From the Aeolus 13 Umbra YouTube channel.
The commercial is probably
dismissed by its cynical detractors as treacly tripe, and there is a
certain saccharine sweetness about it. Between the love beads, Nehru jackets,
and dashikis, as well as representatives of every possible race, creed, and
color, it looks like every 60s/early 70’s stereotype exploded on screen. Yet,
for those of us alive today who remember when the commercial first aired, in
the midst of an unpopular war, civil strife, racism, and a president of dubious
ethics (sound familiar?), it uncomplicated a complicated world — at least for 60 seconds.
On Jan. 8, 1971, Bill Backer,
the McCann Erickson advertising company's creative director for the Coca-Cola account, was stuck in an
Irish airport due to a fog delay in London where he was headed to meet with Billy
Davis, the music director on the account, to
discuss a new ad campaign for Coke which would use music by songwriters Roger
Cook and Roger Greenaway, which would then be recorded by the then-popular
music group The New Seekers.
Stuck in an airport café, Backer
noticed that his fellow passengers, who at first were angry at the delay, began
to loosen up and chat and laugh while enjoying something to eat and something
to drink — Coke, in fact. According to a Jan. 1, 2012, article on the Coca-Cola
corporate website, Backer later recounted:
In that moment
[I] saw a bottle of Coke in a whole new light . . . [I] began to see a bottle of Coca-Cola as more
than a drink that refreshed a hundred million people a day in almost every
corner of the globe. So [I] began to see the familiar words, 'Let's have a
Coke,' as more than an invitation to pause for refreshment. They were actually
a subtle way of saying, 'Let's keep each other company for a little while.' And
[I] knew they were being said all over the world as [I] sat there in Ireland.
So that was the basic idea: to see Coke not as it was originally designed to be
— a liquid refresher — but as a tiny bit of commonality between all peoples, a
universally liked formula that would help to keep them company for a few
minutes.
Cook and Greenaway partially
completed the music in 1970 for another campaign under the title "Mom,
True Love, and Apple Pie." Writing the lyrics, however, proved more
challenging. Though Backer was excited at the idea of a buying everyone a Coke
as a way of connecting people to more simple pleasures in life, Billy Davis did
not share his enthusiasm. Davis told Backer "Well, if I could do something
for everybody in the world, it would not be to buy them a Coke.” When Backer
asked Davis what he would do, Davis replied, “I'd buy everyone a home first and
share with them in peace and love."
Frickin’ hippies, am I right?
Well, Backer loved the sentiment
and with the creative team they began to write the lyrics and adapt it to Cook's and Greenaway's music. Over the course of the next few days, they
finished the song and not long afterwards the New Seekers
recorded it and it was released on Feb. 12, 1971.
Coke admits that their bottlers
were not particularly excited about the song, which is not surprising because
they were largely stodgy old businessmen, but Davis’ contacts in the
radio industry reported great excitement among their listeners and they suggested
that the jingle be released as a single.
In the meantime, work on the
iconic commercial began. At first, the commercial was to be filmed on a Dover
Cliffside with a few hundred British schoolchildren and 65 “principles” slated
for the lip synching duties. British weather, however, as Backer learned during
his layover in Ireland due to the London fog, proved problematic with several
days of rain. Consequently, the whole production was moved to Italy. Rather
than school children from one country, 500 young people from all over the world
were cast. The rain, however, proved as troublesome in Italy as it did in
England and the delay in shooting caused cost overruns from the $100,000
originally budgeted to $250,000 ($633,508.64 to $1,583,771.60 respectively in
2019 dollars). The commercial was first aired in the United States in July 1971
and the impact was immediate. The commercial and the song captured the spirit
of the times and connected with consumers on an almost spiritual level.
Production on the single was
moving forward, but The New Seekers
were reportedly too busy to record, so McCann
Erickson turned it over to a session group who dubbed themselves The Hillside Singers to identify
themselves with the TV commercial. Once their version of the song was released, it
hit the charts fast. Two weeks later, Billy Davis persuaded The New Seekers to record their version. Billboard reports The New
Seekers' version of the song peaked
at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Jan. 15, 1972. The same week, The Hillside Singers' version hit its highest chart position at
number 13. Coca-Cola, in agreement with the songwriters and publishers, donated the initial $80,000 in royalties to UNICEF ($506,806.91 in 2019 dollars).
In 2015, the finale of the AMC TV series Mad Men brought the commercial back into the public
conscious, and deservedly so. Commercials are often overlooked as the most
ephemeral of film media, but as we can see in the 1971 Keep America Beautiful PSA, the 1971 Radio Free Europe PSA, and the 1966 CBS Seasons Greetings: Animation by R.O. Blechman,
all previously reviewed on Aeolus 13 Umbra, they can also raise the format from
a crass attempt for consumer dollars to communicate larger ideas of community
responsibility, democracy, kindness to animals, and, in this case, kindness to
our fellow human beings.
It’s a lesson we should always be
reminded of.
____________________________________________________
Two versions of the lyrics were
recorded:
|
Commercial
Version
I'd like to buy the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
(Chorus)
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
That's the real thing
(Repeat Chorus)
(Chorus 2)
What the world wants today
Is the real thing
(Repeat Chorus 2)
|
Pop Song
Version
I'd like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to hold it in my arms
And keep it company
I'd like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
For peace throughout the land
(4th Verse included in Hillside Singers Version)
Put your hand in my hand
Let's begin today
Put your hand in my hand
Help me find the way
(Repeat 2nd verse)
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
That's the real thing
What the world wants today
Is the real thing
|
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