Jimmy Johns' Super Bowl ad shows depictions of mob life in pop culture with a bit of help from the Hollies' hit "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)."

In "Meet the King," actor Brad Garrett (best known for Everybody Loves Raymond) plays Tony Bolognavich, the "King of Cold Cuts." He explains the keys to his success: "Take some bargain bread, slap on a little not-quite meat, get yourself a catchy jingle." It's given him a lavish lifestyle, including a fleet of cars and a swimming pool in the shape of a hero sandwich.

But, as the opening notes to "Long Cool Woman" kick in, it starts to go downhill once Jimmy John's started moving in on his territory and taking his customers with freshly baked bread and all-natural meat at reasonable prices. He even catches his wife enjoying the competition. So he vows revenge. But it backfires when a billboard he set on fire collapses onto his car. "I'm coming for you, Jimmy's John's," he says at the end, mispronouncing its name. "This is war. Sandwich war."

The nearly two-minute clip borrows elements from the mob classics Goodfellas and The Sopranos, and uses cinematic techniques like narration, quick zooms and use of classic rock. Familiar scenarios like mansions, shady late-night deals and card games in warehouses also show up.

You can watch the commercial below.

"Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)" was released on 1971's Distant Light, three years after Graham Nash's departure from the Hollies. The song was a move away from the harmony-rich pop the group had hits with in the '60s.

The rockabilly-infused single, which recalled Creedence Clearwater Revival's sound so much that John Fogerty sued, became the Hollies' biggest-ever hit in the U.S., reaching No. 2.

 

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