Gatti's Pizza will pay you to write its next annoying jingle
$10,000 to whoever gets "Dial 459-2222" stuck in our heads the deepest
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The competition for Austin's most annoying jingle is fierce, and—while “See ya in a Capitol Kia” definitely has the TV division all sewn up—when it comes to radio spots, Decider has to give all its points to the locally based, newly pansexual Gatti’s Pizza (né Mr. Gatti’s). Its swingin’ “Dial 459-2222” is so instantly, irritatingly catchy, that now that we've simply mentioned it, there’s little doubt you’re already mentally humming, “And get a Gatti’s pizza delivered." Have fun with that.
Is it possible to improve upon an earworm so rapacious in its burrowing? Unlikely, but Gatti’s is currently offering those willing to try a grand prize of $10,000, free pizza for a year, a $1,000 gift certificate to a local music equipment store, and a custom website, so you can use your newfound fame to leapfrog into a successful music career—you know, like how Dylan got started. Gatti’s is asking for a “unique take” on the original we all know and hate, which could mean anything from simply singing it in your own voice, running it through a shitload of delay pedals and calling it a “dub mix,” or even “writing a whole new song about what Gatti’s means to you.” (Say, a strummy acoustic ballad that uses its all-you-can-eat buffet as a metaphor for regret.) According to the website, you can “rock it, remix it, countrify it, rap it, rewrite it, mash it, go emo on it”—whatever that means—so long as you “keep it clean” and don’t forget those insidious lyrics.
Even if you’re not interested in competing, you may want to check out some of the submissions, which range from Star Salzman’s Auto-Tune-enhanced “Pizza Exuberance” to Business Deal Records cohorts The Rockafire Experience and the slightly darkwave “Such Pain Inside." If pressed for a favorite, Decider would have to go with the Beach Boys harmonies of The Pizza Pirate’s “Yum” or the Barry White come-ons of Joel Calvin’s “Oh Gatti’s,” but really, the contest is still wide open. Download the sheet music (it exists!) and give us something we can live with, please.
