R.E.M.’s “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” has seen a resurgence in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s not the only song that’s been getting more plays lately. The Knack’s “My Sharona,” for example, also saw a streaming bump, and fans have been waiting for a coronavirus-themed parody of the song. “Weird Al” Yankovic, who previously flipped the 1979 single into “My Bologna,” refused, but now The Knack themselves have stepped up and offered “Bye, Corona.”
Guitarist Berton Averre posted a video yesterday in which he addresses the demand for a “My Sharona” parody, saying, “Some people have asked whether we were going to get around to doing our own ‘Sharona’ corona parody song, because apparently, there aren’t enough of them. Sadly, our lead singer is no longer with us, and trust me: you don’t want to hear me croak it out.”
From there, he offered a brief tutorial on how to perform the song’s guitar solo as information about coronavirus, social distancing, and related things scrolled on the bottom of the screen. After the solo, though, he transitioned into the song’s hook, when he was joined (virtually) by The Knack bassist Prescott Niles, and the two sang, “Bye, Corona!”
Averre added at the very end, “Get the hell out of here.”
Sharing the video on Twitter, Averre wrote, “So we were faced with the daunting task of wading into the untrackable deeps of Corona/Sharona world. I think I struck upon a decent solution.”
https://twitter.com/Averre13/status/1242799867526701059
Watch Averre and Niles perform “Bye, Corona” above.
