Their immortal songs are still heard constantly on classic rock radio, and are instantly recognizable to generations of music fans.
Yet hidden in the recesses of these legendary rock acts’ catalogs are some songs they’re hoping fans have either forgotten about or know nothing of: the cheesy jingles they recorded to sell products ranging from beer to breakfast cereal.
1. The Rolling Stones: Rice Krispies
Recorded in 1964, just as The Rolling Stones were on the cusp of stardom, they recorded a jingle for Rice Krispies.
The jingle was not written by the now-legendary songwriting team of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Instead, this little ditty was tossed off by Brian Jones, and remains the only song he ever wrote for the Stones.
Listening to it, that was probably for the best, considering how strange it is to hear Jagger’s unmistakable vocals on such lyrics as “Wake up in the morning there’s a snap around the place / Wake up in the morning there’s a crackle in your face.” The band was paid a measly £400 for the song.
Interestingly, it was during the Rice Krispies recording session that the band first worked with engineer Glyn Johns, who went on to man the console on such Stones albums as “Their Satanic Majesties Request,” “Beggar’s Banquet” and “Let It Bleed.”
2. Steely Dan: Shlitz Beer
No band better reflected the smooth, precision-played soft rock of the late 1970s than Steely Dan, the brainchild of Walter Becker and Donald Fagan.
Before Steely Dan hit it big with such classic hits as “Reelin’ In the Years” and “Deacon Blue,” the two recorded a jingle for a radio commercial extolling the virtues of Shlitz Beer.
Beneath a voiceover in Spanish, which is then translated to English, Steely Dan perform what is essentially jazzy background music.
The track was recorded shortly after they completed their debut album, “Can’t Buy a Thrill,” under the condition that they retained complete creative control.
When the advertising agency heard it, however, “thrill” was not a word used to describe the reaction. Instead, the jingle was shelved, never to be heard from again until being recently discovered in a box of tapes by the daughter of the band’s longtime producer.
3. The Who: Great Shakes
The Who were early adopters when it came to commercial jingles, having written and performed a few musical radio commercials for Coca-Cola early in their career.
Guitarist-songwriter Pete Townshend also penned this jingle about a product called Great Shakes, a long-since-vanished General Foods product that was essentially a powder that, when mixed with water, was purported to taste just like a soda-fountain shake.
The product did not catch on with the public, despite Townshend’s best musical efforts.
4. Brian Johnson: Hoover Vacuums
Brian Johnson is currently on tour with AC/DC, having joined the band in 1980 after the death of original frontman Bon Scott.
Prior to joining AC/DC, he lent his unmistakable vocals to a jingle for Hoover vacuum cleaners.
Interestingly, had it not been for the Hoover ad, Johnson may never have joined AC/DC. As he recalled in an interview, he was approached by a mysterious woman with a German accent, to see if he’d come to London to meet with an unnamed band, which, based on some clues she dropped, he ascertained to be the now singer-less AC/DC.
“I said, ‘They’re a great band, but I’m 32 and I’m past my sell-by date. They’ll not be interested. It’ll be a waste of a trip,'” recalled the singer.
Serendipity occurred soon after, when he received a lucrative offer to record the Hoover jingle in London. Figuring he’d already be there, he agreed to meet with AC/DC, and the rest is history.
5. Cream: Falstaff Beer
In the late 1960s, there were few bands bigger than Cream, the power trio consisting of bassist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker and guitarist Eric Clapton.
Known for such classic rock hits as “Crossroads” and “Sunshine of Your Love,” the group also recorded a jingle for Falstaff Beer in 1967.
The jingle was a quick moneymaker for Bruce, who wrote it and sang on it, and it faded into obscurity until it was added as a bonus track on the band’s 1997 compilation album “Those Were the Days.”
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5 Rock Icons You Never Knew Recorded Jingles for Commercials