What are the best 80s commercial jingles?

We love ads here at Something Great. We love them so much we started a newsletter that highlights trending ads from the past week. While we focus on the best new ads in The Ad Spot, we still have a lot of love for the ads of the past – especially commercial jingles from the 80s.

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After all – without Where’s The Beef, would we really have Where’s The Cream Filling?

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The past always informs the present. These 80s jingles might seem outdated, but they’re still popping up in newer ads (Juicy Fruit) and even continuing to be used in some cases (KitKat). Some of these have permeated the culture so much they’ve made it to the best TV show of all time. Send your angry opinions about that statement to our HR manager, Toby Flenderson.

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The team at the Something Great Marketing offices took a vote, and we’ve collectively decided that these are the 11 best jingles from the ‘80s. Give them a listen at your own discretion – once they enter your brain, these top jingles don’t leave quietly.

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*Note: I’m providing lyrics so you can sing along. I expect you to use them.

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Here are the best 80’s commercial jingles ever made

11. Taco Bell

The Year: 1984

The Company Jingle: It’s Just Made For You

“It’s Just Made For You” feels pretty similar to the Burger King slogan, “Have It Your Way.” That slogan ran from 1974 until…well today more or less (they technically changed it to “Be Your Way” in 2014).

Lyrics:

All the things you love so much

Made before your eyes with the Taco Bell touch

With no sauce, hot sauce, or mild sauce too

at Taco Bell just made for you

Taco Bell – it’s just made for you

10. Big Red Gum

The Year: 1985

The Jingle: A Little Longer

These ‘80s ads LOVE their public displays of affection. The A Little Longer jingle was used from ‘77 to ‘98 and was sung by Ryan Devereaux, only to be remade by Ne-Yo in 2008. The remake actually kind of works.

Lyrics:

So kiss a little longer

Laugh a little longer

Stay close a little longer

Longer with Big Red

That big red freshness

Lasts right through it

Your fresh breath goes on and on

While you chew it

Say goodbye a little longer

Make it last a little longer

Give your breath long-lasting freshness

With Big Red!

9. Tab

The Year: 1981

The Jingle: What A Beautiful Drink

Tab is a drink for beautiful people. Wait a minute…I’m beautiful. I should drink Tab Cola. Ah, the psychology behind the jingle is working. Now, where the hell can I find a Tab Cola in 2019?

Lyrics:

Tab, Tab Cola, what a beautiful drink

Tab, Tab Cola, for beautiful people

Tab, Tab Cola, you’re beautiful me

Real cola taste, just one calorie

8. Genesee Cream Ale

The Year: 1981

The Commercial Jingle: It’s Different

If doing things others don’t is your style, Genesee Cream Ale is your brew! How about this for a slogan: “It’s different.” Poetry. Wait a minute, did Apple steal that for their classic 1984 ad? You’ll be hearing from Genesee Cream Ale’s legal team any day now, Tim Cook!

We knew these 80s commercial jingles were sounding familiar.

Lyrics:

Next time that you’re thirsty

Make Gennie Cream your brew

The taste is somethin’ different

It’s smoother drinkin’ too

I like it –

Cause there’s nothin’ like it

It’s different

Genesee Cream Ale!

7. Kellogg’s

The Year: 1980

The 80s Jingle: It’s Gonna Be A Great Day

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Brands sure loved to use words like “gimme,” “gonna,” and “wanna” in the ‘80s. Kellogg’s, the company behind every cereal mascot you can imagine, brought all their stars together for this spot, but we prefer the jingle’s usage in the ad above.

Lyrics:

When the sun breaks out

Lift up your head and shout

It’s gonna be a great day

Kellogg’s waits for you

That spirit comes shining through

Promising you a great day

How could you think of startin’

This bright new morning

Without your K-E-double-L-O-double-good

With Kellogg’s you’ll have a great day

The very best part of startin’

Your bright new morning

Is Kellogg’s way

It’s not far away

Kellogg’s will help you say

There’s gonna be a great

We’re gonna see a great

It’s gonna be a great day

6. Toys R Us

The Year: 1982

The Jingle: I Don’t Wanna Grow Up

It was a good run, Geoffrey. And hey, you can still find Toys R Us in Canada, so come on up north if you really don’t wanna grow up. Here’s a fun fact about this spot – the kids who starred in it were brought back for an ad in the ‘90s to really stress the point that they didn’t want to grow up. Seriously. It’s actually pretty awesome.

Lyrics:

I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid

There’s a million toys at Toys R Us that I can play with

I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid

They’ve got the best for so much less, you’ll really flip your lid

From bikes to trains to video games

It’s the biggest toy store there is

I don’t wanna grow up, cause if I did

I couldn’t be a Toys R Us kid

I wanna be a Toys R Us kid

5. Mountain Dew

The Year: 1980

The 80s Jingle: Give me a Dew!

Just going to ignore that this jingle rhymes dew with dew about 100 times. This one got sung a lot at the Something Great offices today. It’s got that catchy appeal that advertisers love.

Lyrics:

Give me a mountain and nothing to do

Give me the sunshine give me a Dew

Give me something simple and true

All I need is sunshine and true refreshing Mountain Dew yeah

Give me a river, give me a Dew

Give me my good friends, give me a Dew

Give me the sunshine, give me a Dew

4. KitKat

The Year: 1988

The Commercial Jingle: Give Me A Break

The fact that everyone in North America (except for Andy in the Office) can recite the first two lines of this song means that it was one of the absolute top 80s commercial jingles. KitKat used the slogan “Have a Break – have a KitKat” for 47 years before taking a break from it (if you will) in 2004.

Now they’re going with, “Make the most of your break.” Sure.

Lyrics:

Give me a break, give me a break

Break me off a piece of that KitKat bar

Give me a break, give me a break

Break me off a piece of that KitKat bar

You can keep it to yourself but it wouldn’t be fair

Cause that chocolate crispy taste is loved everywhere

Give me a break, give me a break

Break me off a piece of that KitKat bar

3. Coca-Cola

The Year: 1989

The Company Jingle: Can’t Beat the Feeling!

This one’s a toe-tapper. Don’t fight it. Don’t hide it.

Coke used “Can’t beat the feeling!” and “Can’t Beat The Real Thing” as slogans until they switched to their equally iconic, “Always, Coca-Cola” in ‘93. The more we watch this video the more we like the jingle. Please note in the lyrics below, we have no idea what the words are where we put “Hot Pocket” so just go with it. Shoot us a message if you can figure it out.  

Lyrics:

Can’t beat it…

The feeling you get from a Coca Cola

Can’t beat the feeling…

You gotta dance through the heat of the day,

Hear the beat, it’s coming your way

Check these feet and you’re gonna say:

(Ow!) Hey! Hey! Hey!

Can’t help it, I’m melting…

Feeling so real, you’ve just got to share it!

Hot pocket! Can’t beat the feeling…

Can’t fight it, can’t hide it…

Feeling so good, you’ve got to share it!

Can’t beat it! Can’t beat the real thing! (Oh oooh! Yeah!)

Can’t shake it, can’t break it,

Feeling you get from a Coca Cola

Can’t beat it! You can’t beat the feeling…

2. Juicy Fruit

The Year: 1986

The 80’s Jingle: The Taste is Gonna Move You

This ad was everywhere in the mid-80s. Adweek called it “one of the last great jingles.”

It’s been the gift that’s kept on giving for Juicy Fruit. They’ve run ads featuring this 80s commercial jingle in every decade since it dropped and just held a contest in Canada to pick the new version of the jingle (Juicy Hip Hop won by a pretty substantial margin, beating Juicy Country by 16% of the vote). Listen to the new Juicy Fruit jingles here.

Lyrics:

Get your skis shined up grab a stick of Juicy Fruit

The taste is gonna move ya

Take a sniff, pull it out

The taste is gonna move ya when you pop it in your mouth

Juicy Fruit is gonna move ya

It chews so soft it gets right through ya

Juicy Fruit the taste is gonna move ya

1. Cornetto

The Year: 1982

The Jingle: Just One Cornetto

I don’t care what anyone says, this is one of those 80s commercial jingles that holds up. It grabs your attention with new lyrics to a song you’ve probably heard before (‘O Sole Mio), and the twist at the end – love it. If I ever make it to Venice, I will absolutely be singing this jingle between gondola rides and gelato.

Lyrics:

Just one Cornetto

Give it to me

Delicious ice cream

Of Italy

Creamy vanilla

And chocolate dream

Give me Cornetto

From Walls Ice Cream!

Need more jingles? Why not skip ahead to the 1990s and check out the 9 best 90s commercial jingles.

By Justin Kerby.