Trusoundnewyork Composes with Jimmy Cliff for VW, Deutsch LA
The “Get Happy” spot that Volkswagen premiered during last week’s Super Bowl XVLII had no shortage of controversy: people had differing opinions about the protagonist from Minnesota who spoke (almost) like a Jamaican expatriate.
One component of the commercial that everyone could get behind, however, was Jimmy Cliff’s delicious rendition of the Partridge Family’s classic theme song, “C’mon Get Happy”. The song appeared in the VW Super Bowl Game Day Teaser and is central to the “Get Happy” spot, which is the hub of VW’s current “Get In, Get Happy” campaign. (A long-form version of the song is also currently available in the iTunes store.)
The backing track for Cliff’s reggae reinterpretation of “C’mon Get Happy” was written and recorded by Trusoundnewyork, an NYC music and audio post production company that specializes in composition, scoring, sound design. Past artistic collaborations for the company principles include Nile Rodgers, Tina Turner, David Byrne, and Gavin DeGraw, and work for brands such as Nike, GM, Verizon and Visa.
Agency Deutsch LA connected with Trusoundnewyork co-founders Camus Celli and Paul Conte after a search for pre-existing reggae versions of “C’Mon Get Happy”. Turns out it was perfect timing: Conte has just wrapped up a trip to Kingston, Jamaica, where he was composing the music and casting the band to record the Red Stripe Reggae Orchestra for Red Stripe’s “Hooray Beer” multi-spot campaign.
With Jimmy Cliff himself on board to sing the vocals (the iconic singer just won the GRAMMY Award for “Best Reggae Album” with Rebirth on Sunday night’s 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards show), stakes were obviously high to nail the track. Celli and Conte researched Cliff’s catalog extensively, then recorded demos in a variety of styles, including a classic rock-steady version and an organically tinged acoustic version. “The agency liked elements of both so we offered a few ideas about how we could integrate the two without overshadowing the distinctive personality of Jimmy’s voice,” Conte comments.
The Trusoundnewyork team recorded the final amalgamation at their recording studio in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood. Cliff visited to work on vocals, help further tweak the arrangement, and give his final “stamp of approval” on the track. “He offered a lot of great ideas about the final production,” adds Conte.
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