Jingle Jangle

No, I'm not speaking of spurs here. Actually, I'm referencing those great little ditties from commercials of old that we can't get out of our heads - the commercial jingle.

I had purchased some diet A&W root beer the other day, like I have many times, but suddenly the old song popped into my head: A&W root beer's got that frosty mug taste, A&W root beer's got that frosty mug taste... WOW, where did that come from? Many, many years ago, and there it was, all new again. I started thinking about all the commercial jingles I knew, especially those from the 70s, growing up. It occurred to me that these have become a rarity. Now I'm not talking about modern-day commercials with songs overlaid from bands who have sold out; no, I'm talking about REAL songs created for a specific product. Not just a slogan or catchphrase, mind you, but a real tune that was catchy, short, and stayed with you. For example, I challenge anyone to declare they don't remember this: Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is...... or this one: Brusha, brusha, brusha, with the new Ipana..... See what I mean? Many of these jingles from earlier generations are still around today, albeit in a slightly different form. Everyone knows the Mr. Clean melody, but how many remember the actual words? Mr. Clean gets rid of dirt and grime and grease in just a minute. Mr. Clean will clean your whole house too, and everything that's in it......

Many of the commercial jingles I remember from the seventies were beverage commercials, both alcoholic and not, and, of all things, perfume commercials. Remember the Budweiser commercials with the beautiful Clydesdales prancing to the tune of: Here comes the king, here comes the big number one; the king is coming, let's hear the call; when you've said Bud, you've said it all.... How about the old Lowenbrau (do they even make that anymore?) tune: Tonight is kinda special, the beer will pour, must say something more somehow; so tonight, let it be Lowenbrau.... When women weren't enjoying a Martini and Rossi on the rocks, say "yes", they were Bringing home the bacon, frying it up in the pan, and never letting you forget you're a man....cause I'm a woman.....Enjoli!! And who can forget the new girl and fragrance in town? They call it...CHARLIE!! After the perfume application, women were ready to join their man to See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet.....And then they could get harmonious and Teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony. I'd like to buy the world a Coke, and keep it company (that is incidentally one of my favorite commercials of all time).

Ok, here's a flashback for ya: remember the old David Naughton commercial that went: I'm a Pepper, he's a Pepper, she's a Pepper, we're all Peppers, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper, too? Be a Pepper, drink Dr. Pepper.....Sure you remember him, he had a song on the radio called "Makin' It". But no, I never heard that song, nor did I skate to it under disco lights at the local roller rink.....ahem.....What about the old Britannia jeans, where beautiful bodies sang how they Want to li-i-i-ive in Britannia.... I do suppose if they drank enough Dr. Pepper, they probably could no longer "live" in Britannia. Now for something completely different - how about one of the most famous jingles: Double your pleasure, double your fun, with double good, double good, double mint gum.....After doubling your pleasure, you could satisfy your appetite with your bologna that has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R, my bologna has a second name, it's M-A-Y-E-R. Oh, I love to eat it every day, and if you ask me why, I'll say....cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A. You could also choose a hot dog, any brand will do. But for our jingling fun, we go back to Oscar Mayer: Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer weiner, that is what I'd truly like to be. Cause if i were an Oscar Mayer weiner, then the world would be in love with me! Add a side of Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat, Rice-a-Roni, the flavor can't be beat... and you have a most melodious meal.

For fun after dinner, you could get on your Kawasaki, because Kawasaki lets the good times roll, get aboard, get away, and you're gonna say....Let the good times roll! But don't forget to feed the pooch before you leave. And not just ANY dog food, no. You want to be able to boast....My dog's better than your dog, my dog's better than yours. My dog's better, cause he eats Ken-L-Ration, my dog's better than yours.....

So, get the drift? What has happened to those wonderful, and sometimes silly, commercial jingles that identified a product and stayed in your memory, all the better to spur you to buy a product? I don't know about you, but I really miss them. What were YOUR favorite jingles, from any decade? What are ones that I forgot about? Enjoy your trip down memory lane. I certainly did.