Well, the Liberty Mutual shoot is over and we’ve been editing in New York for the last week. We’ve known from the beginning that the music for our launch spot was going to be a pretty big deal.
One day in Los Angeles, we were sitting around having lunch when Sally Ellyson’s name came up. Sally is the lead singer in a band called Hem.
While on the way to our location the next morning, we popped a few of their CD’s in the dash and took a listen. Amazing. All we kept thinking was, how come these guys aren’t doing movie scores in Hollywood?
Interesting story about Sally.
While looking through the classifieds one day, she came across an ad. A band was looking for a singer. She called the number. Told them she was interested. They said, okay, send us some samples. Um, she didn’t have any. As a matter of fact, all she’d ever actually sung were lullabies. Humoring her, they said, okay, send us that. She did. They played the CD. Couldn’t believe her amazing voice. She was in.
Music in advertising is a tricky thing. When it’s right, it can amplify emotion like nothing else. Hem is good at that. Their sound is so purely American, and yet it’s kind of hard to define. Kind of lullaby meets folk meets chamber quartet meets Ken Burns. In our mind, it’s pretty difficult to imagine a more perfect sound for the Liberty Mutual campaign.
Just off its current West Coast tour, Hem is going to be in Boston on June 12th at The Paradise Rock Club, 967-969 Commonwealth Avenue. If you’re interested, come on by.
Just saw the ad. very appealing campaign. I actual found this site as I was taken by the song. any clue as to which song by this group it is?
I was also wondering which song this is. My roommate and I replayed the ad b/c we liked it so much and I thought it was Hem but wasn’t sure…
Hem is indeed the band responsible for the song in the new Liberty Mutual television launch spot. It’s called Half Acre from Hem’s album, “Rabbit Songs”.
Been a Hem fan for over a year now, and when I first heard that they did the music for a commercial, my first reaction was, “They’ve gone mainstream! Aaagh!”
But it’s a great commercial with a great message. Gives me goose bumps. Wait till they do a commercial with Hem’s ‘Hollow.’
I hope that the group benefits from the increased exposure. They certainly deserve it. The fan base will spread like ivy.
Guess the next time they come to Philly, my lady (who tells me that ‘Hem’ is Swedish for ‘Home’) and I won’t be sitting a mere 8 feet from the stage at the Tin Angel listening to Sally sing her heart out.
I was watching CNN and heard this song in the background while I was browsing the web. I caught the end of the commerical but glad I have TiVo so I could play it over. I haven\’t bought a CD in a while but am going to head to the music store to look for it (so in a way I\’m glad this band HEM did a \”mainstream\” stint this time around) Thanks for all the info about the band. The commerical was great–but the music really makes it. This is up there with the VW commerical with Nick Drake singing \”Pink Moon\”
I had the same reaction as Blake when I heard Hem was on a commercial, but I’m kind of excited that others are realizing how great they are and that Hem will get some publicity.
I don’t think Hem is Swedish at all. The name comes from their song “Lazy Eye ” on Rabbit Songs.
I, too, love this song and if I weren’t so attached to my carrier, I’d move to Liberty Mutual simply because of their (I know, it’s actually their marketing teams’) great taste in music. I had to Google to get to this site, and then on to iTunes.
Liberty Mutual has won my heart with this new ad & Sally has a new fan in Dallas, Texas! Thanks for the post. ; )
I LOVE this commercial. I, too, was wondering about the song, and googled, found it here, and immediately went to Amazon.com and ordered the album.
I wish I could play this commercial to my students, and discuss the “old-fashioned” concept of performing good deeds for others just because it’s the right thing to do. There’s way too much “what’s in it for me?” in our everyday lives.
This is the best commercial I have seen in a long long while. it is beautiful, moving and memorable. Kudos- Liberty Mutual, Kudos.
Thanks for the tip! I couldn’t figure out who was singing for that commercial; it really is a beautiful concept.
I forget what I was watching but that Liberty Mutual ad kept playing and I kept hearing that song. At first I figured it was just something the marketing people had come up with but after listening to the lyrics I figured it was possible I might be able to find the band. Glad I was able too. I like the message in the ad too.
It sounds like it was taken from part of goo goo doll’s all eyes on me.
I am really discouraged because everywhere I read that the song is Hem’s “Half Acre” from the album “Rabbit Songs” – but I’ve listened to Half Acre and that is NOT the song.
Shanna: The song on the first Liberty commercial was in fact “Half Acre”. The new spot has a new song which is not currently available on any Hem album. However, it looks like the band might be coming out with a new EP and you’ll likely find it on there. Hope that helps.
The new commercial is “The Part Where You Let Go”.
It’s not “Half Acre” by Hem. It’s “The Part Where You Let Go” by (Dan Messe.
For some reason, I’ve seen many people claiming it’s Half Acre…..oh well, good help is hard to find.
[...] voice… a perfect choice for the commercial. So I went online, checked it out (thanks to Hill/Holliday Blog, and the artist is Hem (yes, they are very much alive), an alternative mellow rock group. The name [...]
Little does everyone know that Liberty Mutual is undergoing a major restructuring plan right now (8/13/08 w/ inception on 10/1). Commercially, Liberty Mutual will be spinning a 180 degree change. Combining markets b/c of the Safeco acquistion is the cause. How this change will effect policy holders is yet to be determined, BUT if major lay-offs occur customer satisfication is expected to suffer.
We will have to sit back and watch how this “invisible restructuring” will play out, but these “restructuring” plans usually fail (yeah, can you say OFFICE SPACE-yeah the movie).
I agree that the song is not “Half Acre”. The Lyrics are ” Their are better days to meet us where we stand. They are gathering in clouds and spreading out over us…”
The singer sounds like Judy Collins not HEM.
It’s called “Better Days” and it IS hem…just unreleased so far.
http://splendad.com/ads/show/2558-Liberty-Mutual-Carnival-Responsibility
can’t wait for it to come out though.