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[Christine Hampshire]

Thanks Robert I have just heard it on here and it is definately Matt, it sounded
quiet different on the tv.
Christine

[paul jh]

So I'm watching the Sunday morning political talk TV programs yesterday, and all of a sudden I hear the iconic introduction to Matt Monro's Born Free. I was so excited and thought, "finally Matt Monro's voice will be used in a commercial in the United States". Can you imagine my disappointment when some second rate singer begins to sing the song.

It's for the 2012 Land Rover; I think it's an expensive SUV (car/truck combination, don't know what these are called in other parts of the world). Then I heard it again a few minutes later on another channel.

I found a long version of the commercial on youtube and someone wrote that the original was by Andy Williams.

[Rmoore]

I hope you corrected them!

[karl]

Maybe EMI should re-release Matt's version as a single, it could possibly chart again!

[ROBERT M.]

It never charted the first time around

[paul jh]

I hope you corrected them!

No, as I don't know how to post comments in youtube.

[Rmoore]

Here's the offending ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu5rlsBzKEQ

This isn't the version mentioning Andy Williams in the comments. Post the link for taht one and I'll go and correct them!

Interestingly, it was evidently made in the UK for the US market. I can only think that it was cheaper for them to make a re-recording of the song than licence it from Capitol. Just shows that if you pay peanuts.....

Richard

[paul jh]

Here is the one that mentions the song was originally by Andy Williams. It's a full minute so we get to hear more of the singer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uATpcRdr5dw

[ROBERT M.]

Adding comments to the video has been disabled now Richard

[Rmoore]

Yes i know - I've private messaged so at least i've tried!

[paul jh]

Is this sung to the original track or was the orchestra re-recorded? If original track, do they have to pay to use it? If a re-recording, where did they get the arrangement? (I can't see them writing out new orchestra charts.)

[Rmoore]

No, It's not the original orchestral track. That would cost them just as much to licence.

The amount it costs to licence a song for synchronistaion - even on an advert can be quite a lot, so even hiring somebody to re-orchestrate and booking an orchestra can still work out cheaper. Especially using an orchestra from a country with no musicians union rules.

They could have also (a cheaper still) used a pre-made backing track. For instance there is a track on Itunes featuring the City of Prague Symphony playing the backing track to Born Free so there are versions out there.

[karl]

Robert's comments regarding Born Free not charting the first time round made me look at my book of hit records for Matt and I was shocked at the lack of chart success0 even my favourite We're Gonna Change The World did not chart.

Matt was constantly played on the radio I suppose that is what's meant by turntable hits. One would have thought with such a huge label (EMI) behind him they would have promoted Matt's records more.

It's a strange world!!!

[Rmoore]

I think the main problem Karl is that once the 'Beat' genre took over the world, teenagers were the biggest buyers of records. Matt still sold enough to keep EMI happy, and the number of singles he sold in would have put him regularly at no. 1 today's charts, but back when a single could sell a million in a week it was a lot harder to get a hit. - Did you know that these days on bad weeks a single can get to no.1 with only a few thousand sales!

Nat Cole, Sinatra, Torme, Ella Fitzgerald etc all suffered in the same way. They all sold well just not in the quantities thet the Beatles and others sold in. You could sell tens of thousands of a disc and still not make the top 40 sometimes.

However it is testiment to Matt that he still managed to have some chart hits after 1962. And when you think about it, Matt's reported sales of 100 million worldwide is something not many artists have achived!

[mike]

I'm guessing Matt sold a lot more albums than singles. Does anyone know how you can find out Matt's album sales figures?