John Barry composed the music for a long-running series of British T.V. commercials for Sunsilk Shampoo. The tune became so popular, Don Black added lyrics to create the pop song, THE GIRL WITH THE SUN IN HER HAIR.
Here singers Rena Stober and Stephen Van Dorn sight-read their take on the song with pianist Mike Farrell.
Sunsilk Commercial (The Girl With the Sun in Her Hair) lyrics by Don Black
That was great, thanks for posting it! I only wish the male vocalist had given a more polished rendition. The song itself reminds me that there are tons of Barry themes that can be adapted in similar fashion with surprising results.
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, it is nice to remember that there are real people involved in this reading your comments and how something critical is expressed might matter to the people reading it.
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, it is nice to remember that there are real people involved in this reading your comments and how something critical is expressed might matter to the people reading it.
While I agree there is often a lack of sensitivity on this board, I have to say that by not taking this song even somewhat seriously you can't blame people who react negatively.
I appreciate bringing a lot of these unknown songs to light, but sometimes by just hearing a first reading and a silly performance it doesn't help either the song or the singers/performers.
John Barry composed the music for a long-running series of British T.V. commercials for Sunsilk Shampoo. The tune became so popular, Don Black added lyrics to create the pop song, THE GIRL WITH THE SUN IN HER HAIR.
Here singers Rena Stober and Stephen Van Dorn sight-read their take on the song with pianist Mike Farrell.
Sunsilk Commercial (The Girl With the Sun in Her Hair) lyrics by Don Black
I found it quite charming, although am glad to have the instrumental version in my collection. I think we need to remind ourselves of the concept here of taking unfamiliar songs from soundtrack melodies (that many of us have never heard) and to record them cold and without rehearsal. The disparagement is mostly unwarranted and even mean-spirited, and, yes, there are real people here who I'm sure would LOVE to have gone back for Takes 2 and 3. Again, it's charming, and I especially liked the final notes by Stephen!
I wonder if Barry ever regretted giving away one of his most beautiful melodies to a Shampoo company ???
I know what you're getting at, but why would he?
The exposure was immense and it was the public response to the adverts that created the demand for a commercial recording. Without that exposure, nobody would have ever heard of this tune except a few die-hards.
Besides, you write as if he wrote it first and then gave it away later. I think it's more likely he was actually hired by the advertising agency to write this. If anything, he's the one that gained because he got paid to write it the first time and then he get to re-exploit it as a commercial recording and then again as a song.
Stephen: Re: " I think it's more likely he was actually hired by the advertising agency to write this."
A N D: "John Barry composed the music for a long-running series of British T.V. commercials for Sunsilk Shampoo. The tune became so popular, Don Black added lyrics to create the pop song, THE GIRL WITH THE SUN IN HER HAIR."
Yes, from the very first time I saw it (back in the 60s or early 70s) on a Barry compilation LP, it was identified as coming from the shampoo commercial, so it was clearly written FOR the commercial and not something he later allowed to be USED for one. Of course he may have wished he had saved the lovely melody for one of the movies he scored, just as many composers have used some of their best themes for films that disappeared without much attention (remember Delerue's music for "The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne"?)
I think we need to remind ourselves of the concept here of taking unfamiliar songs from soundtrack melodies (that many of us have never heard) and to record them cold and without rehearsal. The disparagement is mostly unwarranted and even mean-spirited, and, yes, there are real people here who I'm sure would LOVE to have gone back for Takes 2 and 3.
So, WHY didn´t they go back for takes 2 and 3? The concept itself is flawed. I honestly don´t know if I have ever heard such awful singing in my life before. Why release such a thing to the public? Better to keep it restrained to a private party with lots of alcohol.
Re: "So, WHY didn´t they go back for takes 2 and 3? The concept itself is flawed. I honestly don´t know if I have ever heard such awful singing in my life before. Why release such a thing to the public? Better to keep it restrained to a private party with lots of alcohol.
Because that's NOT their (clearly stated) purpose! If you're looking for musical perfection, then simply avoid these posts and spare yourself the aggravation! No one is holding a gun to your head and FORCING you to watch and listen to them -- now that you know the impromptu nature of them, merely avoid them.
Because that's NOT their (clearly stated) purpose! If you're looking for musical perfection, then simply avoid these posts and spare yourself the aggravation! No one is holding a gun to your head and FORCING you to watch and listen to them -- now that you know the impromptu nature of them, merely avoid them.
Yes, NOW I can avoid them. There should have been a warning included at the top of this post! I´m not sure what the PURPOSE of this video really is: to promote singing out of tune?
