Barry Manilow’s history writing jingles for major brands before his big break
The ‘Copacabana’ singer has written commercial jingles for State Farm, McDonald’s and Band-Aid
Barry Manilow music complaints
Barry Manilow has a knack for creating catchy songs, like "Looks Like We Made It" and "Copacabana," but he has written songs you probably hum every day without realizing it.
Before he was a Grammy-winning musician selling out shows, Manilow got his start as a commercial jingle writer and singer.
The "Mandy" singer earned an honorary CLIO Award, which honors excellence in the advertising field, during their 50th anniversary in 2009 for his early work.
"I learned the most about music working in the jingle industry," he said while accepting the award. "It was the best music college I could ever imagine."
STATE FARM CEASING NEW APPLICATIONS IN CALIFORNIA FOR PROPERTY INSURANCE, OTHER POLICIES
The 79-year-old occasionally plays medleys of his jingles during his concerts, and he is currently on tour around the country.
Before his pop music career took off, Barry Manilow had a career as a commercial jingle singer and songwriter. (Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Here are some of the jingles Manilow had a hand in creating.
State Farm
State Farm has been using the jingle, "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there," ever since Manilow wrote the tune in the early 1970s.
On "Windy City Live" in 2012, Manilow revealed that he was paid a flat fee of $500 for writing it.
"You don't get residuals if you write it, so they just buy you out. At that point, $500 meant a lot of money — I was grateful to have it," he said.
He also joked that the woman who sang it at the time "is on her third Rolls-Royce for now."
In May, the insurance company made headlines after it announced that it will no longer accept new applications for property insurance and other policies in California, citing "historic" increases in construction costs and inflation."
Band-Aid
"I am stuck on a Band-Aid and a Band-Aid’s stuck on me," is still in use for the brand.
The song won advertising agency Young & Rubicam a CLIO award in 1976.
In a 2009 Adweek interview, Manilow recalled the process of writing the jingle.
"They wanted it simple, catchy and something that could be played on like a banjo or something," he said. "It was easy, it was one pass…I wrote it in one pass."
Another surprise: a young John Travolta appeared in a commercial for the brand singing the song before he became a breakout star in "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "Grease."
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Barry Manilow performs at Radio City Music Hall on May 31, 2023, in New York City. The 79-year-old occasionally plays medleys of his jingles during his concerts, and he’s currently on tour around the country. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Dr Pepper
Multi-Grammy and two-time Oscar winner Randy Newman actually wrote the music for Dr Pepper’s first ever jingle in 1974, but Manilow sang the tune.
In 2022, he returned to Dr Pepper with a new jingle, much to his surprise.
"I thought it was going to be the commercial that I did years ago," he told People about being approached to collaborate with the brand on advertising for their limited edition Dark Berry flavor.
"They sent me this very flattering presentation about why they wanted Barry Manilow to do this," he said of the campaign. "I would've said yes even if it was terrible — but it wasn't terrible. It was very witty and fun."
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Stridex
Manilow wrote and sang the jingle for the acne fighting product, titled "Give Your Face Something to Smile About."
During his interview on "Windy City Live," Manilow noted that when it comes to writing the jingles, he was often given the key line for the product or brand, and he would be tasked with writing the melody.
He recalled writing "a really nice melody" for American Airlines, but "the melody went down, and they said, 'You can't go down on the end of an American Airlines song.' So I lost that one."
Barry Manilow in 1973. Manilow began his career writing and singing jingles for brands like State Farm and Band-Aid. (Linda D. Robbins / Getty Images)
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McDonald’s
The "I Write the Songs" singer did not write the "You Deserve a Break" jingle for the fast food company, but he did sing the tune, which he often still does during live shows.
In 2012, he performed the song on "Windy City Live" with the audience singing along.
"That was the granddaddy of all of them, that was the first big one," he said during the interview.
Manilow also joked saying he never really ate at McDonald’s and only had a Big Mac once, saying "it gave me gas."