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Mobile phone ringtones have been around for nearly a
decade now, with the first commercial ringtone services said to have emerged in
Finland
in 1997. Gradually, they have become an
established part of modern life, with some of them becoming headline news over
the years. So as we look back over the
history of ringtones, which stand out as the “big hits" or “classics" of this
new kind of music format? Here is an
attempt at a top 10 list.
Nokia Tune
The Nokia Tune, based on a 13 note rendering of “Gran
Vals" by Francisco Tarrega, a 19th-century Spanish musician, is typically
included within all Nokia handsets as the default ringtone and has therefore
become famous or infamous due to its popularity. It is the typical ringtone of the middle-aged
business man who hasn’t got the time or inclination to work out how to change
it.
Mosquito Tone
The mosquito tone or “Teen Buzz" is based on adaption of a
high-frequency sound designed to repel teenagers from hanging around outside
shops, without bothering older people, who could not hear the sound due its
pitch. It began being used and sold as a
“silent ringtone" for teenagers to use, for example in class, without the
teacher being able to hear it.
Crazy Frog
The “Crazy Frog" ringtone was based on an animation called
“The Annoying Thing" by Erik Wernquist, and made famous by the mobile content
company Jamba who heavily promoted “The Crazy Frog" on TV and the
internet. The ringtone spawned a chart
hit based on a remix of “Alex F" which went to No.1 in the UK, Japan,
Australia
and a number of European countries;.
Nokia Morse Code SMS alert
Similar to the Nokia Tune, the Nokia SMS alert is probably
the most famous “SMS tone" designed to be used for text message
notifications. The tone spells out
“S-M-S" in Morse Code.
Classic telephone ring
With the rise of personalised tones a lot of people have
decided to avoid them in favour of the classic “bell ringing" sound of a normal
telephone. A number of surveys over the
years have shown this to be one of the most popular tones.
Sir Mixalot
In 1992, Sir Mixalot, a rapper had a huge hit with “Baby
Got Back" which was re-recorded as a ringtone with the lyrics "Pick up the
phone! Pick up the phone! 'Cause you don't wanna miss this call and I cannot
lie!." This was one of the first
“ringtone remixes" of popular songs to achieve success after being marketed by
Jamba, the same company that produced the Crazy Frog ringtone.
R2D2 Ringtone
Ringtones based on the sounds “R2D2" from the film Star
Wars makes in the film are emerging as a popular choice for ringtones. R2D2 sounds make a great choice for a
ringtone as they are loud, easily heard and distinctive but just about manage
to avoid a tack, novelty feel like some ringtones.
Nokia Dying Remix
Based on the classic Nokia Tune, the Nokia “Dying" or
“Flat Battery" remix is a humorous version of the classic Nokia Tune where the
sound eventually goes flat or explodes, giving a nod to the annoyance that it
can cause when heard repeatedly.
CTU Ringtone
The popular TV show “24" features a highly recognisable
ringtone on the phones in the CTU office complex. The same sound is now being marketed as a
ringtone for mobile phones and is rapidly becoming a big hit.
Iphone ringtone
When Steve Jobs announced the launch of the iphone in
early 2007, his demonstration included a ringtone, which was quickly made
available as a recording by a number of websites. The ringtone has been described as like “holy
angels tinkling" and was eventually included within the standard ringtone set
on the iphone.
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