JINGLES

During the ten year period leading up to 1986 I wrote well over a hundred jingles for radio and television advertising. Some won awards, some were instantly forgettable, and one got me into a lot of trouble, in fact virtually put an end to what had been a lucrative career as a jingles writer, but that’s another story.  Denis King

Jingles include: 

KINGS’ COMMENTS

Soon after I arrived in England, it occurred to me that a piece of music created especially for me, inspired by the composer’s love for me, would be a nice thing to have. I mentioned this, and, eventually, “Astrid’s Song” was born. Den thought he might have stolen part of it from a jingle he did for Clairol Foot Spa but I was thrilled and immediately bored everyone in my address book with the heady information that a song had been written especially for me.

A year or so later, not long after the global buzz had died down, Den was playing tracks from a Big Band dance album he’d just recorded for Sweden, one of which he’d titled “Midnight in Malmo” and I said sounded kind of familiar. Den agreed, but we couldn’t for the life of us think why. About two years after that, “Astrid (and Malmo’s) Song” was further recycled to become a thirty second TV plug for bathroom air freshener. Who says romance is dead. Astrid King

When I first came into his life, Den was composing music for three or four commercials per week. If ever this figure dropped to say nil commercials per week, Denis would panic about never working again and say “Bollocks, guess I’d better have another ring round” which is where you call up all your contacts at ad agencies to remind them you’re still alive and other humiliating info and then find out they don’t work there anymore.

We once heard that a composer friend of Den’s who worked constantly sent out demo tapes of his jingles to all the agencies once or twice a year, and we thought this sounded like an excellent idea, so, with my help, Denis recorded, labeled, addressed and sent out seventy-five cassettes around town, and then heard nothing, except of course for Den saying hourly isn’t it strange he hasn't heard back from anyone yet. Finally, about three months later, he gets a call.

"Mr. King? This is Verity Stewart from Green, Grosse, Ploptz, Pierreponty or Some Dumb Name Ltd. and I’ve just been listening to that tape you sent?"

"Oh yes? Really?"

"Yes, and I notice you did the music for Rowntrees Cabana Chocolate Bars?"

"Yes, that’s right." Den gave me the thumbs up.

"I was wondering if you could tell me who directed it?" the woman says.

Denis then got very friendly (professionally) with a big HBO TV lady named Lynn, who loved his stuff (music), in fact went overboard about it, and after she went back to New York we sent over the mountains of demo tapes she'd asked for, and then of course heard nothing. Did she get them? Did she hate them? Why do we bother, etc. Six months goes by, then a long chatty letter from her arrives saying how excited she is about the real estate course she's been taking, how it's always been a fascination of hers and how happy she is. Perfect? Den’s one surefire contact in the Big Apple and instead of a job she wanted to sell him a house. Astrid King