You know, you're a mortician and you're practicing your talent, and then suddenly every day,

you're like, I got to get down to the radio station and sing the Wheaties song again.

When you saw the word jingles in the title of this episode, I bet at least one cheesy tune rose from the recesses of your mind, brought you back to a carpeted room where you sat too close to the TV,

products flashing and glowing in commercials you saw a hundred different times. Depending on your

age, these bite-sized earworms of catchy capitalism may feel like an invention of the 90s, of the 80s, of the 70s, of the 60s,

but in reality, musical, lyrical advertisements have a much longer history than I ever expected.

For part one of this two-part series,

I share with Sarah Marshall of Your Wrong About

the goofy evolution of The Jingle,

from its far-flung, distant origins,

into the jaunty age of American radio.

For part two, we'll explore the stories behind some of the most memorable

TV jingles of all time, ones that will probably continue to live inside all our heads until the

day we finally leave this earthly plane behind.

I'm your host, Chelsea Weber Smith, and this is American hysteria.

Sarah Marshall, I would love if you would kick this episode off with performing a favorite jingle.

What do you say?

How come you're so nice to me?

Okay, I will.

Hit it, baby.

Okay, there can only be one answer.

I have a structured settlement and I need cash now.

...