Happy Endings
A short while back, I posted an interview with composer/lyricist Lionel Bart, creator of Oliver!, in which there's a brief discussion about a TV commercial he wrote late in his career that became hugely popular, and brought him back to the public eye.
It was in done in 1989 for a financial institution known as the Abbey National building society. The little jingle, called "Happy Endings," is about all the happy little things you do do with a loan from Abbey National. Bart is surrounded by little kids who sing along with him, the charm of which is what clearly caught on with the public. Especially since the words are a bit to make out, but the warmth comes through. The ad, which is fairly won a Silver award at the British Television Advertising Awards.
Indeed, it became so popular, that an extended version of the song was released as a single, with Bart and the kids, and became a hit on its own.
Here's the ad that started it all.
And as a bonus, this is the extended version with full orchestration that got released as a single and was a bit of a hit. And it's somewhat charming and, as a song, better than just the TV ad.
And it's sort of lovely that after a career with great highs and deep lows, it actually ended with a happy ending...
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