbing over the “Belle” scene from the animated Beauty and the Beast, who dubbed the words hilariously to fit the experience of social distancing, excessively washing your hands, and the stock market crashing. Take a listen.
And who could resist parodying the Bee Gee’s iconic song Stayin’ Alive, turning it into Stayin’ Inside.
Some have taken the challenge to remix Queen’s famous Bohemian Rhapsody, changing it to Coronavirus Rhapsody. The undertaking was done by duo Adrian Grimes and Dana Jay Bein, Grimes performing the vocals and Bein writing them. And the result is just as hilarious as you might be imagining.
And here is my favorite; a golden retriever animated to singing a parodied version of Gloria Gaynor’s I will Survive. In the video the adorable little pupper sings how his owners are all home, he doesn’t understand why, but he’s kind of glad.
With possibly the rest of the year being bombarded with news of coronavirus and self-quarantines, we are most likely going to see even more parodies like this. I wonder, how history will look back on this kind of art, and if it will be appreciated for lifting people’s spirits for a few, brief moments in a grim time.