A jingle fit for a King
We have a good friend—I won’t “out” her here—who’s writing a romance novel just because she can. Having the published work on their coffee table will certainly be a conversation starter. (She’s already had some explaining to do when friends and family saw examples of the genre lying around their house half-read.) I have to admit it does sound kind of fun, if I were a writer with talent to burn, to write about wyld stallyns and heaving bosoms.
The songwriter’s equivalent of Harlequin harlotry is selling soap flakes. LifeScan, the maker of my blood glucose monitor, is running a jingle-writing contest right now.
If you thought this season is all about singing something to “THE KING” then you thought wrong, apparently.
The OneTouch® Give THE KING Something to Sing Contest
Write song lyrics about how diabetes has touched you or someone you care about. If your original song lyrics are chosen, B. B. King will record them. And you and a guest will win a 2-day trip to Las Vegas to watch the recording session! Other prizes are also available.
About the contest:
- Write song lyrics about how diabetes has touched you or someone you care about
- Include the word “touch” in the lyrics
- The lyrics should not exceed 50 words
- Your song lyrics must be original [Doesn’t this conflict with the second requirement? — N. J.]
- Enter as often as you wish, but each entry must be a unique song
- Submissions will be accepted between November 1 and December 31, 2004
- Winner to be selected in January 2005
- Open only to legal residents of the U. S. who are 18 years or older as of date of entry
About the prizes:
- One Grand Prize: One winning song, chosen from among the entries. Lyrics will be judged based on artistic merit, relevance to the subject, and adaptability to music
- First Prizes: The first 5,000 qualified entrants will receive a CD of B. B. King’s music
I have a feeling my attempts at this will turn out like Gary’s advertising copy in episode #20 of “thirtysomething”: “Now is the printer of our discontent.”
I once studied aural skills with the man responsible for (a) the music in a series of well-known Jack in the Box commercials (you’ve heard it: “dunt-dunt-dunt-dunt! dunt-dunt-dunt!”) and (b) the tune for the rousing refrain, “The heartbeat of America—it’s today’s Chevrolet.” So I have a good role model here.
I guess I better hurry; I only have 10 days left! 
