Kings Comment

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: 

A  L
Airwick Long Life 
All-Clear Shampoo Long Life Beer 
Alto Shampoo London Transport
Alton Towers M
Aquafresh Macintoshe’s Toffo 
Arctic Light Mail on Sunday 
Automobile Association Marmite 
B Mazola 
Bank’s Bitter McDougall’s Flour 
Barclaycard  McDonalds 
Batchelor’s Mushy Peas  Mecca 
Blue Stratos Aftershave  Melitta Coffee 
Bold Automatic  Melody Hairspray 
Bolla Wine  Memorex 
Boots  Moulinex Tutti-Frutti 
Branston Pickle  Mouliniere 
British Caledonian  Mr. Sheen
British Gas  N
British Leyland  National Express Rapide 
Britvic  National and Provincial 
Brown & Polson’s Cake Mix National Panasonic Radio 
C Nestle’s Tip Top 
Cadbury’s Dairy Milk / Stackers/Crème Eggs  Newcastle X Beer 
Campari  Nice N’ Easy
Candy Washing Machines  O
Carling Black Label  Oxo
Castella  P
Cigars  Paxo 
Cellnet  Pepsi 
Citroen Van Rouge  Pepsodent (Indonesia) 
Clairol Foot Spa  Persil
Clarks Shoes  Q
Cloberg Wine  Quality Street
Condor  R
Colt 45  Radio Rentals 
Courage Ales  Renault 
Cover-Plus Paints  Ringos Crisps 
Crocodillo  Robinson’s Baby Foods 
Crown Paints Ross Frozen Foods 
D Rowntree’s Cabana 
Double Top  Ryvita
Dubonnet  S
Dulux Paint  St. Ivel 
Dunlopillo Sandwichmakers 
E 7-Up 
EMI Films Logo Settler’s Indigestion Pills 
F Shippam’s 
Ferrero Rocher  Silvikrin 
Fiesta Kitchen Towels  Slumberdown 
Fisher-Price Toys  Solid Fuel 
Fruitella Spud-U-Like 
G Sunbeam
Gillette  T
Guinness Tetley’s Bitter 
H Tetley’s Lager 
Halfords  Tiffany Sparkling Wine 
Haze Air Freshener  Tiny Tim 
Holsten Toyota 
J TSB 
Jacob’s Cream Crackers  TV Times 
Jelly Gravy  Typhoo Tea
John Smith’s Bitter & Lager  U
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo UBA 
K Unigate
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes  V
Kellogg’s Waffles  Vladivar 
Knorr Sauces  Vodka
Kraft Philadelphia Cheese W
L Welsh Bitter 
Labour Party Jingle  Wiltshire Stay-Sharp 
Lagoona  Woolwich Cashbase
Lego  Y
Lemsip  Yardley Black Label 
Libero Nappies  Yoplait Yogurt

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

Key Changes

Love Is In The Room

Black Beauty

Fact of the Day

A dedicated year round outdoor swimmer, Denis enthusiastically submerged himself in Highgate Ponds despite the fact that--as his wife, incredulous, informed him--it was so cold London Zoo had had to bring its penguins indoors.

King Brothers Album

Listening Post

District Nurse Hargreaves - Marty Feldman


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