Looking for an old TV Spot
When I was a kid in the 70's, there was what I think was a hippie PSA (or maybe a commercial for something). The lyrics went something like this:
Any ideas? Leave me a comment...
EDIT: Might even be the intro from a Saturday morning TV show.
Hear the world's heart beating
Like a big bass drum
Can't you hear the peoplesomething
It's true
It's the tapping of a million shoes.
So, hey, take a look around!
You can see it in a different way.
Say, hey, take a look around
You'll have a different point of view...
Any ideas? Leave me a comment...
EDIT: Might even be the intro from a Saturday morning TV show.
posted by Ric Johnson at
4:36 PM
13 Comments:
Howdy,
I just stumbled across this post because I have been searching for a recording of this. I don't know who made it originally, but a version was used around 1973-74 as a promo for the local news on KRON-TV Channel 4 in San Francisco.
Lyrics went something like this:
Hear the world's heart beating like a big bass drum
Don't you think you ought to know where the beat comes from
It's you, it's the tapping of a million shoes
And if you take another look around
You can see it in a different way
Hey, don't you think you ought to have a closer point of view
Because you can't be sure, no you can't be sure
Before you've looked it over more than once...
I was 8 when I heard this. Probably a cover of some artist's actual song, but which artist? Sounds like it could have been the Carpenters. Who knows, but if you find out I hope you'll post it.
Wow! Thanks! That means it was probably a package sold to NBC affiliates or something. That's something to go on...
I too was curious as to whether the intertubes would have this song and on a lark typed in the first line.
So, it seems that you, me and FestFan are the only folks who have decided to mention this obscure commercial on the web.
It was an NBC News promo and was used in prime time and by affiliate stations.
I remember the lyrics slightly different on a few lines:
"Hey don't you think that you should have a total point of view..."
And "...until you've looked it over more than once."
As far as I know, it was an original piece, not a lift from another artist.
THANKS!! I've been Googling for ANY reference to this commercial for a number of years now. I thought it might be from some credit union or something. I saw it in Tennessee, so the darned thing must've gotten around. It seems like the video portion showed street scenes & people (especially women -- and from the waist down) walking. Previously, the only place I'd seen it mentioned was on Dee's 70's site in "Lost in Found", asking if anyone knew where it came from or if they had a video or audio file of it. But that section doesn't seem to be up anymore.
http://dt.prohosting.com/70s/
Aloha!
Me too. This morning I found myself singing this song _ which i remember hearing on tv ( in Eureka, Ca wheren i was born in 62.. so it was the 70's)
I remember it just the way emo_johnson presents it. Thank you all so much.
I bet we all recognize the truth in these lyrics and are working in our communities/ world for justice understanding and peace. Namaste all, eDEN pEART IN hAWAI'I
I've been searching for it for years. Every now and then I type the first line into google and see what comes up. Today I tried "Like a big bass drum" and "shoes" and found your blog page.
Have you found anything more about it?
I remember this song as well, and agree that it probably was not for a product, more of a PSA type thing. I grew up in Massachusetts and would say this was played there around 75/76/77 or so. I remember another one that used to be played around the same time - the one about
"so always look for, the union label..."
This is truly uncanny. I've been singing this tune off and on for decades.
I've always loved this. here are the exact words of the song which was sung by a female(not known), It was a promo for NBC Nightly news with John Chancelor about 1976, 1977. These are the exact words because i have it on audio tape and I wrote it down on here word for word.
hear the world's heart beating like a big big drum, don't ya think ya oughta know where the beat comes from,it's you, it's the tapping of a million shoes,and if you take another look around, you can see it in a different way, hey don't ya think that you should have a older point of view,because you can't be sure, no you can't be sure, til you've looked it over more than once, because you can't, no you can't, no you can't, no you can't no you can't be sure, til you've looked it over more than once.
Bless the internet! I have also been searching for a couple of years - mostly on youtube - and just today entered "tapping of a million shoes" into Google and found you all. Amazing. Dying to find this. I can still hear what key it's in and those fanfare-ish trumpets playing that lick.
I supposed if anyone had any big ideas as to where to find this, it would have been done. Nice to know though that I have not imagined this whole thing! Thanks all for helping me get closer.
NBC aired it in late '74.
arealmench, until YouTube eventually coughs this thing up, would you consider uploading your audio of the commercial somewhere? If so, sir, may you live to be a thousand years old!!
This song has been going through my head for the past thirty years!! Funny to find this blog on it!! I also wondered what this commercial was all about. The words I remember;
Hear the worlds heart beating like a big bass drum, don't you think you ought to know...where that beat come's from, it's you, it's the tapping of a million shoes. So if you take another look around, you can see it in a different way, hey don't you think that you should have a different point of view?? Because you can't be sure, no you can't be sure, 'til you've looked it over more than once. Because you can't, no you can't, no you can't, no you can't, no you can't be sure...'til you've looked it over more than once.
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