Coronavirus-themed parody of Come On Eileen by Singaporean artistes goes viral

Forget about Jack Neo/Liang Ximei’s tune, and disregard Ministry of Education’s kiddy trap jingle — there can only be one song to encapsulate the zeitgeist of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. 

Right now, that title looks to belong to a whimsical number produced by husband-and-wife duo Edward Choy and Jo Tan, both esteemed actors and performers in their own right. 

According to Jo, both she and her husband were supposed to be working on Valentine’s Day (Feb 14), but things apparently didn’t go as planned. With “too much time” on their hands, the two artistes filmed themselves performing a rather charming COVID-19-themed duet. 

It could have been a challenge to come up with the lyrics (Jo pointed out that the name of the virus isn’t exactly rhyme-able), but she managed, fitting Singlish-laden verses about hygienic habits, panic-hoarding, and our infection rates. All sung to the tune of ‘80s classic and KTV playlist mainstay Come On Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners. 

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“Happy Valentine's Day and a quick recovery to the world, we hope,” Jo wrote in the Facebook post. 

Perhaps it’s a much-needed respite from the current climate, which has made an impact in the arts industry as well. Just days before posting the duet up on Facebook, the singer-actress shared her concerns about the situation for artistes — The Nuclear Family, a play that she was due to perform in March, had to be postponed to next year. 

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ilyas@asiaone.com