The Coors Light Commercial Song You Can't Quite Put Your Finger On

When it comes to advertising, beer companies often go to great lengths to craft the most epic, playful, and unforgettable commercials imaginable. Whether it's seamlessly integrated into the commercial breaks of your favorite primetime series, condensed into a 15-second pre-video ad, or showcased on the grand stage of a multimillion-dollar Super Bowl spot, a commercial featuring a popular beer brand is likely to leave a lasting impression. Budweiser, Miller Lite, and Coors Light are all known for having memorable ads, and the brands have even tried to outdo each other in years past with over-the-top creativity and competitiveness. However, Coors has recently adopted a more subtle approach, finding a new way to captivate its audience with the song "Lo Chiamavano King (His Name Is King)" by Luis Bacalov.

You might already be familiar with this commercial, called "The Official Beer of Not Going Into the Game." In it, a guy sporting a bucket hat reclines on a La-Z-Boy outdoors, effortlessly enjoying cold beverages with an untroubled smile and a carefree demeanor. If you tuned in closely, you may have caught the distinctive background music that seemed to echo the ambience of a spaghetti western. In contrast to Coors' usual bold commercial soundtracks like "Tap the Rockies (Coors Light)," this one ditches the in-your-face approach, instead lingering in your mind with the persistent question, "Where is that song from?"

"Lo Chiamavano King (His Name Is King)" was released in 1971 as part of the soundtrack for the Italian western film "His Name Was King." It was famously composed by Luis Bacalov, the Argentinian maestro who has a host of spaghetti westerns themes and scores under his belt. The song features vocals by Italian singer Edda Dell'Orso who frequently collaborated with Bacalov and other notable composers, such as Ennio Morricone. More recently, you may have heard the song in Quentin Tarantino's revenge epic, the western "Django Unchained." The film, which stars Jamie Foxx in the lead role as Django, features the song while Foxx's character is riding on horseback with Dr. King Shultz (Christoph Waltz) across a cinematic ride through the vast lands of the South. While the song was well suited for the movie, Coors took an even more imaginative leap when it incorporated the song into its commercial.

Some YouTube commenters absolutely loved the commercial purely for its aesthetic and possibly nostalgic qualities. (One commenter simply wrote: "Love it.") Meanwhile, others spent time trying to decipher its meaning. A commenter wrote: "I think y'all are missing the point on this commercial. The tag line at the end says 'the offical [sic] beer of not going into the game'. So he's sitting in the parking lot in Cincy watching whatever game he wants on tv. Hence the Detroit/Denver game."

Of course, this Coors Light commercial isn't the first — and likely won't be the last — to resurrect a vintage hit. For those of you who have ever had to listen to some generic song while on hold, there's a Bud Light commercial for you. 

In "Bud Light Hold / Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy," we see actor Miles Teller and his actual wife, Keleigh, dancing around their living room and enjoying Bud Light while hold music plays through Keleigh's phone. Viewers are treated to some quirky dance moves that complement the '80s hold music hit. One YouTube user commented, "This was my "on-hold jam" when I worked in customer service!!!"

According to another YouTube commenter, the song actually has a name and a composer. "Fun fact: The song is Opus No. 1 by Tim Carlton and Dereck Deel, recorded in a garage in 1989," the user writes. This is actually true; however, the correct spellings of their names are: Tim Carleton and Darrick Deel. Carleton went on to design Cisco Systems' phone systems and gave the "Opus 1" song to the design team, but since he didn't copyright it, he receives no royalties all these years later.

As you can see, sometimes it's a subtle and obscure, yet nostalgic song that really sells a product. And even if Coors Light and Bud Light are technically competitors, it would seem both brands are at least in agreement about that.