So, the holidays tend to be a sentimental time, with memories triggered by the sights and sounds of the season. Now, I can be a sensitive guy, but I don’t really cry at many movies or TV shows. That’s why it was surprising to me when I found a lump in my throat from a particular commercial. In recent years, you may have seen this Coke commercial announcing that the “Holidays Are Coming!”, but it originally touted the arrival of Coca-Cola’s holiday Santa Packs:
I think the aspect that really appeals to me is that it really heralds the approach of the Christmas season, and makes it feel more epic than it already does. My birthday is actually December 23rd, so I always made a big deal counting down to that day and Christmas. To watch the commercial today, it almost seems as if the Coke trucks are the road crew for a big concert or circus coming to town. Sure, Coke got a lot of mileage out of the polar bears, but this was the commercial that I always anticipated. So, you can imagine how surprised I was when I discovered that Melanie Thornton had recorded a full length version of the song in Europe.
No, I know you think you don’t know who Melanie Thornton, but trust me – you do. If you’ve ever heard the chick asking you to be her lover, or droning on about her sweet dreams of rhythm and dancing, then you’re already familiar. For most of the ’90s, Melanie Thornton was the singer for Eurodance act La Bouche. In 2001, she released her first solo album, which included the song “Wonderful Dream”:
While the studio version of the song is a bit more clear, I chose the version above for a particular reason. You see, only a few hours after that very performance, Melanie was killed in a plane crash near Zurich, Switzerland. Tragically, she never lived to release another single from her album, which was ironically titled Ready To Fly.
I was a fool for La Bouche, as I had all the studio AND remix albums. On top of that, I was, and still am, a fool for Christmas. Nowadays, when I hear that song, I still get a little choked up, but for other reasons. With Melanie’s passing, the Eurodance world lost an amazing voice, but she chose a magical song on which to go out. So, the “Holidays Are Coming” song still makes me long for Christmas, but I’ll always hear a little bit of Melanie in there.
