Most professional musicians would have you believe they’re artists first and only sully themselves with commerce because they must. However, rent must be paid, and the electric company does not recognize integrity as legal tender. Therefore, selling out is an imperative.

 

Some musicians sell out better than others, and the ones who did a good job with it didn’t just make hit records. They wrote advertising jingles that are recognized the world over and that are, in some cases, better known than the artists’ albums. Here are 10 examples of commercial jingles that you may not know were written by established artists.

Image Credit: Wikipedia.

1. McDonald’s — ‘I’m Lovin’ It” by Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams wears many hats. Producer. Rapper. Singer. And at one time, a McDonald’s employee. He told Seth Meyers that his tenure at the golden arches was short-lived, and his employers handed him his walking papers not once but three times. However, he had the last laugh when he wrote the ‘I’m Lovin’ It’ jingle, which was recorded by Justin Timberlake in 2003.

Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.

2. Apple — ‘1234’ by Feist

Canadian singer Feist didn’t write ‘1234’ specifically for use by tech giant Apple. Still, when she let the company use it for one of their commercials, she conceded that she was unprepared for the effect it would have on her career. If she was apprehensive about that, she quickly got over it when her album and video became hugely popular. 

Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.

3. Coca-Cola — ‘Open Happiness’ by Panic! At The Disco

“Open Happiness” was an advertising campaign for Coca-Cola written by a veritable who’s who of famous artists, including Cee-Lo Green, Janelle Monae, and Brendan Urie of Panic! At The Disco, among others. Each artist who contributed to the jingle produced their own version of the song, and from the campaign’s 2009 debut until 2016, it was released in various permutations throughout the world.

 

Image Credit: Coca Cola Company.

4. Band-Aid — “I Am Stuck on Band-Aid” by Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow may be best known for such soft rock hits as “I Write the Songs” and “Mandy,” but a decade before he hit the airwaves with those songs, he paid his rent by writing the jingle for the first line of defense against childhood boo-boos, Band-Aids. He wrote the melody to “I Am Stuck on Band-Aid,” further bolstering his credentials as a crafter of memorable tunes.

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5. Dr. Pepper — ‘I’m A Pepper’ by Jake Holmes

“Dazed and Confused” may be best known as a song on Led Zeppelin’s self-titled 1969 debut album, but it was originally written by folk singer Jake Holmes in 1967. A decade after that, he wrote the jingle for the soft drink Dr. Pepper, titled “I’m a Pepper.” He also penned the ‘Be All That You Can Be’ jingle for the U.S. Army, and his success in crafting songs for advertising earned him the nickname “Jingle Jake.”

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6. Oreo — ‘Wonderfilled’ by Owl City

1. In 2013, Adam Young – better known as the electronic music artist Owl City – did the good people at Oreo a solid by writing a jingle called “Wonderfilled” for their ad campaign of the same name. But if you think he did it purely for the money, he disabused people of that notion when he told MTV that he was a big fan of the tooth-blackening cookies and that they even appeared on his tour rider so he could consume them backstage.

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7. State Farm — ‘Like a Good Neighbor’ by Barry Manilow

1. Just as it’s important to keep lots of Band-Aids on hand in case of papercuts and skinned knees, it’s also important to have a good insurance policy. We don’t know if this is exactly what Barry Manilow was thinking when he wrote the “Like a Good Neighbor” jingle for State Farm insurance, but it’s a catchy tune nonetheless and may have compelled a few people to choose them as their carrier.

Image Credit: Wikipedia.

8. Folgers — ‘The Best Part of Wakin’ Up is Folgers in Your Cup’ by Leslie Pearl

1. Leslie Pearl was not a major recording star in her own right, releasing just a couple of albums decades ago that did not chart. However, she scored multiple hits as a songwriter for other artists, including Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers, and Karen Carpenter. She hit it out of the park by writing the jingle for Folgers coffee, “The Best Part of Wakin’ Up is Folgers in Your Cup.” She wrote it in 1984, and almost 40 years later, it’s still being used to sell this particular caffeinated beverage.

Image Credit: MattyJohn/YouTUbe.

9. NBC — ‘Roundball Rock’ by John Tesh

Despite suffering terminal unhipness, new age practitioner John Tesh has sold millions of records to his rabid fan base, who couldn’t care less that he’s never been particularly fashionable. They also probably don’t mind that he wrote the theme to “NBA on NBC,” which translates to basketball games being aired on the NBC network, as the name implies. The actual title for the jingle is “Roundball Rock,” by the way.

Image Credit: NewscastStudio/YouTube.

10. Muscle Milk — ‘Spring Break It Down’ by Foster The People

Mark Foster is a musician best known as Foster the People, and he gave us the song “Pumped-Up Kicks,” which you may have heard emanating from your teenager’s room in 2011. He had also worked as a jingle writer at one point, and he leveraged this skill to write “Spring Break It Down” for the good people at Muscle Milk.

This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.

Image Credit: SpringBreakItDown/YouTube.

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