A struggle song have the right to have 2nd lives — unforeseen ones, in ~ that. Songwriting good Layng Martine Jr. Created the suntan lotion-inspired "Rub it In" in 1971, and also had kind success with it before summer turned to fall. Three years later, Billy "Crash" Craddock turned it into a chart-topping nation hit. Yet if girlfriend hummed Martine"s melody to younger listeners, they"d likely be reminded the a TV commercial for "Glade Plug-Ins," which provided an adaption that the track in a long-running campaign. Here"s what else we learned indigenous Martine when he spoke v Bart Herbison that Nashville Songwriters combination International.

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His flew to Nashville native Connecticut and went directly to the offices of (singer and music publisher) Ray Stevens.

"I came someday to see Ray Stevens just on a whim," Martine recalls. "Not on a whim, actually. My heart was breaking. I took a taxi indigenous the airport, and also I knocked ~ above his door. Ns asked if I might see him. He to be on one of the little houses ~ above 16th. His secretary, by part miracle, said, "Um, probably so." And there was a guy promoting Ray"s documents to the left (of me). He to be a real brand-new Yorker, and he said, "Hey, girlfriend from up there? my brother"s increase there. Everybody"s nuts up there. I don"t blame you because that coming under here." He said, "I"m gonna check out if ray will view ya." So a couple minutes later, the comes earlier and says, "Yeah, stick roughly a pair minutes. Ray"s gonna check out ya." So ns went in and played ray a few songs, and he preferred one. The said, "If you write me a tune that I create as much as this song, I"ll record you."

I went residence to Connecticut and wrote songs choose a fiend. Every mainly or so, I would certainly send him a cassette. He would discuss it. "Yeah, it"d it is in a an excellent b-side, almost, that"s among the finest ones you"ve sent out in a while.""



Inspiration win in a backyard in Connecticut

"People were placing on suntan lotion and someone stated "Hey, would certainly you rub it in?"...I had my guitar, sort of strummed "rub it in, obstacle it in"...my wife Linda lifted she head up and said, "Is that already a song? that sounds choose a hit." I said, "Yeah, that kinda does." I wrote the song and also sent it the next day.


After around a year, I was in this tiny fish and also chips restaurant that i owned, wherein I had 25 employee that hated my guts since I had no idea what i was doing. The phone call rings, and also I pick it up. "Layng, this is beam Stevens. That "Rub that In" you sent me, that"s a smash! just how long will certainly it take it you to acquire down here? We"ll record." I said, "Tomorrow. I"m there." So we recorded it.


After Craddock"s hit version, the song found new life as a advertisement jingle

Glade Plug-Ins used Layng"s melody for their popular TV commercial jingle, "Plug it In, Plug it In." The project ran because that 18 years. Martine claims the brand"s account manager had been a teenager once the song was a hit and when charged v breaking the brand-new product, she thought the track would be a perfect fit.

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