Bill Backer, Who Taught the World (and Don Draper) to Sing, Dies at 89

The New York Times ^ | May 16, 2016 | Sam Roberts

[Cecily]

Bill Backer, a lapsed lyricist whose classic 1971 commercial taught a fractious world of potential Coca-Cola consumers to sing in perfect harmony and was featured in the finale of “Mad Men,” died on Friday in Warrenton, Va. He was 89.

His death was confirmed by his wife and only immediate survivor, the former Ann Mudge.

Mr. Backer and his team immortalized jingles and slogans that proclaimed “Things go better with Coke” and defined the soft drink as “the real thing”; declared that Miller Lite was “everything you ever wanted in a beer… and less”; elevated the Campbell’s brand by asserting that “soup is good food”; and allowed that “little girls have pretty curls, but I like Oreo.”

[vladimir998]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXiaSovLtEY

[dfwgator]

When McCann bought them out in the Final Season, Burt was there and Roger ducked out of a meeting because he was afraid he’d run into Burt, so I guess Burt had the last laugh, after all.

[beelzepug]

“...I was able to sing the Oreo commercial just now...”

I know the tune but can’t remember all the words. I did, however, just sing the entire “Things Go Better” jingle and to make it even more authentic, I used my best Glenn Yarbrough voice. Oh, Lord, stuck in 1964 again.