A Year Out The Window
Jolene’s Vaccine (Fillmore Street #111620)
Dolly Parton, legendary “songteller” (her own term) and celebrated philanthropist, donated $1M to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center COVID-19 Fund, monies that went toward funding the first stage of the Moderna vaccine research, which ultimately yielded one of two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines granted emergency approval in mid-December 2020. When news broke — on the date in the subtitle — that Moderna’s research had yielded a highly effective vaccine that had been funded in part by the singer, elated Parton fans jokingly urged the pharmaceutical company to use Parton’s song “Jolene” in their marketing by changing “Jolene” to “vaccine”. Canadian linguist Gretchen McCulloch took the idea and ran with it, promptly rewriting the “Jolene” lyrics accordingly — including the chorus “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vacciiiiine, I’m begging of you please go in my arm; Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vacciiiiine, please just keep us safe from COVID harm” — and tweeting them out, with Northeastern University English professor Ryan Cordell promptly following suit by tweeting a recording of himself performing the rewritten song on his guitar.