Self-isolating due to the coronavirus pandemic has been a mixed bag for people, but it seems like celebrities are on another cooked level when it comes to dealing with the disease. First we got Vanessa Hudgens causing a PR nightmare for herself, and now we have Gal Gadot and her celebrity pals performing a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ in an attempt to get people though the coronavirus quarantine only for it to come off as tone-deaf in so many ways.
Speaking of the coronavirus quarantine, the GOAT team talk passing the time creatively while in lockdown on ‘It’s Been A Big Day For…’ below:
It all began when Gal Gadot shared a video to her Instagram in which she talked about staying positive while in quarantine due to the coronavirus and how “we’re all in this” together. The first minute of the video was fine as Gal’s bit about solidarity during these tough times was pretty good.
However, things immediately go off the rails from minute two onwards as Gal then says she got inspired by a video of an Italian musician playing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ while in lockdown and it made her want to do the same. But instead of just singing ‘Imagine’ on her own, she decided to rope in all her celebrity pals as well.
We’ve seen some cringey stuff over the years but this is right up there, but it is its tone-deafness that really stands out, and I’m not referring to the awful singing from Sarah Silverman or Will Ferrell.
Look, we get that Gal Gadot and her celeb pals meant well with their cover of ‘Imagine’, but one can’t help but feel just how inappropriate it is.
John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ is about fostering peace while also freeing ourselves from materialism, and seeing a bunch of rich celebrities singing “Imagine no possessions/I wonder if you can/no need for greed or hunger” while in their mortgage-free mansions or in their Range Rovers as people are fighting over toilet paper not only robs the song of its power but also comes off as offensively ironic and just a touch patronising.
We know celebrities don’t have the same perspective as us “plebs” due to their privileged position, but Gal Gadot’s ‘Imagine’ cover really highlights just how much perspective they’ve lost during the coronavirus pandemic. Or perhaps they never had any in the first place.
If celebrities really wanted to use their privileged platforms to help people in quarantine out during this coronavirus pandemic, maybe skip the covers of popular songs and use their wealth to donate money and resources to people who actually need it. Pretty sure hospitals, old people, and the unemployed are that keen for John Lennon covers, but they could definitely go for some face masks, food, equipment, and a steady salary instead.
And besides, if we wanted people to serenade us during this coronavirus quarantine, we’d listen to the many musicians who are live streaming their concerts to us or buy music from artists who need the money than turn to Gal Gadot and her many celeb pals performing a tone-deaf rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’.
One thing’s for sure, the rich and famous really suck at self-isolating and quarantining themselves.
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