In my previous post, I wrote a short piece with some recommendations for people who are suffering from Coronoia, or a general fear and heightened anxiety surrounding this pandemic. I hope these tips are useful to some folks out there who are struggling with the new normal that the virus scare has brought upon us, which includes social distancing, physical isolation, lack of public entertainment (at least live—we can always watch TV and the internet), and the seeming collapse of our economy and our civilization.

I’m hoping that our fears are exaggerated and that we will get a handle on this virus by taking all the necessary precautions. In the meantime, I’m just trying to cope on a day-by-day basis whilst sheltering along with my two daughters in the spacious home of my parents in Acton Mass. 

One way that I cope with stress is through music. As the saying goes, music soothes the soul. In addition to listening to music, I also like to practice and play music, particularly on guitar and piano. And on occasion, I like to write songs, so I came up with this song to express some feelings I have regarding this virus and its global spread. I’m not trying to make light of the situation, but I do think that music, and the blues in particular, is a great way to express some of the darker feelings we all have regarding our current situation.

I’m dedicating this song to all those who have been displaced by this virus, and especially to my musician friends in China. Here’s what I wrote on my Facebook feed:

Here's a blues piano version of my new song "Coronavirus Blues", which is loosely based on a Count Basie version of "Going to Chicago" (musically, not necessarily lyrically). I hope this song resonates and strikes a chord with all those who have been displaced from our adopted country of China by this pandemic, and for everyone in general whose lives have been upturned by the virus (which means everybody on this Earth). I dedicate this song in particular to all the musicians out there who have been out of work or forced to move their work online. Tony C. Hall, Greg Luttrell, Gregory Smith, Coco Zhao, Alec Haavik, Matthew Cooper, Matt Harding, Willow R. Neilson, Tom Peng, Peng Fei, John A Crespi, Jorland Paulino, JQ Whitcomb, Lawrence Ku, Jasmine Chen, Graham Earnshaw, Matt Roberts, Eddy Goltz, Brian Offenther, Josh Feola, and all my other musical friends from Shanghai, Beijing, and Beantown, this one's for you!

Not coincidentally, most of the names I’ve listed here are musicians who are featured in my documentary on jazz and blues in Shanghai. I’m hoping I will get a chance to work on producing the next cut of that film and screen it when things get better, which they will eventually.

Here are the lyrics to the song, which conforms to the pattern of a typical 12-bar blues song:

Coronavirus Blues

I got a bad case of the coronavirus blues,

I got a bad case of the coronavirus blues,

And you would have it too if you were in my shoes.

I left my home in China and came to the USA,

but the coronavirus followed me each and every way. 

I got a bad case of the coronavirus blues, 

I got a bad case of the coronavirus blues,

And you would have it too if you were in my shoes.

I tried out social distancing and stayed inside my home, 

but that nasty old corona goes wherever I do roam.

I got a bad case of the coronavirus blues, 

I got a bad case of the coronavirus blues,

And you would have it too if you were in my shoes.