The new commercial of Volkswagen for the Super Bowl has already become popular on the video sharing site YouTube and has racked up over 3.5 million views. Apart from its popularity, the commercial has also gained plenty of criticism as some people have termed it to be raciest and demeaning.
The commercial stars a white Midwesterner, who tries to cheer his office mates with a lilting Jamaican dialect. The new commercial is a tribute to the popularity of reggae music across the world. McNeil said in a press release, “I salute Jimmy Cliff for being a true Jamaican ambassador through his outstanding music. I urge persons all across the globe to do exactly what the commercial portrays, which is to tap into your inner Jamaican and get happy”.
Cliff lent his voice for the ad version of The Partridge Family theme song, ‘Come On, Get Happy’. On his Facebook page, the singer wrote that he chose to record the song which is a part of the Volkswagen Super Bowl campaign, as it is a great message and is something that people can apply to daily life. Cliff added that he has traveled around the world several times, met different people and played in front of millions throughout his career; this has led him to believe that people should believe in peace and unity.
