The coronavirus pandemic has many of us nostalgic for a simpler time — maybe when we were teenagers and/or watching our favorite early oughts sitcoms.
Actress Cobie Smulders seems to be feeling that itch, and sensed we are too. The former How I Met Your Mother actress decided to recreate her character Robin Scherbatsky’s hit song from the series, “Let’s Go to The Mall.”
For those who need a refresher, “Let’s Go to The Mall” was released during Robin’s short career as a pop star (under the name Robin Sparkles) in her homeland of Canada. While it has all the flair of an ’80s banger — jelly bracelets, worshipping the mall — it was released in the ‘90s because apparently that’s when ’80s culture reached Canada.
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Now, in 2020, long after Robin Sparkles’ career ended and How I Met Your Mother ran its course, Smulders reworked the song to fit our current times. She had help from showrunners Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, who rewrote the lyrics, and composer Brian Kim who produced many of the show’s songs. The new version, which Smulders performed on IGTV, is aptly called, “Let’s All Stay At Home”:
While this version is sadder than the original (“I haven’t done my homework yet” is replaced by “I have to go to Zoom school soon”, and “I’m gonna rock your body ’til Canada Day” is now “I’m gonna isolate ’til Canada Day”) Smulders said it was a wonderful journey down memory lane, and I have to agree.
“I hope it takes your mind off some things,” Smulders wrote on Instagram. “It certainly did for me!”