Squeezebox Trivia Pages

Accordions on the Tube

I began compiling this list in 1995. Most of the undated ads were airing at that time. Finally I realized I was going to make a page of these and started dating the entries. I stopped updating this list in December 1997.

Go directly to the latest Ad List

Squeezebox Newsgroup discussion on TV ads with accordion:

I've been noticing for quite some time now that almost half the commercials I hear on television, if not more, have an accordion playing in the soundtrack, usually a cajun or zydeco song.

What with this (1996) being the "Year Of The Accordion" (I've even seen that in an ad in the Hamilton paper) the accordion appears to be quite the trendy instrument. A lot of bands have been putting songs on their albums featuring accordions on one or two songs, which is good for people such as myself who do session work.

I'd have to say that if there was something that would let generations a few decades from now recognize a commercial as being from the 90's, like sideburns and tacky clothes were a sure sign of the 80s, it would be the sound of an accordion (some commercials even go so far as to actually show someone playing one).

Chris Cracknell

The resurgence in the use of accordions and other free reed boxes in ads is not just coincidental. Apparently some research company ran some focus groups testing their reaction to various TV commercial sound tracks. Those that included accordion sounds gave strong responses in areas such as

trust
home
friendly
nostalgia

So if you have to sell used cars, you should take your PA to work.

Nick (trust me, I have an accordion)

Nick Robertshaw

Wendy's List of TV Ads featuring Accordions

Auto Sales & Service

Communications & Technology

Other Services

Stores & Misc Products

Food & Drink

Gary Blair contributed the following from Scotland:
I saw an ad on TV last night for Heineken Beer.It starts off with three Italian looking men in a train.(it is supposed to be the 1940's I think). One of the men is holding the World Boxing Championship belt. As the train is arriving at the station, the man puts on the belt as there is a large crowd gathered on the platform. He opens the door of the train expecting everyone to rush up to him. The crowd ,which has a man carrying an old piano accordion on his back, rushes right past him, to the last door of the train.
An old looking gentleman steps out as the crowd goes wild. He then crosses the road with the crowd in pursuit and pulls a set of keys from his pocket and opens the door to his bar. As the crowd sit sipping their beer, one of them says something like "Why does Luigi need to take such a long holiday!" It ends with the big Italian in the middle of the square, throwing the belt away.
Nice touch I thought.

Contributed by Joyce Ashcroft:
Spotted in a commercial for Energizer batteries: Wile E. Coyote setting a fiendish trap for the Energizer Bunny (guess the Road Runner is in a contract dispute or something), ends up springing the trap on himself as usual and mashing himself between a huge boulder and a large overhanging rock. Presto, his whole body is now an instant accordion... he even sounded a feeble chord or two before collapsing into the dust.


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