A Beatle, a Monkee, and Harry Nilsson.
My friend Zach Curd recently unearthed this bit of trivia on one of his frequent excursions into internetland – Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was hired as a spokesman for Japanese leisure suit company Simple Life in the mid-1970’s. Four television commercials were filmed, and at least two jingles were recorded. Singing backup vocals on the jingles: Davy Jones of the Monkees and pop mastermind Harry Nilsson.
Obviously, this is the best thing ever. Mr. Curd quickly consulted the filesharing networks and managed to turn up two of the jingles, and one of the actual commercials. I present them here for posterity, and in the hopes that the other commercials, in which Ringo is said to encounter “unusual creatures while wearing his Simple Life suit and lip-synching,” will turn up.
Ringo Starr – ‘I Love My Suit’
From: ‘Simple Life’ Leisure Suits Advertisement (197?)
Ringo Starr – ‘Simple Life’
From: ‘Simple Life’ Leisure Suits Advertisement (197?)
My pick of the two jingles is the Nilssonian ‘I Love My Suit.’ As always, I have included the lyrics below for your perusal.
I love my suit
(He loves his suit)
It keeps me warm
(It keeps him warm)
It feels so good, it makes me smile, it fits my form
I love my suit
(He loves his suit)
It looks so good
(It looks so good)
If I could wear it all the time you know I would
Well I’d wear it on the beach
and I’d wear it in the shower
I’d wear it every day and every minute of every hour
I love my suit
(Fade out)
Below is a selection of the television ads that featured the jingles, wrested from the clutches of youtube.
Related: In the first episode of the Monkees TV series, one of the Monkees (Mike?) can be seen throwing darts at a photo of the Beatles. Does anyone know of a source for this image online, or have the DVD’s from which to grab an image?