Hear the difference: Big Brother ad vs VW ad
Video: The song on the Big Brother promo sounds a lot like one on a car commercial. But it's just a coincidence.
- Published by David Knox
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No, Channel Nine assures. VW is not a sponsor of Big Brother.
Which is just as well given the concept for their promo song is almost identical to one used on a 2013 commercial by VW.
Even the singers sound similar. Spooky.
A Nine spokesperson told TV Tonight, “It is a complete coincidence.
“It is a classic fable/nursery rhyme.
“We adapted the lyrics and recorded our version for Big Brother 2014 here in Sydney.”
VW’s 2013 “Welcome to the Family” commercial was created by DDB Sydney with Dylan Harrison as Executive Creative Director with Sound Design/Arrangement by Smith & Western.
The original song When Johnny Comes Marching Home is an American Civil War song penned by bandleader Patrick Gilmore and has enjoyed countless versions. The original lyrics read:
When Johnny comes marching home again
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We’ll give him a hearty welcome then
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The men will cheer and the boys will shout
The ladies they will all turn out
And we’ll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home.
Given VW is not a sponsor I guess we can rule out any new branding tactics going on.
However there is that awkward history too. In the past Nine promos have been known to heavily borrow from NFL, Battlestar Galactica, Bear Grylls.
Updated: Dan Higson from Smith & Western tells TV Tonight, “I’ve no doubt Nine have indeed stumbled into this slightly odd coincidence by chance. Of course the same tune is used by the popular nursery rhyme The Animals Went In Two By Two’ which is why Nine have chosen the re-record it. However we believe the 2 re-records can exist happily together in the same environment. Perhaps one helps promote the other in some weird cross-pollinating way!
“Oh and the vocalist we used was an amazing young Australian vocalist called Ruby May. Hurrah! Hurrah!”
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15 Responses
You don’t have to pay for the copyright on songs of a certain age. Plus a nice easy melody, easy to rewrite the lyrics, there are probably many other examples of the same thing out there.
Thanks, I was going to ask where it was filmed. Nice place for some photos, about the only interesting thing about the promo.
That was filmed out at La Perouse in Sydney.
Saw them filming it not long ago.
I haven’t looked at any stories about Big Brother yet this season but have they confirmed it will back at Dreamworld? If so its a bit weird that the promo zooms out at the end of the shot from Sydney (Bare Island to be exact).
It was always the Clash’s English Civil War for me.
@SnideAsides Yes ABC America used “Still the One” first (originally recorded in 1976 by Orleans), and was then also used not long after by 9. BSkyB also adopted it in the UK for a while (coincidentally around the same time Sam Chisholm took over?) in the early 90’s.
Also, wasn’t Still the One taken from ABC America?
@strayamayte – you still watch live commercial TV? Just like the good old days!
I’ve always wondered if ex-Idol contestant Lisa Mitchell was singing the VW ad, so thank you Dan Higson for clearing that up.
I like how the VW ad covers all bases, appealing to both the pink dollar (Bradley and his special friend) and also to the homophobic grandparent market.
lol same song awesome
Nice to see Joy Hruby still on the screen after her long career
I love that ad… but it’ll always be the theme to Die Hard With A Vengeance for me!
The BB Promo is quite a scary thing to watch. I do prefer the VW ad over the BB ad because this song makes me feel joyful.
It’s funny how you are sometimes introduced to songs via ads. I liked the twangy guitar and the “Is there anybody out there?” lyric of the Jeep song. I thought it had been written for the ad. About a month ago a local radio station began using the same song for their on-air promos. I Googled the lyrics and Jeep and found that it was a song called Don’t Hold Back by The Potbelleez. I then went to iTunes and downloaded it.
Big Ted and jemima should sue, I heard it first on play school.
That Volkswagen ad is possibly the most annoying ad on television. It drives me up the wall! Every time it comes on I just start swearing at the TV and have to mute it immediately.
And they keep bringing it back!!! – it goes away for a few months of peace, then it comes back on the TV again! I hope a new VW model comes out soon so they have to discard the ad.
This is the first commercial for BB I have seen this year as I don’t watch anything on Nine to have the “opportunity”. Whenever I hear the VW commercial I can’t hit mute or FF fast enough to avoid that irritating song.
Nine certainly do like to take advise from other commercials for their own branding.
Seriously. Have you nothing else to write about?