LISTEN | 'Coronavirus Rhapsody': comic updates Queen hit for the 'Rona era

Gallows humour is flooding social media as people worldwide struggle to come to terms with the realities of the coronavirus pandemic. As Mark Barnes wrote in the Sunday Times, such dark jokes are “fear's escape valve”.

Music lovers are also getting in on the action. They've been creating tongue-in-cheek Spotify playlists with a quarantine theme. Tracks include those that could be about social distancing or self-isolation — think Don't Stand So Close to Me by The Police and Celine Dion's All By Myself.

Dana Jay Bein, a comedian from Massachusetts in the US, has taken things one step further by rewriting Queen's iconic hit Bohemian Rhapsody for the 'Rona era.

Here's a short extract from his parody song, Coronavirus Rhapsody:

Is this a sore throat? / Is this just allergies? / Caught in a lockdown / No escape from reality.

Don’t touch your eyes / Just hand sanitise quicklyyyyy / I’m just a poor boy, no job security / Because of easy spread, even though /washed your hands, laying low / I look out the window, the curve doesn’t look flatter to me, to me

Bein shared the lyrics on Twitter and it wasn't long before people stared putting them to music. Here's one rendition: