COMMERCIAL BREAK - "California Raisins"

If you were around in the mid-80s, I'm sure you remember 'The California Raisins'. The California Raisins experienced high popularity in the mid-to-late 1980s principally through claymation TV commercials and animated specials, winning an Emmy Award and one nomination.

The concept was originally created for a 1986 commercial on behalf of the California Raisin Advisory Board. Well I had the privilege to be a California Raisin for one of their campaigns. It was pretty interesting.

A commercial firm that I had worked with up in the Bay Area called me to do a California Raisin commercial but this was the scenario. The firm had recorded a demo commercial of the California Raisin song, Heard It Through The Grapevine, with another singer up in the San Francisco area. I never got to know who the other singer was. The advertising agency loved the song at first and then they shot the claymation around the commercial demo. But here was the problem, after they finished shooting the claymation, they weren't happy with the singer's voice. They felt that it was a little too harsh once they saw it up against the film.

When I got the call the firm felt that I would be the perfect replacement, but I needed to sing the song pretty much like the other singer because it had to match the movement of the claymation. I was up for the challenge, even though I like to have my own originality on a song whenever  I sing.

I was sent the original demo to listen to and then I was flown up to San Francisco. The Firm that was doing the commercial as well as the advertising agency was there. I matched the rhythm and the melody exactly like the other singer, the agency and the firm was pleased and was about to call it a wrap, but I wasn't. I like to have my own originality I asked that since they have that particular recording could I do another take since I now know the exact rhythm that's needed, etc and put a different spin on it. I told them that it wouldn't hurt anything especially since they were already satisfied with what they had. The producer and I had worked together so he knew what I was capable of and so I was allowed to do another take.

I did my take, matched the rhythm exactly but changed the melody to make it more exciting and to put my signature on this commercial as it were. The firm, and the Ad Agency were very pleased. They said, 'this turned out a lot better than what they expected', especially since they were pleased with the other take. Why did I choose to do that?

Sometimes singers have stories and I didn't want the singer who sang the original demo commercial to be going around telling others that I sang this song the same way that he did, etc, etc. I knew that I needed to change it up enough so that story wouldn't even exist. Everyone was pleased and that particular commercial ran for quite some time.

A friend of mine found the commercial on YouTube, after I published this BLOG, so I was grateful and decided to add it as an update. Enjoy!

For a moment in time I had the privilege to be the lead singer as one of "The California Raisins"


Until Next Time - Phillip