NHS worker goes viral with lockdown-inspired reggae song

An NHS worker’s lockdown-inspired reggae song, which has gone viral with hundreds of thousands of views, is set to be released as a charity single to help the health service fight the pandemic.
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An NHS worker’s lockdown-inspired reggae song, which has gone viral with hundreds of thousands of views, is set to be released as a charity single to help the health service fight the pandemic.

Ryan Paul Mario Barton, front man of popular local reggae group Jeramiah Ferrari, produced his foot-tapping track to chronicle the more mundane aspects of the lockdown.

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Accompanied in the video by nine-month-old son Sonny, Ryan sings us through everyday activities such as tuning in to the Antiques Roadshow, making cups of tea, changing nappies and eating far too many fish finger butties!

Ryan Paul Mario Barton performs his song with baby SonnyRyan Paul Mario Barton performs his song with baby Sonny
Ryan Paul Mario Barton performs his song with baby Sonny

And the track, called "Covid-19 (fish finger butty)", has attracted so much attention online that Ryan, who works at Leigh Infirmary as a medical records clerk, is going to release the tune as a charity single, with every penny raised going to the NHS.

The 29-year-old dad from Lowton said: “It’s inspired by dance hall reggae music. The melody just came to me, and I wrote a song about what was happening that day. I wanted to describe the mundanity of things that I’ve been doing during the isolation.

“I wrote it all one afternoon and produced it all on my phone.

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“When I first shared it, I really did not think it would explode like it did. I thought it might get a few likes of my family and friends, but I put it up and within a few hours it had thousands and thousands of likes and shares. It’s kind of overwhelming because it’s moving so fast!”

Jeremiah Ferrari. Image courtesy of Jeremiah FerrariJeremiah Ferrari. Image courtesy of Jeremiah Ferrari
Jeremiah Ferrari. Image courtesy of Jeremiah Ferrari

Ryan added: “It’s really warmed people’s hearts. I’m quite proud now that I’ve released it and that it’s making people happy in quite a sad time.”

The current crisis has inspired some hugely impactful art across the world, from heartbreaking poems or songs of inspiration.

And while the melancholic nature of these works is completely understandable, Ryan wanted to lift people’s spirits and take their minds away from the hardships, even if just for a few minutes.

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“I completely understand why a lot of art being produced in this time is melancholic, because it’s a very sad time. But I really wanted to make people laugh and smile with this, to give everyone a break from the darkness and mundane times.”

"Covid-19 (fish finger butty)" will be available to pre-order on iTunes this Friday, April 17, before its release on Monday, April 20. All money from its sales will go to the NHS to support its fight against the current pandemic.

To find out more about Jeramiah Ferrari, visit facebook.com/jeramiahferrariA message from the Editorial Director, Gillian Parkinson:

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