Vicious R.E.M. Music Video Parody Takes Down D.O.N. On COVID-19

A no-holds-barred “music video” parody of the 1991 R.E.M. hit “Losing My Religion” skewers Donald Trump’s approach to COVID-19 in a bit entitled “Losing My Civilians.”

The blast — created and posted by British media site Politics Joe — uses some of the same memorable images from the original R.E.M video, but twisted into today’s dark times, with a winged Vice President Mike Pence and a faux-tormented Trump.

The lyrics “I thought that I heard you laughing,” have been changed to “I thought that I heard you coughing.” The president “sings” in the spoof: “That’s me with corona.” He adds: “I don’t care if you get it. Oh no, I’ve said too much.”

The video, posted Friday, was hit on Twitter, and grabbed several American fans. Former head of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, said simply: “Wow.”

Some thought the subject was too grim for a cheeky parody.

The video is sweet revenge for the former members of the now-defunct Georgia band. R.E.M.’s one-time bass player Mike Mills said early this year that the band — which broke up in 2011 after decades of success ― was “exploring all legal avenues” to prevent Trump from using their music at re-election campaign rallies. Mills called the president a “con man” and a “fraud.” He has also called Trump an Adderal-deranged idiot.

R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” and “Losing My Religion” were played at a rally in  Milwaukee in January before Trump took the stage to celebrate his administration’s assassination of Iran military leader Qassem Soleimani. Trump also played “Everybody Hurts” over a video of dejected-looking Democrats at his 2019 State of the Union address.

Trump used R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” in his 2016 election campaign. 

Check out the Trump parody video up top. The original video from R.E.M. is below:

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