'you meet the nicest people on a Honda'

Posted by Ward on June 23, 2004

In Reply to: *AS* a cigarette should posted by Brian from Shawnee on June 23, 2004

: : : : : : There were a couple of "origins" in an article about how commercial jingles are being replaced by old rock and roll songs.

: : : : : : You deserve a break today, so get up and get away to McDonald's - written by Warren Pfaff, who died in 2004 at age 74. He was a "former Minor League baseball player. He was also a summer-stock actor and a Navy lieutenant in the Korean War."

: : : : : : Earworms - a term coined by James J. Kellaris, a professor of marketing at the University of Cincinnati, meaning "those melodies that burrow into your head and won't leave."

: : : : : : We've Only Just Begun - a song that has been a "frequent and enduring wedding song ever since it was released nearly 35 years ago." Songwriter Paul Williams, who wrote the song with his writing partner Robert Nichols, said it was written as a bank commercial for Crocker Bank. Williams said, "Richard Carpenter heard me sing it on the commercial, and he asked if there was a full-length version of the song. I said, 'Funny you should ask.'"

: : : : : : "Irresistible jingles may soon rest in peace" by Greg Haymes, Albany Times Union, reprinted in The Courier Journal, Louisville , Ky., June 21, 2004.

: : : : : : Mickey D's jingle sings its way to the top
: : : : : : By Albany Times Union
: : : : : : Posted: May 9, 2004

: : : : : : Here are the top 10 jingles of the 20th century:

: : : : : : 1. "You Deserve a Break Today" (McDonald's)

: : : : : : 2. "Be All That You Can Be" (U.S. Army)

: : : : : : 3. "Pepsi Cola Hits the Spot"

: : : : : : 4. "M'm, M'm, Good" (Campbell's Soup)

: : : : : : 5. "See the USA in Your Chevrolet" (General Motors)

: : : : : : 6. "I Wish I Was an Oscar Mayer Weiner"

: : : : : : 7. "Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun" (Wrigley's Doublemint Gum)

: : : : : : 8. "Winston Tastes Good Like a Cigarette Should"

: : : : : : 9. "It's the Real Thing" (Coca Cola)

: : : : : : 10. "Brylcreem - A Little Dab'll Do Ya" (Men's hair product)

: : : : : : Source: Advertising Age magazine
: : : : : :

: : : : : The folks at Advertising Age and ad-men everywhere are probably happy with McDonald's current "I'm Lovin' It!" campaign. Mickey D's is still commissioning new jingles not based on standards or rock tunes. The favorite at our house is the recently shelved hip-hop version (done in a non-scary style): "I'm lovin it/crowin like a roostah/cruisin to the drive-thru/for my mornin boostah/I'm lovin it/It's a trippy new day/when I can wrap my hands/round a breakfast buffet!".

: : : : : Yeah, that's an "earworm", all right, but my policy is if you can't beat em', join 'em.

: : : : I haven't heard that one. For some reason "lovin' it" reminds me of a Seinfeld episode: "I'm out there Jerry and loving every minute of it." - Kramer

: : : How about Chiquita.........? Maybe that's last generation, but it was a very international jingle as opposed to a purely US one.

: : I heard Chiquita a tiny bit differently. "I'm Chiquita the banana and I've come to say, / Bananas have to ripen in a ...certain way, / When they are flecked with brown and have a ... golden hue / Bananas are the best and are the best for you. / You can put them in the salad ... .... ... / You can put them in the pie-ie, / Anyway you want to eat them / It's impossible to beat them. / But bananas like the climate of the very, very tropical equator, / So you should never put bananas ... in the refrigerator. Oh no no no! (tum tum tum)"
: : Some of you may have heard Dr. Nan Carpenter's version of no. 8 above: "Winstons are bad, like a cigarette ad!" SS

: Say, that reminds me of the English teachers who were up in arms because the Winston tag line used poor grammar. It was towards the end of broadcast cigarette ad era in the U.S., and some of the last ads commissioned by RJR poked fun at the teachers and/or the slogan, with someone always interrupting the announcer as he delivered the line, exclaiming "*AS* a cigarette should!".

When Honda was breaking into the US market, it was mainly as a motorcycle manufacturer. They had an ad with the tag line --'you meet the nicest people on a Honda' The wags and jokesters picked up on that line and continued it thus..... you meet ambulance medics, emergency room docs, and good looking nurses!