The two-and-a-half minute jingle, The Happy Song, features a bouncy major key melody, lyrics about the sky and the ocean, and various anthropomorphised animal and vehicle noises.
It was created after C&G Baby Club asked 1,000 parents to name the noises that made their babies cheerful, with the top results being sneezing (51%), animal sounds (23%) and baby laughter (28%). The parents were also invited to upload the sounds their little ones most enjoyed to the Club’s website.
A collective of BETC, Heap, music consultancy Felt Music and Goldsmiths psychologists Caspar Addyman and Lauren Stewart then used the sounds, along with previous research and hypotheses from Addyman and Stewart, to produce four tracks that explored various tempos, chord patterns, pitches, rhythms and musical devices.
The Goldsmiths team and Felt Music then carried out a three-month testing process at their infant laboratory, monitoring the reactions of more than 50 babies aged six to 24 months. After further rounds of tests, a final composition emerged.
Director Michael J. Ferns from Pretzel Films directed the music video, which shows self-captured footage from seven of the families involved in the process playing the song to their babies.
C&G Baby Club brand manager Louise Morley said: "Being able to identify what makes babies happy is part of our ongoing commitment to help mums and dads treasure and enjoy their children’s early years.
"This song has been designed for parents to use at home, in the car or out and about, in those moments when parents want to celebrate their little ones’ happiness. The song can be used to create a fun and rewarding bonding experience between baby and parent."
BETC London executive creative director Rosie Bardales called the project a "testament to C&G Baby Club’s continued dedication to parent and baby happiness."
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