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By APD writer Alice
A wave of songs has been created from the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which is spreading around the world, forcing governments to declare states of emergency, close schools and cancel entertainment events and flights.
Some are parodies and have racist or xenophobic lyrics that play up stereotypes about Asian culture, but others are public announcements guiding people how to keep the virus at bay.
From China, Vietnam and other Asian nations to the Dominican Republic, the US and Mexico, there are many songs inspired by the coronavirus.
The China Media Group also released its own song last month on the deadly virus. Titled “Believe Love Will Triumph,” the sentimental song in Cantonese features an all-star cast and is being deemed the country’s “new coronavirus anthem.”
The song calls on people to stand together and stay strong in the fight agaisnt the COVID-19.
The almost five-minute long production features panoramic scenes from Wuhan city and Hubei province, the parts of China hardest hit to date by the novel coronavirus.
Featuring in-studio clips of the artists laying down the tune, the accompanying video also pays tribute to the legions of healthcare, sanitation, and security personnel working through the emergency. Construction workers who built a 1,000-bed, bio-secure hospital from a greenfields site in which to treat novel coronavirus patients in just 10 days are also honoured.
Its tune is meant to “boost the Chinese people’s confidence and determination in curbing the novel coronavirus outbreak,” the video’s caption says.
Meanwhile, in China’s neighbouring country of Vietnam, a “hand-washing” song entitled “Ghen Co Vy” (Jealous Coronavirus) was created by the Vietnamese Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, asking citizens to stay safe to the deady virus— and it has gone viral since.
The animated video portrays the virus as someone who’s trying to come between a couple. At the beginning of the video, the couple are fighting and at the end — by when several suggestions and tips have been given to viewers to beat the virus — they reunite together.
The three-minute video also explains how the infection first broke out in its epicentre, Wuhan, and how exactly it’s spreading to different countries across the world.
“Where is it from? Its hometown is Wuhan. All was calm, then came a sudden breakout,” read the subtitles to the video, which is being shared extensively on social media not just for its simple and concise messaging, but also its catchy tune.
“Let’s wash our hands. Rub rub rub rub them. Don’t put your hands on eyes, nose and mouth and limit going to crowded places. Fight back against corona!” goes the video.
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”, an American late-night talk and news satire television programme hosted by comedian John Oliver, was also impressed by the song. John Oliver called it “incredible”.
"Vietnam made a song about washing your hands to prevent coronavirus infection and it absolutely slaps! That’s a genuine club banger right there!" he remarked.
Produced by Singaporean Peranakan, Alvin Oon, director of Peranakan Sayang, a cultural-entertainment company, “Fight The Virus” is a parody of the very smooth-sounding mid 60’s Simon & Garfunkel hit, “The Sound of Silence”. Its lyrics blend fluidly and effortlessly with the decades old classic folk rock song.
Opening with the words “Hello virus from Wuhan, another problem’s (sic) here again”, the parody highlights the rapid speed with which the 2019 novel coronavirus is spreading — in seven days it has infected more people than Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) did in 2003 over eight months — together with methods to ‘fight the virus’.
Calling on people to keep their hands clean, cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze, and wear a surgical mask if sick or around others who may be sick, “Fight the virus” calls on the world’s citizens to fight as one to “beat this virus”.
From distance, “El Coronavirus,” by El Capi, a band from Oaxaca, Mexico, is also resounding amid the rapid spreak of coronavirus. The man at center stage in his buttoned-up white shirt, black pants and a gray blazer swings his arms and sings in Spanish: “The whole world is talking about the relative of la chikungunya / It’s a rare and strange sickness that’s hitting across the city.”
In the background, his bandmates play their instruments in the middle of a street, where cars and motorcycles zoom past, before the camera cuts to a scene of the men drinking Corona beers. Then the chorus: “The coronavirus, the coronavirus / It makes you faint and feel bad... / Be very careful because you can catch it... if you don’t take care, it can kill you.”
The song ends with a message urging listeners to take care and stay healthy: “Que tenga cuidado por todo el mundo, compadre” (“Be careful across the world, my friend”).
Sharing a similar message, “La Cumbia del Coranavirus” by Mister Cumbia, a US artist, sings that the world is on edge because of a sickness that broke out in China, then urges listeners to be on alert: “Let’s be attentive / We have to take care / So let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work / That’s why I made this song... / The best thing to do is prevention... we all need to take care. Pay attention!” he sings in Spanish.
He then reminds people to wash their hands, avoid touching their faces and to use disinfectant. “Es muy efectivo,” he sings.
The song was released in late January, and it has since been used in numerous PSA videos, including one of healthcare workers dancing in front of a hospital demonstrating proper hand-washing.
Meanwhile, Dominican singer Yofrangel launched a banging single last month titled “Corona Virus,” which has since garnered more than a million views on YouTube. The Jamaican-influenced Dembow track starts with Yofrangel violently coughing in an ambulance surrounded by nurses and doctors. A chorus of fake sneezes follows, and Yofrangel tells listeners in Spanish to cover their mouth and not get other people sick.
“Cuídate, que anda por allí, coronavirus,” he sings in the chorus. (“Take care, the coronavirus is out there.”).
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
