The world is currently in a pandemic and it is not something we can take lightly. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, however, there are several things we can do ourselves to slow it down.
Many hygienic tips have been circulating around so that we can all make sure we take proper precautions to fight this thing. We are all learning not to touch our faces, keep about 6 feet away from other people, stay inside (especially if you have been exposed to the virus), and perhaps the biggest, most helpful tip: wash your hands.
Washing our hands has become such an important thing, several people have incorporated the rule into songs and memes on the Internet, both to raise awareness but also to make some light of the situation.
One of the latest people to participate in the trend is none other than Neil Diamond. You know his massive hit, “Sweet Caroline”? Yeah, well, he decided to turn it into a song about washing hands and we think it is pretty fantastic. Like, genius.
He posted a clip of himself singing the updated rendition of his hit at midnight on March 22 along with the caption, “Stay safe out there!” and it quickly went viral, amounting to nearly 60k retweets, 146k likes, and thousands of mentions.
The video actually starts with Diamond’s dog sniffing the camera, which is very cute.
“Hi everybody, this is Neil Diamond,” he says (as if we don’t already know). “I know we’re going through a rough time right now but I love ya and I think maybe if we sing together, well, we’ll just feel a little bit better. Give it a try!”
He starts singing the song with its original lyrics, “Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing / But then I know it’s growing strong…”
The song’s original lyrics feel so on point with today’s current situation, it’s almost kind of scary. Was Neil Diamond telling the future all along? Did we think this was a song about love, when in actuality it was a tune about a life-altering virus?
Then it finally gets weird: “Hands, washing hands / Reaching out, don’t touch me / I won’t touch you,” he sings in the pre-chorus. Then he bursts into the regular chorus we all know and love: “Sweet Caroline…”
It is so clever how he fits in the whole “washing hands” thing just slightly in a few lines. People can enjoy the song like they normally would, except now it is a little more relatable… And also hilarious!
He goes through the verse, pre-chorus and chorus again, and honestly it’s a great little performance.
The world might be in tough spot right now, but at least we are lucky enough to still have Neil Diamond with us, playing nothing but hits.
It is good to stay updated and take this situation very seriously, but we all still need a little bit of light and happiness. Diamond gave us just that with this beautiful little clip.
Watch below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Stay safe out there! “Hands… washing hands..” 🎶 pic.twitter.com/QaRB1qZshp
— Neil Diamond (@NeilDiamond) March 22, 2020
