Barry Manilow Wrote A Jingle In 1975 That Is Still Embedded In Our Subconscious Today

"I am stuck on Band-Aid brand, 'cause Band-Aid's..." — what comes next? If you found yourself hearing "stuck on me" in your head, then you're one of millions who have been exposed to one of the catchiest jingles in history. Plus — you're a secret Barry Manilow fan.

You see, Manilow didn't just burst onto the scene as a hitmaking crooner. Before he was a star, Manilow made a living writing jingles for countless brands, several of which remain embedded in our collective subconscious today.

One of these was Band-Aid's famous jingle that is still in use more than half a century after Manilow wrote it alongside lyricist Donald B. Wood in 1975. Remarkably, the jingle came to the pair "in one pass," according to Manilow, who discussed the composition at the 50th anniversary celebration of the CLIO Awards in Las Vegas in 2009, where he received an honorary award for his jingles (per Adweek).

Speaking on the TV show "Montage" in 1975, the year he composed the Band-Aid jingle that would later become so famous, Manilow explained that he had been performing commercial jingles for around four years (via YouTube). One early success was a jingle for State Farm Insurance in 1971. Around the same time, he became an arranger, conductor, and producer for Bette Midler, before also becoming a performer on her tours. After the success of his 1974 No. 1 single "Mandy," Manilow found himself a rising star, but nevertheless he continued to write commercial jingles. For the Band-Aid jingle, Manilow was paid a flat fee of $500, which he told the Television Academy "... was great for me at that point." That the songwriter continued commercial work despite the success of "Mandy" suggests he wasn't feeling quite secure in his pop career at this point, or perhaps he continued to enjoy jingle-writing as a low-stakes outlet for his talents.

The Band-Aid jingle was so effective it won the advertising agency behind it, Young & Rubicam, a CLIO award for the ad in 1976. Manilow would go on to even greater success with hits such as the chart-topping "I Write the Songs" and "Looks Like We Made It" in 1976 and 1977 respectively, as well as "Copacabana (At the Copa)" in 1978, which won him his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Nevertheless, he still has a soft spot for his commercial work such as the Band-Aid jingle, performing his jingles live for audiences throughout his career and joking that such evergreen tidbits are among his greatest hits.