Pat McMinn: Geddes Dental Renovations advertisement (1949)

 |   |  <1 min read

Pat McMinn: Geddes Dental Renovations advertisement (1949)

It's an odd but understandable thing that advertising jingles can often make as much, if not more, impact on our consciousness than serious music.

The reason is perhaps simple: they are short, catchy and you hear them a lot.

Few if any advertising jingles in New Zealand were heard more than this one by Pat McMinn whose other claim to fame was the song Opo The Crazy Dolphin which was written by jazz pianist Crombie Murdoch in 1956.

But this ad played on radio for as long as I can remember. It was certainly still being played in the Eighties but according to Chris Bourke here, all the pianist Nancie Harrie, male singer Lee Humphries and McMinn got was two guineas apiece (two pounds and two shillings).

The catchy ad lives on -- it nags like a toothache actually -- but Geddes has been long gone.

Last I looked it was a barber shop.

"Need a haircut, need a haircut, woe is me what shall I do . . ." 

For more oddities, one-offs or songs with an interesting backstory check the massive back-catalogue at From the Vaults.

 

.

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   From the Vaults articles index

Peter Cook: Bedazzled (1968)

Peter Cook: Bedazzled (1968)

Although best seen in the context of the hilarious Bedazzled film -- where poor Dudley Moore is granted wishes by the Devil (the smarmy and petty Peter Cook) -- this song still resonates for its... > Read more

Cynthia Lennon: Walking in the Rain (1995)

Cynthia Lennon: Walking in the Rain (1995)

It was inevitable that after their divorce, Cynthia Lennon -- married to John for six years from '62 -- would live in the shadow of her famous husband and struggle to find a meaningful place in the... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Green River

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Green River

In a freewheeling and enjoyable interview before a solo show in 2005, John Fogerty -- mainman behind CCRevival -- laughed about how at the height of the counterculture in the late Sixties bands... > Read more

THE VODAFONE PACIFIC MUSIC AWARDS FINALISTS (2017): The envelopes please . . .

THE VODAFONE PACIFIC MUSIC AWARDS FINALISTS (2017): The envelopes please . . .

The finalists for the 2017 Vodafone Pacific Music Awards have been announced and the awards – now in their 13th year – include a wide range of new artists and established legends.... > Read more