Here's a rarity -- Karen Carpenter sang a jingle for KFRC, San Francisco. This was a package KFRC used in the mid '70s. This is kind of like getting Picasso to draw your restaurant's menu cover.
I remember that the 5th Dimension sang the jingles for Burbank's rock 'n roll teapot, KBLA. The jingles sounded decent but the station's format collapsed in spite of them.
KFRC would ask artists to sing along with the "You" jingle track at the station. The Carpenters took the track to their own studio and worked their buns off on it, resulting in this masterpiece.
The sad truth is that they weren't deemed hip enough at the time (late 70s) so the PD didn't play their version much, if at all.
Darryl Hall spent over an hour working out the harmonies when he and John Oates came to the station. (With Jan Smithers in tow)
Stevie Wonder disregarded the instrumental track and wrote an entirely new melody and jingle in his own studio.
Station IDs, much like TV theme songs, are really a lost art in this day and age of compression for the sake of maximized ad time.
It's crystal clear that time and energy (and love) was spent on this – it wasn't just some slicked-up and smoothed-over cut-and-paste job. There's real artistry in the endeavor, from the driving open to the perfect cut-off at the conclusion.
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Golden!
ReplyDeleteBest use of a Carpenters song in a movie...
ReplyDeleteThis is the best jingle I've EVER heard! You can clearly hearRichard on BVs. My guess is he wrote this.
ReplyDeleteHow about a Carpenters ad for a soft drink called "Pop" that I've never heard of? Enjoy!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I24bweg45do
I remember that the 5th Dimension sang the jingles for Burbank's rock 'n roll teapot, KBLA. The jingles sounded decent but the station's format collapsed in spite of them.
ReplyDeleteKaren Carpenter singing your jingle is like Larry Gelbart writing your Hallmark Father's Day card.
ReplyDeleteIt's like Frank Lloyd Wright building your kids' treehouse.
It's like Steven Speilberg directing your bar mitzvah video.
KFRC would ask artists to sing along with the "You" jingle track at the station. The Carpenters took the track to their own studio and worked their buns off on it, resulting in this masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteThe sad truth is that they weren't deemed hip enough at the time (late 70s) so the PD didn't play their version much, if at all.
Darryl Hall spent over an hour working out the harmonies when he and John Oates came to the station. (With Jan Smithers in tow)
Stevie Wonder disregarded the instrumental track and wrote an entirely new melody and jingle in his own studio.
Those were heady times in radio.
bTP
Wow! Thanks for sharing this piece of awesome!
ReplyDeleteStation IDs, much like TV theme songs, are really a lost art in this day and age of compression for the sake of maximized ad time.
It's crystal clear that time and energy (and love) was spent on this – it wasn't just some slicked-up and smoothed-over cut-and-paste job. There's real artistry in the endeavor, from the driving open to the perfect cut-off at the conclusion.