I'm willing to bet hard-earned money that at the end of that sentence a sound popped into your head, a yodel that has been buried in the subconscious of millions of people around the world. It is the most famous yodel of all time, a lilting, driving, circular phrase that is both instantly recognizable and completely anonymous:
"Ah-de-lu-de ah-de-li-do ah-de-lu-di-ah,
ah-de-lu-de ah-de-li-do ah-de-lu-di-o"
That sound comes from "Cliff Hangers," a game that's been on "The Price is Right" since 1977. According to those who know, the sound came from a record called "Swiss Mountain Alp Music, Circa 1975-'76," and to the best of my knowledge, has yet to find its way onto the Web in unadulterated form.
"Cliff Hangers" is a stupid, stupid game. For those whose "TPIR" memories are obscured by strep-throat fevers: Players have to guess the price of everyday items, and if they're wrong by more than $25 (an amount which has not changed in the 28 years that the game has been played) the mountain climber crashes into the ravine apparently filled with broken glass. Despite its inanity, that yodeling has become a universal code for waiting. It's not in the same league as its more famous "Jeopardy!" theme, but it gets a fair share of references, with a more subtle syntax. The "Jeopardy" theme suggests cheery impatience; "Cliff Hangers," despite the yodel, is more blase, even sarcastic, a musical tag for waiting with the knowledge that the end can only mean falling off a cliff.
As it turns out, "TPIR" has spawned a litany of aural cues that have spread throughout modern culture. I can't go to my gym without hearing the original theme song set into a thumping dance groove, popular about four years ago. Others have noted the appropriateness of the loser's refrain -- "Buh-bump-a-nahhhhh, wahhhhhhhh" -- for many of life's little messes. And while children today may never be drilled with a singular set of sounds as we were, they will still be able to enjoy "Cliff Hangers" for generations to come.
2 comments:
Oh, the memories I have of skipping class with Sybil to watch TPIR in hopes of catching a round of Cliff Hangers. Those were the days...
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