Paul McCartney tunes up with song for Linda's vegetarian food range

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/jan/18/paul-mccartney-vegetarian-food-ad

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Sir Paul McCartney has recorded a song to accompany a new TV advert for his late wife Linda's vegetarian food range.

The commercial, to be screened this month on British television, has come out of a collaboration between McCartney, Elvis Costello and the producer Mark Ronson. It will also feature an animated depiction of Linda McCartney, who died in 1998.

It is narrated by Costello, McCartney's friend, who has been a vegetarian since the early 1980s. He follows in the footsteps of his late father, Ross MacManus, as the voice of an advert – he sang the R White's theme Secret Lemonade Drinker in the 1970s.

Costello said: "Linda always talked well and made it seem that you wouldn't be joining a secret weird society by being vegetarian."

The song that accompanies the LoveLinda campaign ad is a re-recorded version of McCartney's Heart of the Country, which appeared on 1971 album Ram. It went on to be the B-side of his single The Back Seat of My Car.

The new version was done during a session with the producer Mark Ronson.

It is thought to be the first time McCartney has specifically recorded a tune for an ad, although his songs were made available for licensing to commercials several years ago. The frozen food firm launched by Linda McCartney has not advertised on television for 15 years.

The ad, to be screened from 28 January, was created by a team that has worked on animated projects for The Beatles and Gorillaz and features Linda walking her children to a woodland feast.

Fans will be scouring the footage for references to McCartney. An image of a sheepdog makes several appearances and could be the dog immortalised in his Beatles tune Martha My Dear, while one figure bears a resemblance to the Fab Four's roadie Mal Evans.

There is also a musical frog, which could be a nod to Sir Paul's top three hit with The Frog Chorus, We All Stand Together.

Linda McCartney's vegetarian empire was bought by an American organic foods firm in 2006. The vegetarian frozen meals firm was set up in 1991 and was sold by Heinz to Hain Celestial Group for an undisclosed sum.

According to the Linda McCartney foods official website her family remains "very much involved [in the range] and take an active role in every step of the process from creating new products, tweaking recipes, packaging design and photography for the packs".

Sales of the McCartney range, which helped popularise vegetarianism, was originally highly successful, but began to decline as consumers started to turn their backs on frozen foods.