Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Jen Bakken Column – 4/6/09



Surely you have all been subjected to the McDonald’s singing fish commercial.

You know the one where the wall mounted fish sings while two men are in a garage, one of them enjoying a Filet of Fish. I’m sure, like me, you’ve heard it enough you can sing it with me right now.

“Give me back that filet of fish, give me that fish. Give me back that filet of fish, give me that fish. What if it were you hanging up on this wall? If it were you in that sandwich, you wouldn’t be laughing at all.”

The first few times I saw the commercial, I admit, it made me laugh. Now, I cringe just thinking about it. Repeatedly, this commercial is on TV, but, thankfully, one click of the remote and it disappears.

Unfortunately, there is no remote to turn off my family, friends, co-workers, or children when they are mimicing the fish.

Apparently, the creators of this commercial did their job very well because this ad gets stuck in your head whether you want it to or not.

According to an article printed in adweek.com, more than 300,000 people visited YouTube and watched the McDonald’s fish commercial in a two-week time period. The site also stated that people are posting videos of themselves singing the song while ordering at McDonald’s.

Let me just ask – what? Really?

Honestly, I’d rather painfully stub my toe or subject myself to a really bad paper cut than hear that song again!

Don’t get me wrong, I see the humor . . . I get it, but enough already!

This wall-mounted fish just might be as popular as the little old lady in the Life Alert commercials who declared, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

And who doesn’t remember the Wendy’s commercials that had everyone asking, “Where’s the beef?”

Those quirky songs from the Free Credit Report.com ads are catchy, and I can’t count how many people I’ve heard yell, “Wassup?” from those Budweiser commercials.

We all know Jack Prescott’s slogan, from the Prescott and Pearson Law Firm, “This is all we do and we do it well.” I wonder how many people have giggled and said, “Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?”

Those who were near a TV in the ‘80s may know that Max Headroom helped advertise the New Coke. (What was he anyway – a robot?)

As a young kid, my memory of Don’s Car Wash commercials is quite vivid. My little brother and I were eating ice cream one night and this ad was repeated during every commercial break.

Of course, I can recall the commercial but not what TV show we were watching. To this day my brother and I can sing the song. “You get that super soft cleaning cloth every time you wash your car at Don’s.”

One time when I was about 12, I crashed my bicycle and my friend nearby laughed, “Uh-oh better get Maaco!”

Some commercials just stand out. When my oldest was in hockey, I walked past the locker room to hear the entire team break into a chorus of, “One day, one night, Saturday’s all right, online’s just fine, night time anytime, get your degree, set yourself free, National American University.”

Personally, I hope the world loses interest in this big mouth mounted fish, and he doesn’t take after the Energizer bunny who keeps going and going and going.

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