Help me find a background song from a recent tv commercial

May 27, 2007 11:06 PM

Re-make of popular 80s song that plays in the background of recent Mother's Day T.V. commercial

Need help finding the name and version of a song that played during the Mother's Day holiday timeframe as background music for a television commercial. It didn't get much air time so I only saw it once and didn't really pay that much attention to it.

The ad starts out with a mother holding her daugher's hand and , gradually, the camera shots change and the daughter gets older as she and her mother walk down the city street; she starts walking with her friends instead of her mom, then becoming an adult, getting pregnant and eventually walking down the street with her own little girl. The last scene in the commerical is the original little girl all grown up and taking the hand of her daughter as the little girl's grandmother takes her other hand.

I can't remember what the commerical was for -- Hallmark maybe? Investments? -- but it had to do with Moms and the cycle of life. I'm looking for the song that played in the background. It was, at one point, a semi-popular semi-alternative song in the 80s. Something that would have been on a John Hughes movie soundtrack. The version in the commerical has been re-made and softened quite a bit.

Anyone have any idea what I'm talking about and where I might find that particular version of the song?

posted by notcomputersavvy06 to society & culture (9 comments total)

I think it was an ad for Target. I don't know the song, but I've been wondering too.
posted by tonelesscereal at 11:17 PM on May 27, 2007

Is it the J C Penney ad with the remake of Yaz's "Only You" ?
posted by atropos at 11:28 PM on May 27, 2007

Here's a YouTube link to the ad. Makes me all weepy!
posted by atropos at 11:31 PM on May 27, 2007

"Only You" by Joshua Radin and it was for JC Penny
posted by tonelesscereal at 11:35 PM on May 27, 2007

You're awesome guys! Thanks so very much!
posted by notcomputersavvy06 at 1:14 AM on May 28, 2007

It's a great little version of that song.

His wikipedia says that it's an iTunes exclusive if you're looking to get a good copy of it.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 5:15 AM on May 28, 2007

Here's it live on Youtube
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 5:20 AM on May 28, 2007

"Only You" by Joshua Radin and it was for JC Penny

The song is not by Radin, it's his cover version of a song written by Vince Clarke who recorded it with Alison Moyet. They were known as Yazoo or Yaz depending on which country you live in, due to copyright issues. Alison Moyet's vocals are far better imo. Radin seems to have sucked something out of it, making it weak and namby-pamby sounding.
posted by zarah at 10:07 AM on May 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

I like the Flying Pickets version myself.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:05 PM on May 28, 2007