‘How I Met Your Mother’ star Cobie Smulders updated ‘Let’s Go To The Mall’ for the pandemic

While some U.S. states are starting to reopen after the first impact of COVID-19 slows, most American shopping centers are still shuttered.

To commiserate with mopey mallgoers, actress Cobie Smulders performed a rewritten version of the cult favorite song “Let’s Go to the Mall” from CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother.”

Smulders, who played broadcast journalist Robin Scherbatsky on the popular sitcom, posted her new version, “Let’s All Stay at Home,” to Instagram.

The song originates from a 2006 episode called “Slap Bet,” in which Smulders’ character reveals her Canadian teen pop-star past. If you’ve seen it, you know that “Robin Sparkles” has ’80s hair, backup dancers, and an awesome food court table dance. While all of those elements are sadly missing from the new version, we do get Smulders playing the piano and a toy bongo drum in her living room.

“Here it is. I hope it takes your mind off some things. It certainly did for me!” Smulders posted with the video. “It was a wonderful journey down memory lane.”

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Smulders, who is from Canada and currently starring in CBS’ “Stumptown,” didn’t write the new lyrics to the song. That credit goes to “HIMYM”‘s show creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, who concocted such new lyrics as “I have to go do Zoom school soon/ at least until we’re all immune/ but that’s just fine/ I’m gonna follow COVID guidelines” and “I’m going to isolate until Canada Day.”

“We’ll go to the mall when it’s safe to y’all,” is fine advice these days. Smulders also asked people to consider donating to Save the Children, Daily Bread Food Bank and CanadaHelps.

Back at the end of April, during a videocast for Vulture, Smulders’ “Stumptown” costar, Jake Johnson, got a reluctant Smulders to break into the opening bars of “Let’s Go to the Mall” (just after the 10-second mark). Perhaps that inspired the new rendition.

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Another COVID-19 song remake that came out recently was Neil Diamond’s rewritten lyrics to “Sweet Caroline,” which changes part of the chorus to “Hands/Washing hands/Reaching out/Don’t touch me/I won’t touch you.”

Makes you wonder what other famous or cult songs are ripe for coronavirus rewriting. We can’t wait to hear more!