For its 1986-1987 season, ABC called upon songwriter Brock Walsh to craft a new “jingle” for the network. The result was a three and a half minute piece called “We Belong Together,” performed by Aretha Franklin and Leon Russell. Robert Lieberman filmed ABC’s stars and an image campaign was born.
It premiered on July 6th, 1986 following the end of Liberty Weekend (around 9:00PM ET) and was only shown twice all the way through. Shortened segments were shown throughout the summer, running from four to 60 seconds.
This particular version runs 45 seconds:
According to Walsh:
“[It] was also a real challenge to write. Lieberman brought me in, told me what he was going to do with his film and my job was to help support the visuals that you’d see on screen. The whole idea was to create a mood that conveyed a sense of anticipation and relief. We wanted to capture the notion of a reunion, of regaining something that you’d missed.”
Sources:
Goldstein, Patrick. “He’s Getting to ABC’s of Songwriting.” Los Angeles Times. 6 Jul. 1986: 76.
For those looking for the full version of that campaign, here it is via YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3RrN2YV-w
The full version of this song was released on a promotional Eva-Tone Soundsheet promoting ABC’s upcoming season. I have one produced for KSPR, Channel 33, Springfield, Missouri, entitled “SHOW ME” 33 AND ABC “TOGETHER.” Two songs are featured: a jingle, “Hey, Show Me” written by Randall K. Jacobs, and “We Belong Together,” performed by Aretha Franklin & Leon Russell.
I’d be interested in hearing anything you have or if you have pics of the docs that’d be cool