A Clinton campaign tune, with a touch of 'Sopranos'
And the winner is ... Celine Dion.
WASHINGTON - The scene: A diner and a jukebox. A nostalgic song. A cut to black. It worked as a finale for
The Sopranos.
It now marks a new beginning for
The Clintons.
Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign yesterday unveiled its new campaign song with a Web video that spoofs the final scene of the popular HBO mobster series.
The video and the announcement of Celine Dion's "You and I" as the official Clinton tune cap a monthlong, interactive Internet campaign that drew more than a million viewers to the candidate's Web site and to YouTube, the popular online video display room.
The song campaign and video also illustrate the growing effort by some of the more technologically savvy campaigns to connect with voters and potential donors in clever, relatively inexpensive formats infused with pop-culture references, contemporary themes or intimate moments.
In the Clinton clip, Hillary Clinton, like Tony Soprano, spins through the musical selections, this time at a diner in Mount Kisco, N.Y., as former President Bill Clinton quizzes her about the campaign.
The Soprano touches are clear to any fan of the series.
The music that plays through the video is not Dion's but Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," the same song that Tony Soprano chooses in the show's final scene. At one point, actor Vince Curatola, who played New York mob boss Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni in the series, walks menacingly by the Clintons' table.
Tony Soprano ordered onion rings. Hillary orders carrots for Bill.
"Where's Chelsea?" Sen. Clinton asks. Outside, a car tire hits the curb.
"Parallel parking," President Clinton replies.
"How's the campaign going?" he asks.
"Well, like you always say, focus on the good times."
"So what's the winning song," he presses.
"You'll see."
"My money is on Smash Mouth," he says.
"Ready?" Hillary asks.
The scene cuts to black.
But, no, unlike the Sopranos, it's not over. You can click to hear Dion's song. A new page pops up. The most prominent word stands out against a red background:
Contribute.
See the clip, hear the tune at Hillary Clinton's Web site via http://go.philly.com/hillarytuneEndText