What Is The Song In The Allstate 'Along For The Ride' Commercial?
Insurance commercials in the United States comprise an entire genre on their own. They're silly, gimmicky, and never without a spokesperson (or animal). State Farm has Jake from State Farm (Kevin Miles). Progressive has Flo (Stephanie Courtney). Geico experiments with a bunch of ad campaigns all at the same time, but they often feature the GEICO gecko. And Allstate has Dennis Haysbert, an actor of "24" fame, where he played David Palmer, the former California senator turned United States president.
The latest commercial from Allstate — entitled "Along for the Ride" — features a woman (Erin Alexis) driving through a suburban neighborhood in her Toyota Prius with her house hitched to the back of it. A familiar tune plays in the background, although it's initially only instrumental, so it might not be the easiest to identify. As homeowners doing yard work drop their jaws at the spectacle, Haysbert's unmistakable voice rises above the music: "You already pay for car insurance. Why not take your home along for the ride?" A musician sings, "Our house, in the middle of our street / Our house, in the middle of our..." and the commercial closes with a paperboy struggling to throw the day's newspaper onto the woman's runaway porch. It's a cute commercial, but what is that familiar song?
A 1980s hit with major staying power
The song in Allstate's "Along for the Ride" commercial is none other than "Our House" by British pop/ska band Madness. According to the band's Spotify page, Madness gained massive popularity in the US in 1982 after the November release of their "The Rise & Fall" album, thanks to MTV, which heavily played the video for "Our House." Already popular in Britain, the song ranked in the American Top 10 the following summer, catapulting Madness into the spotlight outside of their home country. And the song has pretty much remained popular ever since, resurfacing every few years in the pop culture of the English-speaking world (including in the form of a major performance at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics).
The song is a perfect fit for the Allstate commercial, which features text that informs viewers that they can save up to 25% on their insurance when they bundle their home and auto insurances. The woman in the ad literally takes her house into the middle of her street, a direct reference to the song's lyrics. Combined with the nostalgia factor of the song, this commercial makes the most out of the classic Madness hit.