SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
It's a rare gift to write even a single line that people remember. I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat - raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens and...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE OSCAR MAYER WIENER SONG")
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Oh, I'd love to be an Oscar Mayer wiener. That is what I'd truly like to be 'cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener...
SIMON: Richard D. Trentlage was an ad man for large Chicago agencies in 1962 when he heard that Oscar Meyer was holding a wiener jingle contest. He wrote a jingle, had his sons record it in their living room and won the contest with that jingle which would run in 21 countries until 2010. Richard Trentlage was no one-slogan-wonder. He went on to write, it sure doesn't taste like tomato juice, for V8 and buckle up for safety, buckle up, for the National Safety Council.
He died this week at the age of 87 survived by his wife, two sons, two stepdaughters, a stepson, two daughters, 19 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and lots of jingles.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE OSCAR MAYER WIENER SONG")
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) ...Everyone would be in love with me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.