I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing

by

The New Seekers

Album: We'd Like To Teach The World To Sing      Released: 1971

US Chart: 7     UK Chart: 1

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This was written for a Coca-Cola commercial to be sung by The New Seekers. Considered one of the most effective ads of all time, it featured a group of children from various countries singing this together on a hilltop.

When the commercial became a hit, radio stations got requests for the song, but the only place it could be heard was in the ad. Coke put together a group called The Hillside Singers to record a full version adapted from the commercial. The song had a country sound and hit US #13. Then they had the New Seekers record a version which was also released. Both versions were on the charts at the same time.

When this was made into a full length song, the line, "I'd like to buy the world a Coke, and keep it company," was replaced so radio stations would play it.

The original title was "True Love And Apple Pie."

William Backer worked for Coke's advertising agency. He was putting together radio commercials for The New Seekers to sing and came up with the line "I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company" after seeing travelers at an airport having a good time over a Coke. For the story of how the Coke commercial came together, read Backer's book The Care And Feeding Of Ideas.

Songwriters Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, and Billy Davis stayed up all night helping Backer write this. The recording session was the next day.

This was first used as an unsuccessful radio commercial. Backer then convinced Coke to use it in a TV spot.

In 1985, Coke brought this back when they introduced a new formula for their soda. "New Coke" was a huge flop, and is considered one of the biggest marketing failures ever.

Lyn Paul of The New Seekers recalled to The Daily Mail May 15, 2009 that none of the group particularly rated this number. She said: "We thought it was a silly, soppy song. So it was hilarious when they decided to make it into a single. I suppose it was a nice feel-good song, but seven million records! Even now I think, how did this very ordinary song ever do it?"

The New Seekers made little money out of this worldwide hit. They were on £50 a week until this song got into the charts when it went up to £100. Occasionally, they'd be given a bonus of, say, £1,000 to buy some new clothes. For this song the five group members were paid just a £2,000 session fee and the rest went to charity and their management.

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Comments:

i sang this song for a choir concert one year. i liked it at first but it got annoying the 5 hundreth time we practiced it
- Caitlin, Upper Township, NJ

I remember this song, but I don't think it's by the New Seekers. I believe it's by the Hillside Singers.
- Bob, Ridgefield, CT

I remember KidSongs from 20 years ago! They tried to revive it back in the mid- to late-90s, but not with as much success.
- Patrick, Tallapoosa, GA

Smash Mouth takes a poke at this song with 'walking on the sun'. This became a typical corporate scam, attaching a product to a grass-roots cultural movement. Scumbags.
- rob, vancouver, Canada

One of TV's greatest commercial jingles of all time. I remember the scene with all the children singing. I also remember The Hillside Singers version. The song was their ony hit and released on the long defunct Metromedia label, the same label Bobby Sherman for.
- Howard, St. Louis Park, MN

What I hate about this song is that it was also used on a Kidsongs video with the same name.
- Lee, Alpine, NJ

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