When we’ve had colonoscopies performed it never occurred to us to write a song about it. But then, we’re not Peter Yarrow, the renowned singer/songwriter from Peter, Paul & Mary. He’s teaming up with CBS to promote the preventive medical procedure.
As part of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Yarrow has teamed up with CBS to deliver a serious health message to Americans across multiple CBS platforms: getting a routine colonoscopy saves lives. Many experts feel that colon cancer can be eliminated as a killer if everyone has routine screenings, the announcement noted.
As part of the collaboration, Yarrow worked with CBS to develop and record “The Colonoscopy Song,” (video below) a lighthearted track and video that marries humor with serious content to assert that Yarrow’s colonoscopy that turned up a polyp might well have saved his life. The tune made its debut Tuesday in a live perfromance by Yarrow on “The Early Show.” It will soon appear on iTunes, with all proceeds going to the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA), co-founded by Katie Couric with the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
Yarrow has a special commitment to early cancer detection because of the recent loss of his dear friend and singing partner, Mary Travers. She died from the delayed effects of a powerful chemotherapy treatment that, nevertheless, made it possible for her to defeat Leukemia with a successful bone marrow transplant, and gave her four more years of life than she otherwise might have had.
“With the fragility of Mary Travers leading up to her successful bone marrow transplant, I became more and more involved with helping to raise money and awareness for the prevention and cure of cancer,” said Yarrow. “When cancer hits you personally, you understand the cruelty of this disease, and then you really commit to doing all you can. However, with colon cancer, you can prevent its onset with a colonoscopy, a relatively simple procedure that provided me with a crucial early warning when my colonoscopy turned up a polyp. I only wish that Mary’s advancing leukemia could have been discovered and prevented by such a test,” he added.
CBS is roviding company-wide support to promote the song. CBS Records produced and will distribute the song and accompanying video while CBS Cares (the pro-social division within CBS that creates public service announcements) will promote it on the Network through PSAs that will debut during “60 Minutes” featuring Yarrow and Alan Kalter of the “Late show with David Letterman.
CBS will make the song available to CBS Radio stations across the country which will be broadcasting PSA’s in support of National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. CBS Interactive will feature the song on CBS.com, TheInsider.com and on CBS Radio’s digital assets. Additionally, CBS Marketing will distribute the song and video through Healium, the medical waiting room entertainment and education network powered by CBS; CBS Outdoor will promote the song on a number of its billboards.
