These times, they are a-changin’

These times they are a-changin’

I grew up in the ’50s and ’60s. Television was becoming a household necessity. And with the growth of television came the growth of ads for everything, especially food and drink ads. Think to yourself what those ads and jingles meant to you as a kid. Those catchphrases like, “Have it your way” (Burger King), “Double your pleasure, double your fun.”(Doublemint Gum), “You deserve a break today.” (McDonald’s), naturally followed by “Give me a break” (Kit Kat), “Hot dogs, what kinds of kids eat Armour hot dogs? Fat kids, skinny kids, etc.” (Armour) “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t” (Almond Joy and Mounds), and “Finger-lickin’ good” (KFC).

As a kid, each of those ads and jingles meant go out, eat and drink. Eat as much as you can; Any way you want it; Drink as much as you want; It’s what everyone else is doing, and “You’ll feel great!”.(by the way that’s Frosted Flakes). Of course, you had to end it all with Alka Seltzer (Plop, Plop, Fizz Fizz, oh what a relief it is) after eating and drinking so much just to settle your stomach.

Now I’m much older and those jingles periodically still pop up in my head as earworms. Sometimes their meanings sneak through to my head and stomach and still encourage me to eat and drink.  *Note that the drink sizes are greatly increased from my youth. 

The jingles’ catchphrases, on the other hand, have different meanings as an adult. “Have it your way” usually involves being stubborn and having disagreements with others. “You deserve a break today” and “Give me a break” usually involves administration and unions. “Sometimes you feel like a nut…” I’m sure involves politics and watching the news. “Finger-lickin’ good” has nothing to do with chicken, more so to do with baking cookies that involve a lot of melted chocolate. “What kinds of kids eat Armour hotdogs?” There are way too many labels that we put on kids nowadays including gender identity, learning disability, shape, size, intelligence, and more, to be able to list them all in a jingle. “Double your pleasure, double your fun…” Censors would probably prevent you from even considering an ad/jingle for that. 

And driving the last 40 miles until you finally find that rest stop after 5 hours of driving in stop and go traffic to a gathering with family and friends, knowing that you drank lots of brand name coffee, not to mention that big cup of soda that accompanied that lunch you had at the beginning of the trip at the fast-food restaurant, certainly gives “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Whiz” the true meaning of “Oh what a relief it is.”