Cincinnati: the city that sings

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Cincinnati is “singing every night and day,” and Councilwoman Laure Quinlivan wants everyone to know that.

Quinlivan is producing a music video to promote Cincinnati as “the city that sings.” Production on Sunday included singer Nick Lachey at Great American Ball Park with dancers from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Later, shooting was moved to Findlay Market with former American Idol contestant Eben Franckewitz of Miami Township in Clermont County.

Quinlivan wrote the lyrics to “Cincinnati Singing,” set to the tune of “Proud Mary” by John Fogerty. The first verse says:

It’s a good life in the city

Cincinnati’s singing every night and day

The Pops and the opera

Rock ’n’ roll and gospel

Funk & blues & schools with performing arts

Quinlivan said Cincinnati does not have a national image and that hurts the city when it goes to attract businesses and top artistic talent. She said the city has great opportunity with the World Choir Games that it hosts this summer as media from all over the world will be here.

“The city that sings really is very authentic to us. That’s the reason we got the games,” she said, noting the city’s strong singing tradition and Music Hall as reasons it was picked to have the choir games.

Television talk show host and former Mayor Jerry Springer will appear in a shoot this week. Other celebrities who will be in the video are Bootsy Collins and Lachey’s brother Drew Lachey. Quinlivan said actress Carmen Electra wants to do it from Los Angeles. Quinlivan said she’s not sure how that will work.

Nick Lachey, a 1992 School for Creative & Performing Arts graduate who grew up in College Hill, said he does everything he can to promote hey owns a home in Cincinnati and he said he loves it here. He plans to be here at least for the World Choir Games’ opening ceremonies.

“It’s hard to communicate to people who aren’t from here because it really is a special (and) unique place,” he said. “But I think for people who did grew up here, everyone would agree that there’s no place like Cincinnati.”

Quinlivan said officials want the video to be online and it will probably be about two minutes long. A former television reporter, she said she wrote it so a 30-second section can be made into a public service announcement.

“So we’re hoping our television and radio stations will air it,” she said.