Commercial Break
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Track:announcement #5
Hey, we were just admiring the hula dancers. didn't know it was gonna lead to music theory class...
from: http://adage.com/songsforsoap/post?article_id=126645
The Secrets Behind Subway's Brain-Burrowing Jingle
You probably heard it while you were chopping carrots or clipping your fingernails, and it probably made you drop your curlers to see what the heck it was. Maybe you were disappointed that it was just a Subway commercial advertising $5 foot-long subs or maybe you were impressed that the jingle was so entrancing or maybe you just wished that you had put a towel on before you startled your in-laws sitting on the couch.
Either way, the song, created by production house Tonefarmer, is stupidly amazing and proves the power of a song to get across mundane messages beautifully. Slate tracked down the composer, Jimmy Harned, to pick his brains on the piece that's so hard to ignore:
"The chord structure does imply something dark," [Harned] agreed, getting out his guitar to demonstrate over the phone. "On the word long, it goes down from a C to an A-flat," he said, strumming, "which is kind of a weird place. It's definitely not a poppy, happy place. It's more of a metaly [sic] place. But at the same time, the singing stays almost saccharine."
The odd chord changes -- the A-flat isn't in the C-major scale -- remind us of Jefferson Airplane or psychedelic indie bands like Olivia Tremor Control, but, more importantly, they remind us that there's still talented people creating art in the name of sandwiches and donuts and casual family dining.
But let's not get carried away with ourselves. Whatever you do, do not download the dance remix of "Five Dollar" song at subwayfreshbuzz.com. There are less-painful ways to hate yourself.
Comments (6)
I think its sad that so many talented folks have almost no other option..It's kinda scary how much money and brain power go into selling products.
Yeah, agreed. And nothing seems to work on me, I mean I rarely buy someting because of an ad; how is all that effort justified?
Still, in some cases (as here?) at least there's creativity involved and it's a way to keep the skills fresh...
I don't blame the folks doing it..just a bummer that there aren't more options.
I've seen/heard that Subway TV commercial whenever I watch a prime time show, instead of viewing same via time-shifted recording, when it's possible to stick it to the Madison avenue set by doing the "FF commercial skip." From here, them Hula dancers are as faux as any from "Waikiki Wedding." Plus, the "$5 foot long" costs $5.99 out here. As for having to do commercial jingles instead of Serious Music, that's what pays the bills for Serious Music studio time after the Mad People get their "15/30/60 second sitcom."
Hey C, if I could only pay the bills THAT way...
I usually zap the commercials too Wahiawa, but I don't have that option on the local chanels, so I catch a few. Yeah, I know them hula girls are pure eye candy but ahhhh...I see things are more expensive on the islands...
I had never heard this before. Consumerism is like a tornado, isn't it? At least every now and then you find that some of the things that it twirls around are worth it.