One of my quarantine watches has been CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, and man, when that show was good, it was very good. The flip side is also true, as anyone who struggled through the final season, and in particular the much-derided finale, can attest to. But let’s keep things positive and focus on the first four seasons, when HIMYM was at its peak and firing off classic episodes weekly. A personal favorite that still holds up: season two’s “Slap Bet,” which introduced viewers (and Ted, Marshall, Lily, and Barney) to Robin’s pop star alter-ego Robin Sparkles and her hit song, “Let’s Go to the Mall.”
Is there a robot? You better believe it.
While stuck indoors, Cobie Smulders, who played Robin, re-recorded “Let’s Go to the Mall” with new quarantine-friendly lyrics. “Keep on those jelly bracelets/And that cool graffiti coat/’Cuz the mall is in our hearts, that’s what it’s all about,” she sings, later adding, “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.” The song’s title: “Let’s All Stay at Home.”
Here it is. I hope it takes your mind off some things. It certainly did for me! A huge thank you to [How I Met Your Mother creators] Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for the new lyrics. And to Brian Kim, who helped compose this song originally. He wrote this new piano version and then rewrote it when it was too challenging for me. It was a wonderful journey down memory lane.
Stay at home, if not for your loved ones, then do it for the robot.
