This Coronavirus "Wash Your Lyrics" Meme Generator Is Making Hand-Washing More Fun

Monica Chon
·4 min read
Photo credit: washyourlyrics.com
Photo credit: washyourlyrics.com

From Oprah Magazine

  • Amidst the rapidly spreading coronavirus, officially called COVID-19, a 17-year-old British developer created a website to make washing your hands more fun.

  • The meme generator pairs a hand-washing infographic with song lyrics of your choice, and has gone viral since the teen first shared it on Twitter on March 8.

  • CDC guidelines suggest washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

Ahh, humor in the time of coronavirus.

Without a shadow of a doubt, COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus that needs to be taken very seriously. But if you've found that your anxiety over this pandemic is getting worse and worse—between the NBA suspending its season, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson testing positive for coronavirus, and heartbreaking stories of nursing homes—might we suggest trying the viral "Wash Your Lyrics" meme that matches up song lyrics with a hand washing infographic to make practicing safe hygiene actually bring a smile to your face.

As you might have read, the Centers for Disease Control issued the following guidelines to help protect yourself from getting the coronavirus: "Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry."

As a way to bring some joy into the CDC guidelines, 17-year-old William Gibson created washyourlyrics.com—which will allow you to "generate hand washing infographics based on your favorite song lyrics," according to the website. All you have to do as a user is type in the song title and artist of your choice, and hit generate. From there the site will create your meme, which includes 13 different steps with lyrics to match. Plus, you can even download the infographic for free.

{# store twitter URL for regexes #}{% set twitterUrl = "https://twitter.com/neoncloth/status/1236765463339831296" %}{# amp-twitter only supports status URLs #}{% set supported = twitterUrl matches '/\\/status\\//' %}{% if supported %}

{% endif %}

Since March 8, when the website went public on Twitter, celebrities and brands alike have been getting in on the meme.

{# store twitter URL for regexes #}{% set twitterUrl = "https://twitter.com/BookofMormon/status/1237845160374890496?s=20" %}{# amp-twitter only supports status URLs #}{% set supported = twitterUrl matches '/\\/status\\//' %}{% if supported %}

{% endif %}{# store twitter URL for regexes #}{% set twitterUrl = "https://twitter.com/McDonalds/status/1237803599012548610?s=20" %}{# amp-twitter only supports status URLs #}{% set supported = twitterUrl matches '/\\/status\\//' %}{% if supported %}

{% endif %}{# store twitter URL for regexes #}{% set twitterUrl = "https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1237487965539983360?s=20" %}{# amp-twitter only supports status URLs #}{% set supported = twitterUrl matches '/\\/status\\//' %}{% if supported %}

{% endif %}{# store twitter URL for regexes #}{% set twitterUrl = "https://twitter.com/theebillyporter/status/1237829472172363776?s=20" %}{# amp-twitter only supports status URLs #}{% set supported = twitterUrl matches '/\\/status\\//' %}{% if supported %}

{% endif %}

{# store twitter URL for regexes #}{% set twitterUrl = "https://twitter.com/MileyCyrus/status/1237425116197220353?s=20" %}{# amp-twitter only supports status URLs #}{% set supported = twitterUrl matches '/\\/status\\//' %}{% if supported %}

{% endif %}

The "Wash Your Lyrics" meme went viral almost immediately, and the British teen who created the website has shared statistics behind how many people have been using the meme generator. By day one, 89,527 posters were created, and the website had 121,279 unique users—with the most popular song used for the meme being "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.

{# store twitter URL for regexes #}{% set twitterUrl = "https://twitter.com/neoncloth/status/1237179560661303300" %}{# amp-twitter only supports status URLs #}{% set supported = twitterUrl matches '/\\/status\\//' %}{% if supported %}

{% endif %}

By day two, user numbers increased dramatically according to Gibson, with a total of 237,564 posters created (265.3 percent increase from the previous day) as well as 420,139 unique users (a 346.4 percent increase). And by day three? Gibson reports that 348,471 posters were created and 753,245 unique users visited the website.

{# store twitter URL for regexes #}{% set twitterUrl = "https://twitter.com/neoncloth/status/1238039938165288961?s=20" %}{# amp-twitter only supports status URLs #}{% set supported = twitterUrl matches '/\\/status\\//' %}{% if supported %}

{% endif %}

"Every single reaction I’ve gotten so far has been positive which is great," the 17-year-old developer and designer from Northamptonshire, UK, told Mashable. "I never expected it to do the amount of good it seems to be doing!"

Anything that encourages hand washing is indeed good, so if you're tired of the "Happy Birthday" song, want a fun way to practice safe hygiene during the coronavirus, or just looking for a little humor in uncertain times—this "Wash Your Lyrics" meme generator is here to make that easier for us all.


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