HONG KONG FLU | CORONA VIRUS (THE ETHIOPIANS)

THE LEGENDARY ETHIOPIANS: PIONEERS IN SKA, ROCKSTEADY & CLASSIC ROOTS REGGAE!
Nile Valley Entertainment in association with Ethiopian Music Production and Dah Sie Management presents: "HONG KONG FLU & CORONA VIRUS", two smash hit singles from the internationally acclaimed group; THE LEGENDARY ETHIOPIANS, featuring NEVILLE "ETHIOPIAN" DUNCAN. Get 'HONG KONG FLU" on the classic brand new Ethiopians album "EVERYTHING SKA: ETHIOPIAN CLASSICS VOL.3"
https://www.emusic.com/album/220644619/The-Ethiopians/Ethiopians-Classics-Vol-3-Everything-Ska

WATCH VIDEO
https://youtu.be/0mcfX7GsKK4

BUY ETHIOPIANS MUSIC:
https://www.emusic.com/label/195888/Nile-Valley-Entertainment
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3TUmwNx3l8S2nCoGKqIhjA

FROM HONG KONG FLU TO CORONA VIRUS THE LEGENDARY ETHIOPIANS CONTINUE TO USE MUSIC TO MAKE SOCIAL COMMENTARY ON VARIOUS IMPORTANT SOCIETAL ISSUES FACING PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TODAY. JULY 13, 1968 IT WAS HONG KONG FLU, TODAY IT IS CORONA VIRUS. THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY REMAIN THE SAME.

The thought of singing and dancing to a song about the coronavirus may not be particularly alluring, and would probably be seen as drastically downplaying the seriousness of the dreaded virus, which has already killed thousands of persons. However, half a century ago, Jamaican harmony group, the Ethiopians, had a popular song about another deadly virus, the Hong Kong flu. In 1968, a global outbreak of influenza, which originated in China, was called the Hong Kong flu. It reportedly started in July of that year and lasted until 1970. The flu resulted in over one million deaths.

The Ethiopians back in 1969, however, left the world with a song that details the harsh effects of the virus. When music analyst and commentator, Clyde McKenzie, was asked about the song, he immediately started singing, “ Some say it’s dengue fever, but I know it’s Hong Kong flu. I was very young then, but I remember that it was a big hit. It was a very popular song,” he said. And yes, people danced to it.

But that, Mckenzie said, didn’t dilute the impact of the epidemic on the psyche of Jamaicans. “People danced to Hong Kong Flu, but the underlying issues were pretty serious. There was a lot of panic and people thought it was pretty deadly. But singing about it meant that it was important. In those times, the artistes were commentators on the news of the day and they would put in their five cents worth. They had the pulse of the people and knew what were the social issues that would resound,” McKenzie said. (By Yasmine Peru)

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