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"Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" (aka "Nickel, Nickel") is a jingle that was produced in 1939. Composer Austen Herbert Croom Johnson scored it and his lyricist partner, Alan Kent, wrote the words. Its first and most enduring recording was performed by the Tune Twisters, a male vocal jazz trio that, for the prior 5 years, had been enjoying popularity on non-jazz oriented broadcasts. Newell-Emmett, a bygone New York advertising agency, conceived and managed the campaign. The jingle is sometimes credited for being the first broadcast jingle. It is not. However, it is the first in several respects:


 * 1) It is the first to become a hit, as popular music, on network radio, coast to coast. It proved so wildly popular that radio stations played it as entertainment rather than as advertising.
 * 2) It is the first jingle that was short run-time, an innovation that changed broadcast advertising. In an era when advertisments ran 60 seconds, "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" was the first to run slightly under 15, which permitted many more repetitions.

The jingle, in 1999, was ranked by AdAge's "Top 100 Advertising Campaigns" as the No. 1 jingle of the 1940s and No. 14 of all time.

History
The music, an adaptation of an old English hunting song, was written by Austen Herbert Croom Johnson (1909–1964), commonly known as "Bunny" and "Ginger." The lyrics were by Alan Bradley Kent. It was first recorded by the Tune Twisters, a male vocal jazz trio based game in New York.

It was the first to be played and heard coast to coast on network radio. The jingle was recorded in 55 different languages, and more than 1 million copies were created for jukeboxes. The tune was then renamed “Pepsi Cola Hits the Spot,” and was played in Carnegie Hall. In 1940, Life magazine declared the jingle "immortal." In 1949, the tune played 296,426 times on 469 radio stations.

The jingle is notable, not for being the first musical jingle, but for being the first that became a hit, and the first that was short – short enough to avoid annoying listeners in a way that allowed Pepsi to air it much more frequently, which changed broadcast advertising. In October 1940, Life magazine reported that Kent and Johnson were responsible for 90 percent of all one-minute spots.


 * read this

Timeline

 * 1936: Following the trough of the Great Depression, when value was important to consumers.


 * By March 1938, Johnson had adapted a swing version of "D'ye ken John Peel?"


 * 1939: The Pepsi-Cola Company was looking for a major ad agency. Among the contenders was Lord & Thomas, which commissioned songwriters Alan Kent and Austin Croom Johnson to develop a musical theme to be used on radio. In July 1939, Messrs. Johnson and Kent created words that soon became famous:


 * Walter Mack (1895–1990), president of Pepsi, liked the jingle but passed over L&T and instead hired Newell-Emmett Co. According to a 1955 account in Advertising Age, however, he kept the L&T jingle. It broke in September 1939 on New York's WOR between news bulletins of Hitler's invasion of Poland. "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" campaign, which ran in 15-second slots on local radio stations, where brevity bought frequency. Soon everybody was humming it.

People
Don G. Mitchell, from about 1939 to 1942, was Vice President and Sales Director of Pepsi-Cola Co., Long Island City.

Words

 * Pepsi-Cola Jingle (see also Sensory branding)
 * "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" (aka "Nickel, Nickel")


 * Pepsi-Cola hits the spot,
 * Twelve full ounces, that's a lot,
 * Twice as much for a nickel, too,
 * Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you,
 * Nickel, nickel, nickel, nickel,
 * Trickle, trickle, trickle, trickle . ..


 * (word for word; needs re-writing): Composed, for $2,500, by British-born Austin Herbert Croom-Johnson (commonly known as "Ginger"; 1910–1964) from the melody of an early 18th century (around 1820) English hunting song, "D'ye ken John Peel," with lyrics written by Chicago-born Alan Bradley Kent (né Karl Dewitt Byington, Jr.; 1912–1991). This was one of the earliest "singing commercials" on a national basis. It was written in 1939 for the now defunct Newell-Emmett advertising agency and was originally performed by a vocal trio called The Tune Twisters, composed of Andy Love, Gene Lanham, and Bob Walker. Even though it has often been referred to as the first singing commercial, there had been several others prior to 1939, such as the one for Barbasol and the tunes sung by The Happiness Boys for their various sponsors.


 * "Singin' Sam the Barbasol Man," first sang by Singin' Sam (Harry Frankel; 1888–1948) on WABC on July 20, 1931.
 * The Happiness Boys, began singing on WJZ, Newark, New Jersey, October 18, 1921, and were sponsored by Happiness Candy Stores, Inc., a chain of candy stores in New Jersey.

History
Work for work (needs edit) 
 * In 1941 the Pepsi-Cola Company decided to use one-minute dramatized commercials on a large number of stations. To open and close these quickies, a singing jingle was developed. But the little tune proved to catchy, so complete in itself, that the advertising agency, Newell-Emmett Company, recommended its adoption as a station break. Its briefness, slightly under 15 seconds, permitted many more repetitions than a 60-second spot. Surveys showed that it also removed the "annoyance factor" which sometimes came up in longer announcements.


 * The jingles were recorded by well-known performers, including the Radio Rogues, the Tune Twisters, and other combinations. More than 50 variants of the standard jingle were recorded.

Earlier influences
Singer, actress, and songwriter Hank Fort (1914–1973) says she wrote a jingle in the mid-1930s, "Royal Crown Cola Hits the Spot," which was used on the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Show and she played it for Johnson before he cowrote "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot."

Extant discography

 * "Do you ken John Peel?" "Pepsi Cola Hits the Spot"
 * Pete Seeger
 * Recorded in Hall Auditorium, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, by Stephen Lee Taller and Jean Pierre Williams on April 16, 1955

Older copyrights
Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 3: Musical Compositions


 * © 27 June 1913; E316233
 * Hawkes & Son, London
 * (copyright is claimed on arrangement)
 * New Series, Vol. 8, Part 3, p. 792

"John Peel," variations on an English tune
 * Hubert Crook, of Great Britain; pf.
 * Cover title: "D'ye ken John Peel"
 * © 2 February 1925;
 * 1 copy Feb. 13 1925; E608716
 * A. Hammond & Co., London. 1775
 * New Series, Vol. 20, No. 1 (1938) p. 76

Copyrights relating to Pepsi
Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 3: Musical Compositions

Original theme

 "D'ye ken John Peel"
 * 1 copy; 12 January 1938; EU157880
 * ABC Music Corporation, New York
 * 
 * 

 "Do ye ken, John Peel?"
 * 1 copy; 24 February 1938; EU161663
 * Irving Berlin, Inc., New York
 * 29 July 1965; R365626
 * Margaret Mary LeLange (né Margaret Mary Lohden; 1918–1990) (widow)
 * 
 * 29 July 1965; R365626
 * Margaret Mary LeLange (né Margaret Mary Lohden; 1918–1990) (widow)
 * 

 "Do ye ken, John Peel?"
 * 1 copy; 16 March 1938; EP68157
 * Irving Berlin, Inc., New York
 * 29 July 1965; R365625
 * Margaret Mary LeLange (widow)
 * 
 * 29 July 1965; R365625
 * Margaret Mary LeLange (widow)
 * 

 "Do ye ken John Peel," fox trot
 * © 14 April 1938; EP70500
 * Irving Berlin, Inc., New York
 * 
 * 

 "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot"
 * ©1939 by Johnson-Siday
 * (Austen Croom Johnson & Eric Siday)
 * (copyright source not found) </li>

<li> "Pepsi-Cola Radio Jingle"
 * 1 copy; 2 January 1940; EP162049
 * (original copyright source not found)
 * 7 April 1967; R407224
 * PepsiCo, Inc. (formerly Pepsi-Cola Co.)
 * </li>
 * </li>

<li> "Get Hep"
 * October 1941; EP98040
 * Pepsi-Cola Company of Long Island City, New York
 * </li></ol>
 * </li></ol>

New theme <li> "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot"
 * Words and adaptation of music of the Pepsi-Cola Co.
 * NM: Adaptation and revised words
 * ©Pepsi-Cola Co.
 * 1 March 1965; EU867255</li></ol>


 * EP = Class E (musical composition), published
 * UP = Class E (musical composition), unpublished
 * R = Copyright renewal
 * NM = New matter
 * NM = New matter

Sheet music

 * Sheet music


 * The sheet music front and back covers feature the Keystone Cop-type policemen that were featured in other early Pepsi ads. Cover is red, white and blue.


 *  The internet website classicthemes.com debuted January 26th, 1998. It was founded by former radio/TV composer/producer and Macromedia software engineer David Shields, who wanted to consolidate his research into classic television themes and old-time radio (OTR) themes, that he had been researching, collecting and publishing since 1960. Over the years biographies about the better composer-arrangers of Light (Easy Listening) music, and other resources are added; and the site becomes a primary source for the music industry.

Filmography

 * The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
 * (source)


 * Pepsi and Pete's Snowman, animated short jingle (via YouTube)
 * Pepsi and Pete's Snowman, animated short jingle (via YouTube)
 * Pepsi and Pete's Snowman, animated short jingle (via YouTube)
 * Pepsi and Pete's Snowman, animated short jingle (via YouTube)
 * Pepsi and Pete's Snowman, animated short jingle (via YouTube)
 * "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" (audio only), (via YouTube)
 * "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" (film short), (via YouTube)

Audio

 * audio (courtesy of ABCNews)


 * Read this
 * and this
 * and this AdAge
 * when did sodas get so big?
 * Pete's Seeger's parody version

Other jingles with considerable commercial value
There are many such combinations which appear to have considerable commercial value:
 * "They Satisfy"
 * "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot, Twelve Whole Ounces–That's a Lot"
 * "You'll Be Grateful for a Plateful"
 * "His Master's Voice"
 * "I'd Walk a Mile for a Camel" (Camel cigarettes)
 * "Duz Does Everything" (Duz laundry detergent; Procter & Gamble)

In the Liggett & Myers case, supra, the key phrase was: "No, thanks; I Smoke Chesterfields." In the case of Ryan & Associates, Inc. v. Century Brewing Association, Inc. (1933–1935), supra, the key phrase was: "The Beer of the Century."

Parody lyrics
In the 1950s, the Pepsi-Cola slogan, "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot," became
 * Pepsi-Cola hits the spot,
 * Smells like vinegar, tastes like snot;
 * Pour it in the kitchen sink,
 * Five minutes later, it begins to stink.

Library singing commercial to the tune of "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot":
 * Pocket books do hit the spot,
 * More'n a hundred-that's a lot!
 * Borrow two full weeks for a nickel too!
 * A pocket book is the thing for you.

Analysis

 * Linguistics: prosody, meter, verse

Tune origin

 * Contrafact: Elvis's "Love Me Tender" is a contrafact of "Pepsi-Cola Hit the Spot" or "Aura Lee," both of which are contrafacts of the Scottish song, "The Border Rant: 'Bonnie Annie."


 * See discussion, here


 * "D'ye ken, John Peel?," Written by John Woodcock Graves (1795–1886), sometime before 1833, to celebrate his friend John Peel (1776–1854). The tune is said to be "Bonnie Annie" or "The Border Rant," and to have been set by William Metcalfe in 1868 (Rollinson, p. 51)


 * see note, here


 * "John Peel," the song, was first sung in 1824 in Gate House in Caldbeck in John Graves home to the tune of a Border rant called "Bonnie Annie." A different version of the music was composed in 1869 by William Metcalfe (abt. 1829–1909), the organist and choirmaster of Carlisle Cathedral. Metcalfe's tune survived to be the one we enjoy today.


 * C.V. Wright, bandmaster

Look for this

 * id236802: "Variations On A Theme By Pepsi Cola"
 * 1941 Scope and Contents
 * Composer(s): Arthur Croom-Johnson, Alan Kent. Arranger: Helmy Kresa, Style: Fox trot.
 * Key of E-flat. Vince Giordano catalog number: 21243
 * finding aid