DoorDash’s “Passion Should Never Go Hungry” campaign from its in-house team features a spot in which a diverse crowd of soccer fans follow the lead of an impassioned capo. As he bellows out a rousing soccer chant, set to the tune of “When The Saints Go Marching In” with playfully tweaked Spanglish lyrics, the horde marches through the streets, demanding what they most desire: food. Singing about their love of pizza and fries, the chant deepens with increasing layers of harmony and instrumentation, transforming into a full-blown musical experience as it reaches its crescendo.
DoorDash, an official sponsor of Major League Soccer, gravitated to Los Angeles-based SOUTH Music & Sound directly for the commercial, which was directed by Luke Monaghan of production house London Alley. With the song and lyrics already chosen by DoorDash, SOUTH was tasked with all the rest, from original music and voice casting to arrangement, sound design, and final mix. The end result nabbed the #1 slot in SHOOT’s Q2 2022 Top Ten Tracks Chart.
Striving for authenticity, DoorDash’s team was keen for a raw, guttural performance from people with real connections to soccer culture. SOUTH managed to rally together a team of vocalists with the right experience to deliver an authentic performance. A testament to the success of the casting process, the team found a Spanish-speaking lead to sing the bilingual lyrics, with a voice that uncannily matches the actor on screen.
Building the chant up in layers, the audio features predominantly pre-recorded vocalists with captured sound from the set sprinkled in for added realism. Collaborating closely with the DoorDash team to craft a more full-bodied experience, SOUTH adapted the sound to meet their needs as they evolved with each cut, incorporating additional voices for a more diverse sound, and more people singing in tune for greater musicality.
During post, the teams worked to strike a balance between raw power and cinematic grandeur. Crafting two versions of the audio, one truly raw and one perfectly polished, SOUTH worked to incorporate both into the spot, evolving from guttural to musical through the addition of a subtle orchestra halfway through. By adding this cinematic touch, SOUTH managed to imbue the sound with a level of playfulness that manages the chant’s humorous lyrics. Increasing that magical element as the chant goes on, the final composition guides the audience, subtly heightening the emotion as it reaches its peak.
Dan Pritikin, partner and creative director at SOUTH, commented, “This project was a truly positive experience from beginning to end. DoorDash were such collaborative creative partners, and we really appreciate the trust they had in us to deliver a pitch-perfect performance that balances raw power with musicality. Nothing compares to that little moment of anticipation when you’re about to receive the cut, and the relieved joy you feel when you realize it’s really going to work.”
Ann Haugen, partner and executive producer at SOUTH, added, “Each new project we do requires us to bring fresh perspectives to the table and go above and beyond the traditional music track–and we absolutely thrived off the challenge of this one. I felt such a rush figuring out how to meet all the different criteria to make something amazing. Seeing it slowly come together and end up better than imagined is priceless – it’s definitely one of my favorite projects we’ve done this year.”
Pritikin and Haugen were part of a SOUTH ensemble on DoorDash which also included composer, sound designer and audio post mixer Robin Holden, composer Jon Darling and producer Allison Lapinski.
Click here to view the full Top Ten Tracks Chart for the second quarter of 2022.
