Musical harmony with a classical bent is what you’d expect to hear at a concert hall, not in a doctor’s office. But the latter unlikely venue takes center stage in GE’s “Say Ahh,” in which folks of all ages are seen in doctors’ examining rooms around the world, opening their mouths and saying, “ahh.”
Indeed for this spot, the “ahhs” have it as they come together to make for an “ahh-spiring” rendition of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Fourth Movement–also known as “The Ode To Joy.” The mesh of “ahhs” is pleasing not only to the ear but to the entire mind and body as GE is developing innovations that will mean “better health to more people.”
Meanwhile health–expressly, keeping motorcycle drivers safe–is the goal of a U.K. Department of Transportation PSA titled “Named Rider.” In the spot, we see drivers on motorcycles in traffic who are identified with bold, stylized neon signs bearing their names and other information, such as Tom who’s “shy” and “retiring,” Nick and Helen, who “met online,” and Dave who’s a new dad.
Car drivers weaving in and out of the same traffic take notice of the motorcyclists, which is the point–to raise awareness of motorbike drivers. The concept/storyline was inspired by research that found car drivers are more careful around bikers when they actually know one.
Charmingly driving the spot itself is a song titled “If You Got To Know Me.”
“Say Ahh” finished first in the Spring SHOOT Top Ten Tracks Chart, followed by “Named Rider.” Here are the two commercial entries’ music and sound backstories:
“Say Ahh” Directed by the Traktor collective via Traktor, Santa Monica, for BBDO New York, GE’s “Say Ahh” is driven by an innovative arrangement of doctors’ patients opening their mouths and saying “ahh,” forming what turns out to be a most unique, engaging rendition of Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy.” David Horowitz of DHMA (David Horowitz Music Associates), New York, served as the arranger.
The classic Beethoven piece was one of the first considered for the spot but was put aside while other songs with lyrics were explored as possibilities. Ultimately, though, the spot came back to Beethoven, for which Horowitz was grateful.
“The piece fits well with the concept which was starting small on individual voices and vignettes, and in the end you have the whole world singing,” said Horowitz. “That was [BBDO executive creative director] Don Schneider’s concept. He wanted it to be beautiful. And how can it not be beautiful when you have Beethoven.”
Still, though, while the selection was ideal, there was much work to be done to make it a custom fit. “The trick was to make it sound personal and up close while at the same time universal,” related Horowitz. “It helped that this Beethoven piece is universally recognized around the world, but we had to convey it only through voices. There was no orchestral accompaniment like it exists in the original. So we had to add elements to make up for the lack of an orchestra. For instance when we went from individual voices to the power of the boys choir, we gave it a rhythm–it happens to be a rhythm that occurs earlier in that Beethoven piece so it fit even though it’s an extra element being introduced into our score.”
Horowitz is quick to credit others for their contributions. DHMA producer Jan Horowitz came up with the idea of deploying rhythms from other parts of the Beethoven movement. And mixer Michael Marinelli of Sonic Union, New York, did a yeoman’s job, explained Horowitz. “There are visual closeups of individual patients saying ‘ahh’ and when you see a face in front of you full screen, you want to hear that voice yet at the same time feel the power of the choir as it comes in. Mike worked with dozens and dozens of tracks and attained this delicate balance. He was able to do this in just three days. To hear that little girl you see on screen and balance it just right with the choir, preserving the integrity of the piece and pulling it all off in that short a time period is a tremendous job of mixing.”
Editor Sherri Margulies of Crew Cuts, New York, also made key contributions, bringing the visuals in to correspond at the proper junctures with each solo voice. “She did that to my original demo track which didn’t have the original solo voices, which makes her work all the more remarkable,” related Horowitz who gave ultimate credit to Rani Vaz, BBDO New York’s director of music production. “Rani kept tabs on all of this while keeping all of us on our toes. She’s always a joy to work with.”
“Named Rider” Directed by Kevin Thomas of Thomas Thomas Films, London, for Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London, the U.K. Department of Transportation’s “Named Rider” is propelled by “If You Got To Know Me,” a song written and sung by Stephan Altman of bicoastal Mophonics.
“The creative brief from AMV BBDO was quite specific–they wanted an approach that was in sharp contrast to the more shocking, jarring, graphic motorcycle safety ads that have been the norm, particularly in the U.K. where I’m from,” related Altman. “Instead of seeing violent collisions and dead bodies, this spot showed us life–the personalities of bikers as real people. This way, car drivers who don’t know bikers would think of them more as real people and drive more carefully around them.”
The song’s lyrics coupled with the neon signs on each bike bring us closer to the motorcyclists as people. The catchy, charming tune simply relates that “if you got to know me, I think that you would like me very much.”
For instance as biker David drives past with a sign identifying him and the fact that he’s a new dad, we begin to like what would otherwise be a faceless, nameless motorcycle driver. “The song has a certain cheekiness and irreverence to it but at the same time rings true with an important, relevant message,” said Altman.
Ultimately Altman’s stripped down, bare version of the song was selected as the spot soundtrack. “As happens many times, that was my first rendition, which they came back to and ultimately used,” related Altman who had done subsequent versions with more horns in the mix, and another that was rock ‘n roll-driven.
Yet the work that went into these different versions wasn’t all for naught as AMV BBDO wound up asking Altman to make the spot track into a full-length track for social media in order to connect with people more personally and for longer stretches of time. There’s been a groundswell of engagement on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the like, with links to the song and spot cropping up on motorcycle, moped and bike forums and sites.
And there’s a happy personal irony for Altman who originally left the U.K. to find success as a singer stateside. When that career didn’t materialize, he embarked on a route which eventually led to his being a founding partner in Mophonics. Now based in Southern California, Altman said his family and friends in London are getting an earful of his vocals via the “Named Rider” PSA which has been prevalent on TV and cinema throughout the U.K. “It’s like I’ve made it as a singer back home through this commercial,” smiled Altman.
Audio post mixer on “Named Rider” was Anthony Moore of Factory Studios, London.
