WILMINGTON— You’re probably humming it in your head right now. The Cape Fear Fair and Expo jingle, which originally ran 15 years ago, is still just as infectious today as it was back then.
We talked to the man who wrote the tune to get to the bottom of his creative inspiration. (Listen below)
It’s a fair
Lee Nettles used to work for AdPR, a small advertising agency in Wilmington. One of his clients was the Cape Fear Fair and Expo.
“We got the assignment to do a radio ad for them,” Nettles said. Unbeknownst to Nettles and likely, Cape Fear Fair and Expo, that advertisement would go on to become one the most – if not the most – contagious jingle to ever come out of the Port City.
“I mean, I never thought it would kind of have a life of its own,” Nettles said. Growing up in the 60s and 70s, he developed an affection for catchy jingles.
“I love jingles,” he said. “It’s a little bit of nostalgia I guess. We get besieged by 3,000 ads a day, I think jingles are a bit of a distraction of being sold to.”
The Cape Fear Fair and Expo advertisement has the combination of twang and charm, nearly impossible to forget even after a first listen.
“In fact, I have two teenage daughters so when they were babies I never could remember lullabies, so I used to sing them the Oscar Meyer hot dog song,” he said.
All your friends are there
Now, Nettles works for the Outer Banks Business Bureau. Recently, he was able to put his melodic skills to use.
Steven Heller lent his unmistakable, twangy voice to the original tune 15 years ago that still echoes across radio waves in the Cape Fear Region today. Nettles wrote a tune for the Outer Banks Seafood Festival this fall and was able to collaborate with Heller for a crack at another catchy phenomenon.
“It was kind of fun to dust off the jingle chops,” Nettles said.
Though it’s been a while, jingles remain an important aspect of Nettles’ world.
“I think they cut through the clutter,” he said. “It’s a fun way to get a message across.”
Cape Fear Fair and Expo is open and running until Nov. 5 at the Wilmington International Airport.
Got a story to tell? You can reach Johanna Ferebee at johanna@localvoicemedia.com or @j__ferebee on Twitter