Australian music royalty John Schumann was so alarmed at a coronavirus-inspired parody to the tune of his Vietnam vet tribute I Was Only 19 that he asked for it to be removed. But little did he know who created the ditty.

Key points: Keir Nuttall says he wrote the parody while observing increasing anxiety about coronavirus

Keir Nuttall says he wrote the parody while observing increasing anxiety about coronavirus He based the parody on the tune of John Schumann's classic I Was Only 19

He based the parody on the tune of John Schumann's classic I Was Only 19 Schumann says the issue has brought a heightened awareness of servicemen and women

The songwriter and lead singer of Redgum said a mate in the music industry first alerted him to the parody.

"He sent me a text and said 'hey Schuey, are you aware that there's a parody of [I Was Only] 19 up on YouTube around the virus thing?'"

Schumann tracked down the parody on social media.

Schumann says the song is sacred and he has denied many requests over the years for others to use it. ( ABC Radio Canberra: Kim Lester )

He said while it was "clever and amusing", it made him feel very uncomfortable.

So he raised it with the publisher.

"And I said 'look, I'm not up myself or anything, but there is this parody out there and I think it's probably the wrong … song anyway, but it's certainly the wrong time," he said.

Schumann then took the issue up directly with the creator of the parody via a "gentle" note on social media.

"I explained that I was uncomfortable about the parody because first of all it's a sacred song, to Vietnam vets particularly, and other returned servicemen and women," he said.

"But also the fact is that a lot of Vietnam vets are quite old now and a lot of them have compromised health.

"This virus, as we know, is likely to be very, very serious for people who are old and otherwise sick.

"So I thought in the context of all of that this was not a good thing to happen."

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Creator listens, takes action

Keir Nuttall — the creator of the parody who is also the husband and writing partner of musician Kate Miller-Heidke — immediately removed the material after Schumann contacted him.

"He explained the situation really clearly, that he's been protecting the legacy of that song for years for the people who've had the lived experience … and it's an immensely important song to a lot of people," the Muriel's Wedding co-composer said.

As a songwriter, he said Schumann's words resonated with him.

"I've got a song that my wife Kate and I perform about my grandfather's death and I thought how would I feel if somebody had re-written the lyrics to that and made it into a joke," Nuttall said.

Nuttall, with wife and writing partner Kate Miller-Heidke, listened intently to Schumann's concerns. ( Supplied: Keir Nuttall )

"I wouldn't feel great about it. I totally get where he was coming from and so I just pulled it down immediately.

"Both my granddads were in World War II … so there was that connection with a song that was dear to me.

"John also pointed out that a lot of the vets have health issues. They're going to be hard-hit by this thing [coronavirus] and the song's not going to be funny."

Coronavirus humour misses mark

Nuttall, who performs musical comedy under his alter ego Franky Walnut, said the idea for the parody was born after realising the similarities by the terms "COVID-19" and "Only 19".

At the time, he noticed the community's increased anxiety about coronavirus and took about an hour to "whip up" a tune which he then uploaded to social media.

"It's my instinct to point at the scary thing and laugh, it always has been," he said.

"The intention is always, with the sort of comedy I do, is to spread joy, not the opposite. And that's the other point [from John that] I saw immediately."

Nuttall's alterego Franky Walnut prefers to bring humour, not offence, to others. ( Supplied: Elleni Toumpas )

Nuttall, who said it was an "honour" to be contacted by Schumann despite the circumstances, said the parody attracted more than 3,000 views in 12 hours.

He said some people said it was "sacrilege" while others were grateful.

Mick Storen was the inspiration for Redgum's I was only 19. ( Supplied: Mick Storen )

"Most people were just like 'thank you for giving us a laugh' because this thing [coronavirus] is in the foreground of everyone's mind at the moment. So they just said 'thanks for doing it'," Nuttall said.

He said despite requests to re-upload the parody, he believed it would be inappropriate to do so.

Schumann applauded Nuttall's swift action to remove the parody.

"I was very pleased at this bloke's response. I think he was very honourable," Schumann said.

"He understood, he apologised, he was genuine and sincere and took it straight down. Which was great.

"What it did do was precipitate a very public outpouring of concern and respect for our veterans, both Vietnam veterans and veterans of subsequent conflicts, which is a really good thing."