American Express movie advertisement

[Some]

Sarah Jane Hassell also sang the song in a London stage production of Dr. Dolittle in 1998, but I'm not sure what her version sounds like. There is an Original Cast Recording album on amazon.co.uk, but no song samples, and I can't find it anywhere else.

 

[rwaldmeier]

Nope, the american express website of the ads is only the tv ones. I've been searching for about a month online because each time a see a movie with the ad, which is basically every movie I see it makes me want to find out so much more. Sadly this web site is the only trace of the song. We'll have to keep on looking

 

[esand8500]

Bad news Hellageak, turns out Greenlantern Know-it-All knew it all after all. I went to see Angela McCluskey in concert last night (she was backing up the Finn Brothers at the Avalon in Hollywood. She was autographing copies of her CD after her set and I lined up with everyone else and got my copy signed. While she was signing mine I asked if she had sung the song "Beautiful Things" for Amex and she looked surprised that I asked her that, but she said, "yes, I did". She then proceeded to sing me a few bars of it. I told her that people are going crazy trying to get a copy of that and she said "Well, it's on the web site". I was so pressed for time (people were eager to get their copies signed before she bugged out to do some drinking) that I didn't ask, "Which web site?" (I already knew it wasn't on hers). Alas, alas. We will have to make do with going to the movies to hear that damn song for now.

 

[jkeiser]

I went and listened to Erykah Badu and Angela McCluskey songs, and it's 100% clear that the singer was Angela McCluskey. The raspy, breathy voice is unmistakable. That, combined with the fact that a guy claiming to be from American Express actually said it was her, really clinches it.

 

[nativetexaschic]

There is a commercial played everytime I go to a Cinemark movie theather before all the movie trailers. The commerical, if I'm not mistaken is for the American Express Blue Card. The song in the background is sung by a lady, and sounds like an old 50's or 60's song. She singing about "Beautiful Things" and the during the commercial, they show a variety of things that are....well, not exactly beautiful....for example, a log phone, a painting of a cat that is dressed like royalty, some guy's big butt hanging out of a pink Speedo, etc...

If anyone has any idea the name of the song and who sings it, I would be most appreciative.

Thanks,
Jen

 

[djflowerz]

She has a website at http://www.angelamccluskey.com/ but I don't see the track "Beautiful things" listed in the audio or video sections...

 

[Flip21]

Andain - Beautiful Things? :huh:

 

[michelle]

The song was sung by Angela McCluskey.

 

[mondedefantome]

hey i found this at adcritic.com

American Express Looks at "Beautiful Things"


Beautiful things?
The soundtrack talks of "Beautiful Things," but the images are anything but in a new American Express cinema spot from Ogilvy & Mather/N.Y. Instead, we see a parade of the gaudy, the kitschy and the just plain unappealing, as captured by Anonymous Content director Mark Romanek. The ironic soundtrack -- which sets up the claim that Blue from American Express is, in fact, a beautiful thing -- is a rearrangement of a tune from the movie musical Doctor Doolittle (with Rex Harrison, not Eddie Murphy) by JSM Music, featuring the soulful warble of Scottish songstress Angela McCluskey. And according to JSM executive producer Marc Algranti, American Express has received so many inquiries about the song that the release of a full-length version is being considered.

 

[skyflier]

Good news -- I received the following response from a Wild Colonials representative (Wild Colonials is a band Angela is a member of):

Thank you for your email.  Angela had recorded only the short version you
hear in the commercial.  But because of interest and emails from fans, they are
recording a proper long version of the track this week.

Email's like yours is helping make this happen.  We will have more info for
you when we get it.

Thanks for the support.

WildNotes

 

[michelle]

Thanks for keeping on top of the situation, and keeping us updated, Skyflier! Great job!

 

[skyflier]

Here's more info I've learned:

The company that did the arrangement of the song for the commercial was JSM Music. You can see the commercial on their website: http://www.jsmmusic.com/

Also, one of the executive producers at the company let me know they will be trying to get the full length song out as soon as possible. They seem excited about being able to put this together for Angela's fans and hope it will be a good success for Angela and everyone else involved.

 

[plonk420]

here's what i pulled from a google result...

Joel Simon, president of bicoastal JSM Music, believes that the past can be recaptured—and improved. For the recent American Express spot "Beautiful Things," directed by Mark Romanek of bicoastal Anonymous Content, out of Ogilvy & Mather, New York, JSM recorded a new version of a nearly 40-year-old song, "Beautiful Things," from the 1967 film Dr. Doolittle. The tune (with such lyrics as: "The world is full of beautiful things/Butterfly wings, fai...More

however, to get more info, you need to be a part of ShootOnline :\

 

[Visual Echo]

This song is sung by Matthew the fishmonger (Anthony Newley) to the Magistrate's daughter Emma Bellows (Samantha Eggar) about Doctor Doolittle (Rex Harrison) in the 1967 musical classic. It is done in full orchestra and Newley's english/irish accent, although in my opinion he sacrifices some of his full tonality for the sake of enunciation.

Leslie Bricusse O.B.E. is credited in the film as the lyricist, although I don't know for sure if he wrote 'Beautiful Things'. He also did 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory', and quite a number of others including the recent 'Bruce Almighty'.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061584/

The movie is available through NetFlix, and isn't difficult to find in the video stores, just don't confuse it with the terrible remake a few years ago.

Hope this helps!

 

[cdai]

It has definitely been quite a while. Unfortunately, I don't think it is going
to be ready until the release of her next album at least. And that could mean
a long long period of waiting.

 

[natveangl]

the same song was used in a kodak film commercial a few years ago...


gothic girl goes around takes pictures of alot of people to make a collage...

ive been singing it ever since lol

 

[maripossa]

Originally posted by natveangl@Jan 14 2007, 12:13 PM
the same song was used in a kodak film commercial a few years ago...


gothic girl goes around takes pictures of alot of people to make a collage...

ive been singing it ever since lol

Actually, the Kodak commercial is how I heard the song years ago. I was in lecture last week and started singing it out of the blue.. weird . It's engraved in everyone's head.