This '70s Jingle From Barry Manilow Has One Of The Grooviest Lines In Commercial History
Barry Manilow's catchy jingle era turned out some historic bangers, including unforgettable tunes for the likes of Band-Aid and Dr Pepper as well as the evergreen State Farm "Like a Good Neighbor" theme, still running strong more than 50 years later. Like Manilow's biggest hits, his jingles have a way of slithering into your ear and not letting go. And Manilow's "Pepsi Generation" campaign from the early '70s was one of his catchiest songs ever — the jingle that could've been a single. It celebrated the spirit of the Me Generation and turned a tune about soda into an anthem for a new age of cola consumption. It also put Coke on notice that Pepsi could come out swinging in the Cola Wars with a jingle as catchy as anything in Top 40 radio.
Though the whole jingle is a total jam, one line in particular – "Join the Pepsi people, feelin' free, feelin' free" — delivers the groove in a way that few Manilow jingles ever did. In fact, it was so groovy that it became one of the most memorable advertising slogans ever. Even now, it's an earworm that brings memories of the groovy '70s racing back for anyone who lived through the era and drank the Kool-Aid — er, the Pepsi.
Barry Manilow's cola jingle gave Pepsi people a banger to groove along to
The line "Join the Pepsi people, feelin' free, feelin' free" is the kind of slogan that feels utterly befitting a 1970s soda ad. When the jingle hits the high-spirited chorus with that "Free to Be You and Me"-style call to arms, the groove factor of the campaign is revealed. If the line were any groovier, it'd be wearing a polyester leisure suit and a gold chain.
Whether he knew it at the time or not, Barry Manilow contributed to a project that contained impressive layers. The ad first appeared in 1974, when the U.S. was on the cusp of its bicentennial. It appealed to the younger generation of cola drinkers by emphasizing the "find your people" spirit of the '70s, but it also drew attention to the idea of freedom, both personal and national. That sort of wide-reaching message set to a hand-waving chorus celebrating people who drink Pepsi finding their tribe? It just doesn't get any groovier.
Far from being the low point in Barry Manilow's jingle career, "Feelin' Free" can really get the artist's live audience worked into a lather when he performs a medley of his best-known jingles. And why shouldn't it? The melody is jubilant, the idea is welcoming, and the nostalgia is deep. Sure, it may just be an invitation to join the blue-can cola cult. But when Manilow delivers that specific line, you know he's summoning every ounce of '70s grooviness he has.