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I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)

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"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" is a pop song (originally known as "True Love and Apple Pie") by British hit songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, and sung by Susan Shirley.<ref name="coke_hilltop">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The lyrics were rewritten by the songwriters—together with US advertising executive Bill Backer and US songwriter Billy Davis—as a jingle for The Coca-Cola Company's advertising agency, McCann Erickson, to become "Buy the World a Coke" in the 1971 "Hilltop" television commercial for Coca-Cola and sung by the Hillside Singers.<ref>Template:Discogs release</ref> "Buy the World a Coke" was produced by Billy Davis and portrayed a positive message of hope and love, featuring a multicultural collection of young people on top of a hill appearing to sing the song.

The popularity of the jingle led to its being re-recorded in two versions: one by The New Seekers and another by The Hillside Singers (as a full-length song) that dropped references to Coca-Cola. The song became a hit record in the US and the UK.

OriginsEdit

The idea originally came to Bill Backer, an advertising executive working for McCann Erickson, the agency responsible for Coca-Cola. Backer, Roger Cook and Billy Davis were delayed at Shannon Airport in Ireland. After a forced layover with many hot tempers, they noticed their fellow travelers the next morning were talking and joking while drinking Coca-Cola. Backer wrote the line "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" on a napkin and shared it with Cook and Roger Greenaway.

The melody was derived from a previous song by Cook and Greenaway, originally called "True Love and Apple Pie," that was recorded in 1971 by Susan Shirley.<ref name="coke_hilltop"/> Cook, Greenaway, Backer and Billy Davis reworked the song into a Coca-Cola radio jingle, which was performed by British pop group The New Seekers and recorded at Trident Studios in London. The radio jingle made its debut in February 1971 before being adapted for the Coca-Cola "Hilltop" television commercial later that year.

The commercial ended with the statement:

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The song became so popular that its creators revised it, adding three verses and removing product references to create a full-length song appropriate for commercial release. The full-length song was re-recorded by both The Hillside Singers and The New Seekers and both versions became huge hits.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

TV commercialEdit

LyricsEdit

"Buy the World a Coke" contains the line "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" and repeats "It's the real thing", which was Coca-Cola's marketing slogan. The Coca-Cola Company introduced that slogan in October 1969.

Versions as an adEdit

Several versions of the ad have been made.

  • The song first aired on American radio on February 12, 1971, but not all of the Coca-Cola bottlers were impressed. DJs reported that they were receiving requests to hear the commercial. Backer persuaded McCann-Erickson to film a commercial using the song.<ref name="coke_hilltop"/> The TV commercial, titled "Hilltop", was directed by Roberto Malenotti.<ref name="Coca Cola Hilltop">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> The ad cost $250,000 ($Template:Inflation million today), then the most expensive commercial in history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first attempt at shooting was ruined by rain and other location problems.<ref name="loc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The finished product, first aired in July 1971, featured a multicultural group of young people lip synching the song on a hill in the municipality of Manziana outside Rome, Italy. The first woman seen was Linda Neary, who was working as a governor in Rome and accepted the job two days before shooting began, although she never met most of the other young people in commercial. The global unity of the singers is emphasized by showing that the bottles of Coke they are holding are labelled in a variety of languages.

  • A Christmas-themed version of the ad debuted in 1977, referred to as "Candles" as distinguished from the "Hilltop" campaign. Instead of standing still while holding bottles of Coca-Cola, young people now held candles and rocked rhythmically while seated on a hillside. It was set after dark to emphasize the points of light. The pop instrumental backing was replaced with a glockenspiel and sleigh bells. By the end, the camera pulled back to an overhead view of the candles to reveal an overall shape of a lit Christmas tree.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • In 1987, a commercial aired which was based on a similar theme of togetherness. It was filmed at St George's Hall, Liverpool, but featured a different song called "I Am the Future of the World" and sung by Wendy Maguire.
  • In 1990, a follow-up to this commercial, called "Hilltop Reunion" and directed by Jeff Lovinger, aired during coverage of Super Bowl XXIV. It featured the original cast members, including Linda Neary (now middle-aged adults), now joined by their children, and culminated in a medley of this song and the current "Can't Beat the Real Thing" jingle.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • G. Love remade the song for the Coca-Cola Zero commercial "Everybody Chill", which aired in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • In 2006, the song was used again in a Coca-Cola commercial in the Netherlands, performed by Dutch singer Berget Lewis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • In 2010, Coca-Cola once again used the song in a television commercial featuring the entire line of its sponsored NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers. The commercial included the drivers singing the song while driving in a race.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>

  • In 2011, information on how many dollars it would take "to buy the world a Coke" was given in a commercial featuring the red silhouette of a Coke bottle and the melody of the song.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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Significance and receptionEdit

In 2007, Campaign magazine called it "one of the best-loved and most influential ads in TV history".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It served as a milestone—the first instance of the recording industry's involvement with advertising.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Marketing analysts have noted Coca-Cola's strategy of marrying the idea of happiness and universal love of the product illustrated by the song.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The commercial has continued receiving accolades; in 2000, Channel 4 and The Sunday Times ranked the advertising jingle 16th in the 100 Greatest TV Ads while in 2005, ITV ranked the advertisement 10th in its list of the greatest advertisements.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

SinglesEdit

The Hillside SingersEdit

After the TV commercial aired, radio stations began to get calls from people who liked it. Billy Davis' friends in radio suggested he record the song, but not as an advertising jingle.<ref name="loc"/> It became so popular that the song was rewritten without brand name references and expanded to three verses. Davis recruited a group of studio singers to take it on because The New Seekers did not have time to record it. The studio group named themselves The Hillside Singers to identify with the ad, and within two weeks the song was on the national charts. The Hillside Singers' version reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart and #58 on the RPM charts in Canada.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Billboard ranked this version as the No. 97 song for 1972.

The New SeekersEdit

The New Seekers later recorded the song<ref name="coke_hilltop"/> and sold 96,000 copies of their record in one day, eventually selling 12 million total. "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" climbed to #1 in the UK, #3 in Canada and #7 in the US in 1971 and 1972. The song became a gold record in the US and has also sold over a million copies in the UK.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Coca-Cola Company waived royalties to the song and instead donated $80,000 in payments to UNICEF.<ref name="coke_hilltop"/> Billboard ranked this version as the No. 93 song for 1972.

Chart performanceEdit

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Weekly chartsEdit

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Year-end chartsEdit

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New Seekers versionEdit

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Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart
Chart (1971–1972) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 7
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

6
France (IFOP)<ref name="fracharts">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

21
Iceland<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 5
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Japan (Oricon Singles Chart)<ref name="JAP">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1
Malaysia (Rediffusion)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 1
New Zealand<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1
Singapore (Rediffusion)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 2
South Africa (Springbok)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

10
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 3
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Chart (1972) Rank
citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

66
Canada 29
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

29
UK <ref>1972 in British music#Best-selling singles</ref> 5
citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

93

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Hillside Singers versionEdit

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Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chart
Chart (1971–1972) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)<ref name=aus>Template:Cite book</ref> check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}
Template:Single chart
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Chart (1972) Rank
US Billboard Hot 100<ref name="musicoutfitters.com"/> 97

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CertificationsEdit

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Covers and inspiration for other musicEdit

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See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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