Iggy Azalea’s Fancy Gets a 1920s Rejig in New Tanqueray Spot

Finger Music London and Leisure Cruise re-compose Iggy Azalea’s hit, Fancy ft. Charlie XCX, with a catchy 1920’s twist for the Gin brand.

Finger Music have worked with Mother London and US-band Leisure Cruise to source and re-record the famous rap track ‘Fancy’ in a 1920’s themed campaign for London gin brand, Tanqueray.

Working with Mother, Tanqueray presents the glamorous 60” film, ‘Tonight We Tanqueray’, celebrating 180 years of the Dry Gin’s legacy. The ad opens on an empty bar where we first hear the instantly recognisable intro to ‘Fancy’ played staccato on an old bar room piano.  We see Tanqueray’s suave barman unveiling his glamourous guests, poised like mannequins in 1920’s attire, from beneath white sheets, as he sets them up for an interesting evening. As the soiree gets underway, and the barman’s playful situations unfold, Leisure Cruise’s 1920’s jazz version of ‘Fancy’ gets the party really swinging.

Discussing the choice of track for Tanqueray’s commercial, Music Supervisor on the project, Chris Phelps explains: “We felt it was important for the selected track to have a recognisable melody. In terms of production, it’s possible to play almost any song using 1920’s instrumentation and/or production, but it was the melody and catchiness that was most important.”

In this instance the supervision process required a keen eye for how visual and sonic elements can integrate. With the film already in place, Chris and Dave Hodge (who as well as fulfilling the role as Finger’s Creative Director also fronts Leisure Cruise who re-composed the track) had to look carefully at which tracks would have the correct tempo.

Chris Phelps comments on matching the music to the visuals: “The film obviously provides you with the familiar aesthetic of the 1920s, but more importantly gives you an idea of the dynamic of the commercial; for example how it builds and develops. From that perspective it was important to find a track that had a minimal front end, but then lifted into a more interesting dynamic to help support the celebratory ending.”

Dave Hodge adds: “As far as the arrangement and overall arc goes, the story and visuals in this spot were structured in a way which lent quite well to placing music. The important moments have been executed very clearly, which made it easier for us to dictate the arrangement and scoring. 

Leisure Cruise who composed the re-record of the song describe themselves as ‘sounding like the future as imagined in the past—yet rooted in the now. Imagine the music of a John Hughes film if it had been written by Bowie, remixed by Johnny Jewel, and fronted by a female Prince, and you’ll start to get the idea.’

Discussing why Leisure Cruise were chosen to re-record the song, Executive Producer Clare McGrath comments: “With a project like this, if you want to create a track that is going to feel authentic, you need to allow the artist/composer to have their own creative input. At Finger we work hard to make sure we put the right creative people on a project – in this instance Leisure Cruise were perfect. They have a specific style and are really relevant. We worked very closely together, but allowed them their creative independence and the end result is a track that fits the client brief, but wouldn’t feel out of place if you heard it on the radio!”