The Soundtrack to Eating: How The 3 Catchiest Jingles of All Time Came To Be
A detailed breakdown of the three catchiest, timeless jingles for food and drink brands and how musicians have shaped them.
The Soundtrack to Eating is a series in which staff writers write about how food and music are intertwined.
Written and illustrated by Mark Yoder
Jingles are a strange but dangerously effective combination of music and marketing. By putting their brand message to the tune of catchy music, companies can sneakily enter customers’ brains and influence their buying decisions. They are not regarded highly as a form of marketing and are seen as outdated and corny in 2019, but it is undeniable that some of the best and longest-lasting ad campaigns have been built on memorable jingles. Here are the top three jingles that have infected pop culture and endured the test of time.
McDonald’s — “I'm lovin’ it
Love it or hate it, we definitely all know it. The McDonald’s “Im lovin’ it” is one of the most ubiquitous jingles of all time and sets the bar high for how effective a catchy jingle can be.
The year was 2003, and McDonald’s was in need of something to help customers fall back in love with their food. They turned to German ad agency Heye & Partner to breathe some life into the brand. The ad agency came up with the “I’m lovin’ it” slogan, and McDonald’s decided to pair it with music to help reinforce it and appeal to the youth.
The true creator of the iconic jingle is still debated with many (including rapper Pusha T) claiming authorship, but the ad agency worked with The Neptunes and Justin Timberlake to release a full song and music video that had no mention of McDonald’s, but featured the famous jingle. Then, months later, McDonald’s put out the full “I’m lovin’ it” campaign using the same jingle along with vocals from JT, production from The Neptunes, and rapping from rap duo Clipse (comprised of Pusha T and his brother No Malice). The song showed Clipse’s impressive range, showcasing that they are not only capable of rapping about and selling cocaine, but also rapping about and selling hamburgers.
The original Justin Timberlake song isn’t bad, but it is still strange that he would use his personal musical career to subtly promote McDonald’s message to his fans without their knowledge. Regardless, he most likely loved the presumably fat McDonald’s paycheck he received.
Folgers — “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!”
Folgers is kind of like the McDonald’s of coffee: it’s cheap, it's convenient, and it gets the job done. But according to Folgers commercials, it being in your cup is the best part of waking up.
Folgers has been around since the 1850s, but its famous slogan and jingle did not materialize until 1984. Their idea was to flip the notion that waking up and drinking a cup of coffee is simply a necessary hoop to jump through, and instead, show that it can be a fun and exciting event. ‘80s pop singer Leslie Pearl created the jingle, and it was promoted with euphoric ads full of sunsets and people embracing the start of their day with a cup of Folgers.
Folgers fully embraced the popularity of their new jingle by inviting a variety of artists to do their own rendition of it using their own personal style. Some of these artists include Aretha Franklin, Randy Travis, Ritchie Havens, and Rockapella. Each variation appealed to a different fan base and customer demographic, allowing Folgers to reach a diverse array of people. New York acapella group Rockapella’s jubilant version became extremely popular — so much so that they felt forced to sing it at any show they performed.
Chili’s — “I want my baby back ribs”
Chili’s has been one of the dominant forces of the casual dining game for many decades now, bringing mediocre Tex-Mex food all over the globe. One factor in their success is their famously catchy baby back ribs jingle.
In 1986, Chili’s needed to sell more baby back ribs, so they turned to Austin-based ad agency, GSD&M, for a jingle-based ad spot. Their creative director, Guy Bommarito, thought jingles were the lowest form of advertising and felt too embarrassed to even take the assignment back to his creative department. He wrote the jingle himself in the span of 5 minutes. Little did he know it would end up becoming a mainstay in Chili’s commercials for decades to come.
Its memorability mainly comes from the repetitive “I want my baby back baby back baby back ...” which sits under the main melody. This line has an unexplainable catchiness and has only gotten more ingrained in American culture with its cameos in TV shows like “The Office” and movies like “Austin Powers.” And Justin Timberlake’s collaboration with McDonald’s was not his first branded musical endeavor; he also sang the famous Chili’s jingle alongside his fellow *NSYNC members in a deserted island-themed commercial.
It is interesting to look at the similarities of these three jingles and the way that they were propelled into the pop culture zeitgeist by paying famous musicians to put their own spin on them. This form of marketing is largely past its prime and has evolved into a new subtler form: companies paying artists to use and/or mention their product in their songs and music videos. But the future of jingles is unknown, and for all we know, a comeback could be right around the corner.