Cambridge Comedian Pens Viral Coronavirus Parody To Queen Classic
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) - Cambridge based comedian Dana Jay Bein is going viral after re-writing a Queen classic with coronavirus themed lyrics. Now the whole world is singing along to his rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Make no mistake, Bein doesn't think the virus is a joke and is actually in self-quarantine himself.
"I've had some mild cold symptoms so, gotta stay home," Bein told WBZ-TV via FaceTime.
Bein has done standup and improv for the last 20 years and says the lyrics just came to him.
"I had a scratch in my throat and I sang the first line out loud, 'Is this a sore throat?' And then the rest of the song just sorta fell out of my head."
I've lost my mind.
— Dana Jay Bein (DJB) (@danajaybein) March 18, 2020
I wrote Coronavirus Rhapsody:
Is this a sore throat?
Is this just allergies?
Caught in a lockdown
No escape from reality.
Bein says he rewrote the lyrics to the Freddie Mercury hit in under ten minutes. Coronavirus Rhapsody has been shared from Australia to the Netherlands, retweeted by more than 175,000 people and liked by almost 600,000. YouTube covers are popping up left and right.
"I knew it was funny, but I didn't know it would get world-wide traction. I've worked so hard on things that nobody cared about and this I wrote without pants on and the world is singing it," said Bein.
Like thousands of others in quarantine, Bein is just trying to keep a sense of normalcy, and for this comedian, that means laughter.
"There's an old comedian named Victor Borge and he said that laughter is the shortest distance between two people. That's one of my favorite quotes of all time because it's connective. While we're social distancing if you can use the platforms and technology you have to stay connected, especially via laughter, you're not that far away… even though you are."