The Budweiser Dog Ad's Minn. Connection
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The new Budweiser commercial tugs at your heart, and the song in the background, well, it's memorable.
The ad, featuring the song "When You Come Home," has more than 15 million YouTube views. It was written and sung by Minneapolis-based musician Dan Rodriguez.
"I was inspired about a guy and his dog to write a song about a friendship or relationship," Rodriguez said.
He was tapped to write the song specifically for the Budweiser commercial, which relies on the unbreakable bond between a guy and his dog to promote responsible drinking. And he drew inspiration from his own life to complete the heartfelt lyrics.
"I'm on the road a lot and my wife is often home, and I miss her when I'm not around," he said. "And if I'm home and she's gone, I'm waiting for her to come home."
Rodriguez wrote the song in one night while on the road. And he liked the way it played out on screen.
"I was watching it and I was thinking, 'This is a Budweiser commercial and that's me, that's my voice. It's not just a song that I wrote and somebody else is signing it, that's me. I'm performing that song in the background of this commercial,' and it was pretty cool," Rodriguez said.
He hopes the exposure will also turn more people on to the music he's been making for a decade.
"It's another step towards the goal of being on the road playing shows and filling venues and having people listen to my music everywhere they go," Rodriguez said.
Right now, the only place to hear the song is on the commercial. Rodriguez says there's a full-length version of the song.
He's working on making it available to download.