Jake Holmes
Encyclopedia
Jake Holmes is an American
singer-songwriter
and jingle
writer who began a recording career in the 1960s. Holmes, who has a particular talent for writing clever, perceptive lyrics, is perhaps best known as the original author of the song "Dazed and Confused", later popularized by Led Zeppelin
, and for composing the US Army recruitment jingle
"Be All That You Can Be" in the late 1970s. The jingle and subsequent advertising campaign was used extensively by the US government throughout the 1980s. Holmes also co-wrote the famous "Be a Pepper" for soft drink multinational corporation Dr Pepper Snapple Group
.
. Following military service, he resumed his music career. Among the highlights: Holmes put lyrics to Bob Gaudio
's music on The Four Seasons
' 1969 Genuine Imitation Life Gazette album, after which the pair went on to compose Frank Sinatra
's 1970 Watertown
album. Coming during a relative low point in Sinatra's career, Watertown
was his least successful album, but the song "I Would Be in Love (Anyway)" reached No. 4 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song "What's Now is Now" reached No. 31 on that chart and was later included in Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits Volume 2. Sinatra's recording of the Gaudio-Holmes composition "Lady Day" was left off the Watertown
album, but was released as a single, and Don Costa later rearranged "Lady Day" for inclusion in Sinatra's Sinatra & Company album. In 1985 Nina Simone
recorded a cover version of "For a While," from the Watertown
album, for her Nina's Back album. That same year Simone recorded a live version of "For a While" for her Live And Kickin album.
On his own, Holmes recorded during the 1960s two well-regarded albums for independent Tower Records: A Letter to Katherine December and The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes, which contained the aforementioned "Dazed and Confused" and "Genuine Imitation Life." The Four Seasons
' Bob Gaudio heard Holmes sing "Genuine Imitation Life" at The Bitter End in New York's City's Greenwich Village, which led to their collaborations on the The Four Seasons
and Sinatra albums.
Between those projects, Holmes, who had landed a recording contract with Polydor, went to Nashville to record an album called Jake Holmes. That was followed by the most successful solo album of his career, So Close, So Very Far to Go. Released by Polydor, it reached No. 135 on the Billboard album chart, and the single "So Close" rose to No. 49 on Billboards Hot 100. In 1977, "So Close" became the title song of an album by Helen Schneider
, a popular New York night club singer. Holmes's modest success with Polydor led to a contract with Columbia Records and the album How Much Time. It was as accomplished as all his work, but yielded no hits in a pop era that was about to be swamped by disco music.
Later in the 1970s, with his music career stalling, Holmes moved into writing advertising jingles for HEA Productions, which provided music for advertising agencies. His first jingle for HEA was for an anti-drug campaign, "What Do You Do When the Music Stops". Besides the US Army slogan and Dr. Pepper jingle, he is also the composer of the "Aren't You Hungry for Burger King
Now?" campaign (1981), "Come see the softer side of Sears
", and many other commercials, earning him the nickname "Jingle Jake". His voice can also be heard on commercials for Philip Morris
, General Motors
, Union Carbide
, Gillette, DeBeers, Winn-Dixie
, and British Petroleum. In the 1990s, Holmes set up in partnership a jingle and [music] production company called 3 Tree Productions.
Even as his jingle career flourished, Holmes never gave up songwriting. He co-wrote every song on Harry Belafonte
's 1988 album Paradise in Gazankulu
. And as the new century dawned, Holmes released a new solo album called Dangerous Times and jumped into the political fray with such downloadable anti-Bush
songs as "Mission Accomplished" and "I Hear Texas."
of The Yardbirds
and Led Zeppelin
. The song appeared on Holmes' debut, "The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes
. Led Zeppelin does not credit Holmes with authorship of their song. A Yardbirds live recording from French TV series "Bouton Rouge" (recorded on 9 March 1968) was released on Cumular Limit
in 2000, credited as "Dazed and Confused" by Jake Holmes arr. Yardbirds.. Another live performance (recorded 30 March 1968, New York City) is included on the album Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page
under the alternate title "I'm Confused". Notably, it is the only track that has no songwriter credits on the release.
It is still not widely recognized that Holmes was the author of the classic song. Page, while on tour with the Yardbirds in 1967, saw Holmes perform the song in Greenwich Village
. Within months, he had adapted the song for that group, and later, for Led Zeppelin. For reasons that are not entirely clear, Page claimed sole songwriting credit for the song when it appeared on Led Zeppelin's debut album
. Holmes later sent Page a letter about the songwriting credits but received no reply.
In June 2010, Holmes filed a lawsuit against Jimmy Page for copyright infringement
in United States District Court
, claiming Page knowingly copied his work.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
writer who began a recording career in the 1960s. Holmes, who has a particular talent for writing clever, perceptive lyrics, is perhaps best known as the original author of the song "Dazed and Confused", later popularized by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, and for composing the US Army recruitment jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
"Be All That You Can Be" in the late 1970s. The jingle and subsequent advertising campaign was used extensively by the US government throughout the 1980s. Holmes also co-wrote the famous "Be a Pepper" for soft drink multinational corporation Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. is an American soft drink company, based in Plano, Texas.It was spun off from Britain's Cadbury Schweppes, on May 5, 2008, with trading in its shares starting on May 7, 2008...
.
Career
Holmes' first musical foray was with his wife Katherine in the folk pop parody duo, Allen & GrierAllen & Grier
Allen & Grier is a folk rock parody duo that in 1963 released the comedy album Better To Be Rich Than Ethnic on Vee Jay Records. The duo consisted of musician Jake Holmes as Allen and his wife Katherine "Kay" Holmes as Grier. The two met at Bennington College and decided to write songs that mocked...
. Following military service, he resumed his music career. Among the highlights: Holmes put lyrics to Bob Gaudio
Bob Gaudio
Robert John "Bob" Gaudio is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist/backing vocalist for The Four Seasons.-Early career:...
's music on The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons (group)
The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...
' 1969 Genuine Imitation Life Gazette album, after which the pair went on to compose Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's 1970 Watertown
Watertown (album)
Watertown is a 1970 studio album by the American singer Frank Sinatra.It is Sinatra's most ambitious concept album, an experiment perhaps first started on the 1966 album That's Life...
album. Coming during a relative low point in Sinatra's career, Watertown
Watertown (album)
Watertown is a 1970 studio album by the American singer Frank Sinatra.It is Sinatra's most ambitious concept album, an experiment perhaps first started on the 1966 album That's Life...
was his least successful album, but the song "I Would Be in Love (Anyway)" reached No. 4 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song "What's Now is Now" reached No. 31 on that chart and was later included in Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits Volume 2. Sinatra's recording of the Gaudio-Holmes composition "Lady Day" was left off the Watertown
Watertown (album)
Watertown is a 1970 studio album by the American singer Frank Sinatra.It is Sinatra's most ambitious concept album, an experiment perhaps first started on the 1966 album That's Life...
album, but was released as a single, and Don Costa later rearranged "Lady Day" for inclusion in Sinatra's Sinatra & Company album. In 1985 Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
recorded a cover version of "For a While," from the Watertown
Watertown (album)
Watertown is a 1970 studio album by the American singer Frank Sinatra.It is Sinatra's most ambitious concept album, an experiment perhaps first started on the 1966 album That's Life...
album, for her Nina's Back album. That same year Simone recorded a live version of "For a While" for her Live And Kickin album.
On his own, Holmes recorded during the 1960s two well-regarded albums for independent Tower Records: A Letter to Katherine December and The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes, which contained the aforementioned "Dazed and Confused" and "Genuine Imitation Life." The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons (group)
The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...
' Bob Gaudio heard Holmes sing "Genuine Imitation Life" at The Bitter End in New York's City's Greenwich Village, which led to their collaborations on the The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons (group)
The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...
and Sinatra albums.
Between those projects, Holmes, who had landed a recording contract with Polydor, went to Nashville to record an album called Jake Holmes. That was followed by the most successful solo album of his career, So Close, So Very Far to Go. Released by Polydor, it reached No. 135 on the Billboard album chart, and the single "So Close" rose to No. 49 on Billboards Hot 100. In 1977, "So Close" became the title song of an album by Helen Schneider
Helen Schneider
Helen Schneider is an American singer and actress working mainly in Germany.Born the daughter of Dvora and Abraham Schneider , she studied piano before starting to perform as a singer in venues in New England and New York.Between 1978 and 1984, she achieved success as a rock singer in Germany;...
, a popular New York night club singer. Holmes's modest success with Polydor led to a contract with Columbia Records and the album How Much Time. It was as accomplished as all his work, but yielded no hits in a pop era that was about to be swamped by disco music.
Later in the 1970s, with his music career stalling, Holmes moved into writing advertising jingles for HEA Productions, which provided music for advertising agencies. His first jingle for HEA was for an anti-drug campaign, "What Do You Do When the Music Stops". Besides the US Army slogan and Dr. Pepper jingle, he is also the composer of the "Aren't You Hungry for Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
Now?" campaign (1981), "Come see the softer side of Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
", and many other commercials, earning him the nickname "Jingle Jake". His voice can also be heard on commercials for Philip Morris
Altria Group
Altria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...
, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
, Gillette, DeBeers, Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is an American supermarket chain based in Jacksonville, Florida. Winn-Dixie has ranked number 24 in the 2010 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2009 fiscal year estimated sales of $7.3 billion by Supermarket News. and was ranked the 43rd largest retailer in the...
, and British Petroleum. In the 1990s, Holmes set up in partnership a jingle and [music] production company called 3 Tree Productions.
Even as his jingle career flourished, Holmes never gave up songwriting. He co-wrote every song on Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
's 1988 album Paradise in Gazankulu
Paradise in Gazankulu
Paradise in Gazankulu is an album by Harry Belafonte, released in 1988. As of December 2009 it is Harry Belafonte's final studio album. The album deals with the plight of black South Africans under the Apartheid system...
. And as the new century dawned, Holmes released a new solo album called Dangerous Times and jumped into the political fray with such downloadable anti-Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
songs as "Mission Accomplished" and "I Hear Texas."
Discography
- The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes (TowerTower Records (record label)Tower Records was a record label from 1964 to 1970. A subsidiary of Capitol Records, Tower often released music by artists who were relatively low profile in comparison to those released on the parent label, including a number of artists—such as The Standells and The Chocolate Watch Band—later...
, 1967) - A Letter to Katherine December (TowerTower Records (record label)Tower Records was a record label from 1964 to 1970. A subsidiary of Capitol Records, Tower often released music by artists who were relatively low profile in comparison to those released on the parent label, including a number of artists—such as The Standells and The Chocolate Watch Band—later...
, 1968) - Jake Holmes (Polydor, 1969)
- So Close, So Very Far to Go (Polydor, 1970)
- How Much Time (ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, 1971) - Mission Accomplished - The Return of the Protest Song (three song ep; about George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
) - Dangerous Times (2000)
Jingles composed
- "Building a better way .... to see the U.S.A." for ChevroletChevroletChevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
(General Motors) (1972) - "Be a Pepper" for Dr PepperDr PepperDr Pepper is a soft drink, marketed as having a unique flavor. The drink was created in the 1880s by Charles Alderton of Waco, Texas and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904 and is now also sold in Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, Australia ...
(with Randy NewmanRandy NewmanRandall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, 1977) - "Be all that you can be" for the U.S. Army (1979)
- "We fly the world" for Pan American World AirwaysPan American World AirwaysPan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
(DATE) - "Raise your hand if you're Sure" for SureSure (brand)In the UK and other European countries, Sure is the name of a brand of antiperspirant deodorant for men and women produced by Unilever, marketed with the tagline "It Won't Let You Down"....
deodorant (197X) - "Aren't You Hungry for Burger King Now?" for Burger King (1981)
- "America's Getting Into Training" for AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
corporation (1981) - "Come to Metropolitan and simplify your life" for Metropolitan Life Insurance CompanyMetropolitan Life Insurance CompanyMetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, or MetLife, for short, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, with 90 million customers in over 60 countries...
(1981) - "Great Moments for You on CBS" for CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
(1982) - "Ah ha, we're sitting pretty, altogether in Schaeffer City" for Schaeffer Beer (198X)
- "NBC, Let's All Be There!" for NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(1985) - "Best a Man Can Get" for The Gillette Company (1988)
- "Come see the softer side of Sears, Roebuck and Company" for Sears (19XX)
- "With Charmin Ultra, Less Is More" (Cha-cha-cha!!!) for CharminCharminCharmin is a brand-name of toilet paper manufactured by Procter & Gamble.-History:The Charmin name was first created in 1928 by the Hoberg Paper Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1950, Hoberg changed its name to Charmin Paper Company and continued to produce bath tissue, paper napkins, and other...
(200X)
Dazed and Confused
Holmes is also known for writing "Dazed and Confused," which was later adapted and popularized by Jimmy PageJimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
of The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
. The song appeared on Holmes' debut, "The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes
"The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes
"The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes is the debut album of American folk singer songwriter Jake Holmes, released in June 1967 on Tower Records. The album consists of songs played on bass and two electric guitars with no drummer...
. Led Zeppelin does not credit Holmes with authorship of their song. A Yardbirds live recording from French TV series "Bouton Rouge" (recorded on 9 March 1968) was released on Cumular Limit
Cumular Limit
Cumular Limit is an album of previously unreleased live and studio recordings by English blues rock band The Yardbirds released in 2000. It features alternate versions of recordings from Little Games , live-recordings from Offenbach, 16 March 1967 and France TV and previously unreleased material...
in 2000, credited as "Dazed and Confused" by Jake Holmes arr. Yardbirds.. Another live performance (recorded 30 March 1968, New York City) is included on the album Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page
Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page
Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page is a live album released by English blues rock band The Yardbirds in 1971 of their live performance at the Anderson Theatre in New York City on 30 March 1968...
under the alternate title "I'm Confused". Notably, it is the only track that has no songwriter credits on the release.
It is still not widely recognized that Holmes was the author of the classic song. Page, while on tour with the Yardbirds in 1967, saw Holmes perform the song in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
. Within months, he had adapted the song for that group, and later, for Led Zeppelin. For reasons that are not entirely clear, Page claimed sole songwriting credit for the song when it appeared on Led Zeppelin's debut album
Led Zeppelin (album)
Led Zeppelin is the debut album of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded in October 1968 at Olympic Studios in London and released on Atlantic Records on 12 January 1969 in the United States and 31 March 1969 in the United Kingdom. The album featured integral contributions from each...
. Holmes later sent Page a letter about the songwriting credits but received no reply.
In June 2010, Holmes filed a lawsuit against Jimmy Page for copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
in United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
, claiming Page knowingly copied his work.