Commercial jingles are the original TikTok. This is Barry Manilow’s view, and he’s an expert. Penning quick tunes for TV ads was a cornerstone of his songwriting career.
“It’s the same set of rules. When you do something for a big audience, you grab them in 15 seconds, and that’s it,” Manilow says during a phone chat as he has returned to Westgate’s International Theater, where he performs Friday and Saturday again. “Otherwise, they lose interest and change the channel or start talking. So I took those rules with me. They were very, very helpful.”
Manilow has recited many of his famous jingles in a medley at Westgate. The 83-year-old superstar typically blocks what is essentially a commercial pause in his performance, as he introduces his self-titled debut album (the one where his cover photo looks like a teenage Taylor Swift). Then it’s Jingle Time.
Among the quick-hitting tunes have been Band-Aid and State Farm Insurance. The latter premiered in 1971. Manilow has joked, “This is my greatest hit! Eat your heart out, Paul McCartney!” Then it’s, “And like a good neighbor, State Farm is theeeeeere!” It might not be as provocative as “Mandy,” but it might make you want to check your homeowner’s coverage.
“You know, when I started it many, many years ago, I had like 30 of them that I put all together,” Manilow says. If you want to hear a righteous return to those moments, play the “Barry Manilow Live” album. “That kind of blew the place apart. I didn’t know that it would have such a great effect on the audiences and the reviewers, but oh my God, the headlines!”
Manilow was sought because he became known as “the melody guy” early in his career. “I loved doing those jingles, I really did,” he says. “When you gotta grab a listener in 10 or 15 seconds, it’s a great challenge.”
Manilow has kept State Farm and Band-Aid in the Westgate show throughout his Westgate run, up until his comeback to the International on July 9. With no reference, he simply didn’t sing any of them. He did bring them back in his subsequent performances. Jingle Time is now on a show-by-show basis.
“They don’t air those commercials anymore,” Manilow says. “Maybe ‘I’m stuck on Band-Aid’ and State Farm,” Manilow says. “But the last time we did it, I had a feeling that they didn’t even recognize those two, so I stopped doing it. I think they were telling me that part of my career is over.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.