What Is The Song In The Downy 'Takes You Back' Commercial?
Your sense of smell is a fascinating thing. Something like clean laundry can bring you back to an old memory and fill you with nostalgia. Combine smell with sound, as Downy April Fresh does in their new "Takes You Back" commercial, and you could be sent back through years of your life. In this commercial, the laundry detergent company takes that idea literally, showing a man smelling his fresh laundry and having it take him back through decades of his life. Each time he smells his clean clothes, he is sent back to another decade until he returns to the present.
As soon as he exhales that first breath, a dreary singer can be heard singing about the past. It's not in your face like most songs in commercials, but it's enough to make you consider pulling out Shazam to see if you can catch it next time it's on.
So, what is that song in the Downy "Takes You Back" commercial?
Downy is going back to the '70s for this one
Although the faded singing could easily be misinterpreted as a modern track sampling a classic, this song is actually from the 1970s – it's none other than "Times of Your Life" by Paul Anka. The Canadian singer recorded this song as the title track for his 1975 album. You might remember this song if you were around then, especially since it peaked at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. If you happened to be born after that time, you still might recognize it from commercials for "Mad Men," as AMC tapped the song in 2015 for retrospective promos during the final season.
Whether or not you've heard it before, it's undeniable this is an excellent fit for the commercial. The first word heard from Anka is "yesterday," which is perfect for the nostalgic feel the commercial is going for. Although the song is only featured for a couple of seconds, it's clear this is the kind of song you want playing as you stare out the window of a moving car and think about life.
In the end, Downy takes the sense of smell and combines it with the sense of sound to create a visual experience that makes you want to think back to old times.