RIP

RIP, Man Who Wrote the Mister Softee Jingle

Catchy.
Catchy. Photo: Richard Levine/Corbis

Les Waas, the Philadelphia-based advertising executive who wrote the iconic Mister Softee jingle, has died at age 94. He wrote both the music and the little-known lyrics for the song back in 1960, initially for Mister Softee’s radio advertisements, and it’s now so ubiquitous that Americans are classically conditioned to crave ice cream after hearing just a few instrumental bars. As the Times points out, Michael Bloomberg, then mayor, tried to ban the song in 2004 to quiet the streets of New York. The jingle prevailed.

[NYT]

RIP, Man Who Wrote the Mister Softee Song