I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
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| “I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by The New Seekers | ||
| Released | 1971 | |
| Writer(s) | Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, Bill Backer and Billy Davis | |
| Producer | David Mackay | |
"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" is a pop song which originated as an advertising jingle, produced by Billy Davis and sung by the Hillside Singers, for Coca-Cola, and was featured in 1971 as a TV commercial. The Hillside Singers' version was released as a successful single the same year; it reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.
The New Seekers also had a hit with the song around the same time. In 1990 the song was covered by Jevetta Steele for the compilation album Rubáiyát.
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[edit] Origins
The song began life as a collaboration by UK hit songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. The melody was based on a Cook/Greenway jingle originally called "Mom, True Love and Apple Pie",[1]; a version of this called "True Love and Apple Pie" was recorded by Susan Shirley and released in 1971.[citation needed] It was then rewritten by Cook, Greenaway, Coca-Cola account executive Bill Backer, and Billy Davis and recorded as a Coca-Cola radio commercial, with the lyric "I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company."
It was first aired as an American radio commercial on February 12, 1971, sparking public demand for its release as a single.[1] Reworked by Bill Backer and Billy Davis to remove the brand name references, the single climbed to UK #1 and US #7 in 1971 and 1972.
The Coca-Cola Company waived royalties to the song and instead donated $80,000 in payments to UNICEF. The song has since been recorded over 75 times.
[edit] TV commercial
The 1971 TV commercial "Hilltop" directed by Haskell Wexler [2] featured young people from around the world singing on a hilltop outside Rome, Italy, and was so popular that the song (without the Coke references) became a hit in its own right. Commercial recordings as a pop-song were issued by The New Seekers and The Hillside Singers.
In the commercial, the lead singer and the people surrounding her were filmed lip synching to the New Seekers radio version of the commercial. None of the actors actually sang in the TV version.
The song's success was particularly notable in the UK where it is one of the 100 best selling singles of all time.
The commercial, as one of the most popular of all time, is credited with helping Coca-Cola regain its status as the preeminent soft drink in North America.
When Coca Cola planned to broadcast this commercial in South Africa on the state-run SABC network, they wanted Coca Cola to use an all-white version, due to the apartheid government. Nevertheless, the commercial was accepted.
[edit] In the media
- The song's melody was later used as the basis of the song "Shakermaker" by the rock group Oasis. They were successfully sued for the unlicensed use by The New Seekers and had to pay out A$500,000. This incident was the inspiration for the Oasis parody/tribute band No Way Sis's cover of the song in an Oasis style. Also, the chorus of the song "She's Electric" follows a similar melody to the song.
- In 2005, Coca-Cola Zero was introduced with a TV spot called "Chilltop" directed by The Malloys which featured "I'd Like to Teach the World to Chill", with rewritten lyrics intended to better match a new generation's sensibilities.
- In 2006 the song was used again in a Coca-Cola commercial in the Netherlands, performed by Dutch singer Berget Lewis.
- Instrumental versions of "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" were occasionally used in some Coca-Cola (and its variants) television ads.
- The line "I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony" is featured as a lyric in the 18-minute punk rock opera The Decline by Southern California punk band NOFX.
- In a satire of Barack Obama, John Semmens wrote that the senator stated he would rather salute "I'd Like To Teach.." than the national anthem [3]. This fictional quote has appeared out of context in many blogs, shared videos and newsgroups generating negative reactions as if it were factual. [4] Others have commented that the appeal of his campaign is similar to that of the original Coke commercial.
[edit] Pop culture references
- A 2002 7-Up commercial parodied the famous Coke ad as an attack on its soft drink rival.
- The FOX cartoon "American Dad" referenced it in a video of Stan and Hayley.
- Our Dumb Century, a book by The Onion, features a fictitious news report from 1971 in which the commercial is covered as if it were an actual, spontaneous event. "Critics" cited in the article denounce the singing teen's proposals "unrealistic" arguing that a single bottle of coke cannot be practically shared with the planet Earth's billion-plus inhabitants.
- National Lampoon ran a subscription ad with a photo sequence and captions parodying the Coke ad. The opening lines read, "I'd like to give the world a hug / and tell it jokes and stuff, / then pull its pants down to its knees / and chase it through the rough."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Preceded by "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)" by Benny Hill |
UK number one single January 4, 1972 |
Succeeded by "Telegram Sam" by T Rex |
| Preceded by "Chiisana Koi" by Mari Amachi |
Japan Oricon singles chart number one single April 10, 1972 |
Succeeded by "Yoake no Teishaba" by Shoji Ishibashi |
