That must be one of the dumbest commercials I've ever seen! I would've been so depressed by the end of watching it, that I would've walked straight into the bathroom, picked up a razor blade, and slit my wrists! How long did that ad campaign LAST... anyone know?
Of course... the music is beautiful... just what you'd expect from Barry!
At least some of the Black Magic music—which is often attributed to John Barry by assumption—is actually by Christopher Gunning.
But anyway, what I love about these adverts (and others) is it shows just what a knack John Barry had for creating compelling short music cues. He really did have a knack.
I mean, I know that he wasn't the most sophisticated composer of music for orchestra—in that his range and composition technique was not as wide as more classically trained composers like, say, a Goldsmith or a Williams or a Rosenman.
But for the all-important (in film) knack of creating a delicious musical moment in a moment, John Barry really had that knack. He had that knack more than anyone, in my opinion.
I once thought this Mercedes Benz "Faithful" Commercial was Barry, but maybe not?
It starts out sounding like exactly like Barry but the last 20 seconds make me suspect this is just an ad-agency knock-off: it's too busy and cluttered.
"I have written to Mercedes Benz asking for the ad tune as well and they replied that it was an inhouse production and the composer for the track was a private arrangement within MB. They were unable to share the ad tune for this commercial. I am not sure if you have managed to get a hold of the track since your posting was in April. If you have better luck, let me know!"
As a longggggggggg-time fan of Barry, and film music, I've learned to appreciate the various strengths that composers bring to their craft. Yes, I'm well aware of Barry's limitations, but when you consider, for instance, the staggering variety of such masterworks as The Knack, Body Heat, Midnight Cowboy, Dances With Wolves, The Ipcress File, The Persuaders, Deadfall, Walkabout, The Americans, and so on, not to mention the Bonds, I'm not thinking too much of compositional limitations. I'm thinking of a composer with great insight, sensitivity, and--at least in the early years--a flair for using inventive instrumentation and varying lead instruments. Being a schooled composer is a wonderful thing, but you also have to bring something of yourself to the table.
I think Jerry Goldsmith is on record as saying that if he was ever producing a film, it would be John Barry he'd employ to do the score because Barry could brilliantly capture the essence of a film in a single theme.......or something very similar.
I once thought this Mercedes Benz "Faithful" Commercial was Barry, but maybe not?
It starts out sounding like exactly like Barry but the last 20 seconds make me suspect this is just an ad-agency knock-off: it's too busy and cluttered.
"I have written to Mercedes Benz asking for the ad tune as well and they replied that it was an inhouse production and the composer for the track was a private arrangement within MB. They were unable to share the ad tune for this commercial. I am not sure if you have managed to get a hold of the track since your posting was in April. If you have better luck, let me know!"
Lukas
Thank you Lukas for clearing that up, been having my doubts about this and the Black Magic Chocolates one for years. Found the studio version for White Owl Cigars.
IT didn't immediately trip any third-party copyright, so this may take a bit.
Thank you so much in advance again. Even if it triggers no result maybe some people at least get to hear that lovely melody which made its way through several arrangements through the decades up into the 90s)!
I think Jerry Goldsmith is on record as saying that if he was ever producing a film, it would be John Barry he'd employ to do the score because Barry could brilliantly capture the essence of a film in a single theme.......or something very similar.
This is true: Richard Kraft was the one who Goldsmith told this to.
I really love this thread, thank you everybody for posting these gems.
As a reminder, if you put
OPEN BRACKETyoutubeCLOSED BRACKET
and
OPEN BRACKET/youtubeCLOSED BRACKET
around the link (provided it's not a tiny URL), it will display as a playable video on this page. I have been adding these to various posts, as much for my own benefit as anything else.
I can't actually use the brackets here or the page will think I'm trying to link to a video! See the "special code legend" (blue link) on the screen where you type your post.
Anyway, wasn't JB's "Fun City" from Midnight Cowboy used in a commercial?
That's it, I am being driven out of my mind. Am certain I inquired about music in a TV commercial and someone pointed me to that cue. Was it Audi? Anyway, the following belongs on this thread one way or another:
I've also loaded a edit (removing dialogue) of the Mercedes Benz "Faithful" commercial piece; too lovely a piece of music to not know who did it. While MB won't say who the composer is, if it's in the copyright system, it'll trip a third-party copyright right and reveal it. There's sometimes more than one way to solve a problem.
If either video does eventually, I will come here to share the information.
. 