"South American Getaway". (Posted 2/12/2026)

OK, boys and girls, back to the Winter Olympics and Paralympics: This 1969 Burt Bacharach vocalese/scat a capella classic was part of the legendary "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" soundtrack. When it became clear they have to flee, they head for Bolivia (hint, hint!), along with Etta Place, in search of a more successful criminal career. It was performed by The Ron Hicklin Singers, an L.A.-based ensemble of studio vocalists. It is now the background music for the "a little coffee goes a long way" Starbucks TV commercial, being aired during the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Tune? Answer: "South American Getaway". "...pad a dap a dapadda, doob be doobee doop, pum… pum… pum… padadappada..." The Ron Hicklin Singers were the vocal equivalent of The Wrecking Crew. They were the real backup singers to The Partridge Family. They also recorded the backing vocals to "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Theme", Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park", "Suicide Is Painless" from M*A*S*H* and many others. In the Starbucks commercial, it is sung by London Music Works. It features USA Olympians and Paralympians Amber Glenn, Elana Meyers Taylor, Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike. Sadly, the great Burt Bacharach left us in 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA68WvUxGHo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p63dLKuXUXE&list=RDp63dLKuXUXE&start_radio=1