Mikey McCleary
SHAURYA SINGH THAPA
Mikey McCleary ' s ad-jingles compilation TV Dinners is a heartwarming time-capsule : Score Indie Classics
Mikey McCleary might be one of the few white men that Indians would truly love , especially the ones who grew up watching TV in the 2000s and early 2010s . Born in Chennai and originally from New Zealand , McCleary ' s popularity grew when he started composing , writing , and performing jingles for leading companies such as Vodafone , Coca- Cola , Levi ' s , and so on .
Characterised by breezy vocals and playful instrumentation , McCleary ' s tracks were so soothing that he became an instant endorphinsupplier for many an average TV watcher who might not expect much musicality from a 30-second ad . After making quite a name for himself , he compiled his most popular ad songs for a delightful album and aptly titled it TV Dinners .
TV Dinners is a time capsule in itself as it features the full versions of his jingles . These include the joyous The World Is Our Playground which was featured in one of the many Vodafone ' pug ads '. Similarly , the power ballad Chase Every Dream ( featuring Anushka Manchanda ) was a part of a Levi ' s campaign while the peppy Just A Little Crush ( featuring Shalmali Kholgade ) was popularised by a Lakme Facewash commercial .
While McCleary joined forces with a number of featured vocalists , his own vocals also shine in the album . He doesn ' t try to charter any melodramatic scales with his style mostly being hushed-down , soulful , and laidback . I Don ' t Know
Wher I ' m Going and If I Go Mad bear testimony to this . And of course , the versatile maestro also assumes charge of the instrumentation that includes the sax , xylophone , mouth organ , among others . Acoustic guitar and ukuleles are also an essential part of the ensemble and some of TV Dinners ' tracks do benefit greatly from feel-good strums .
The overall tonality of TV Dinners is such that it would make you feel like venturing out on your neighboring street , and walk all the way on a lazy evening . The naivety and introspection arising from the album as a whole are perfectly suited for a traveling playlist as you end up finding beauty in the mundane and appreciating the little things in life . As McCleary himself sings in the second chapter of the tracklist , ' the world is our playground '.
Even the album ' s accompanying visuals celebrate the aesthetics of simple outdoor locations while also featuring McCleary ' s high-profile acquaintances like the 2010s-era versions of actors Ranveer Singh , Kalki Koechlin , and hairstylist Sapna Bhavnani . TV Dinners was and will always be a memorable time capsule .
Even though the nature of advertising and music was changing in his time , McCleary presented a simpler vision of the present time . In an ad-space dominated by capitalistic chitter-chatter , the songs of TV Dinners contributed to these large companies while also introducing audiences to its composer ' s very own brand of ' TV pop '. Ad jingles have been etched in the heads of the idiotbox watchers for a long time but McCleary ' s tracks subverted the ' adlike ' nature of these jingles and stood well as independent songs on their own . This is perhaps what makes this 2014 album truly one of its kind . It doesn ' t attempt to be revolutionary but its charm is enough for it to play on repeat .
Since his ad career skyrocketed , McCleary also started composing for film soundtracks . With Bollywood oversaturated with cringe-inducing remixes , McCleary adopted the pseudonym ' The Bartender ' and brought his jazzy charm towards yesteryear classics like Khoya Khoya Chand ( from Shaitan ), Dhak Dhak ( from Nautanki Saala ), and many more . Some of his recent work includes composing a song for Gully Boy and contributing to the soundtrack of the Amazon series Four More Shots Please . But despite his stellar discography , TV Dinners will continue living in a special place in the hearts of his niche fans .
If you ' re in the mood to cheerfully spend a lazy weekend , you know which album to turn up !
The Score Magazine
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TV Dinners album cover