What Is The Song In The Apple 'What Should I Do If I Lost My iPhone' Commercial?

In late May, Apple released its "Privacy on iPhone" commercial, appropriately set to the tune of "Mind Your Own Business" by Delta 5. Since then, the company has released a string of commercials that perfectly pair content with music. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as Apple has always strived to produce cutting-edge marketing with catchy melodies. (Remember the iconic 2008 advertisement for the Macbook Air, featuring the song "New Soul" by Yael Naim, anyone?) Now, the tech giant has done it again, selecting the perfect song to accompany its newest commercial.

The "What should I do if I lost my iPhone?" commercial opens with a long shot of a pickup truck driving down a dusty country road, with farms as far as the eye can see. The truck stops abruptly, then reverses — it seems the driver has forgotten something. The driver, dressed in cowboy attire and accompanied by his dog, pulls up to a haystack in the middle of a field and looks quizzically at it. Whatever he's lost, it's in that haystack, and good luck finding it. 

To make it clear that the ad is riffing off that classic English idiom, "a needle in a haystack," the lyrics to the thus-far instrumental country track in the background begin: "Searching, I've spent a lifetime, darling / Searching ... " 

But finding a lost phone in a haystack won't take a lifetime for this cowboy. He pulls back his sleeve to reveal his Apple Watch, on which he simply clicks the "Find My iPhone" button.

Some of the songs featured in Apple commercials are modern ones that speak to our contemporary moment. Others, however, recontextualize older songs, simultaneously harnessing their nostalgia and twisting their meanings in a fun, new way. This latter camp is where the "What should I do if I lost my iPhone?" commercial lies. Its slow, sweet, and somewhat melancholy melody is none other than "Searching (for Someone Like You)" by Kitty Wells, whose warbling voice made this song a hit after its 1955 release. Written by Pee Wee Maddux, the song would become Wells' 15th Top 10 single — and one of the singer's longest running hits (via U Discover Music).

Kitty Wells earned the title of "Queen of Country Music" thanks to a stream of popular songs from the 1950s through the 1970s, according to the artist's Spotify page. Born Ellen Muriel Deason, she began performing as a teenager in her family's band and would join musical forces with her husband, Johnnie Wright, throughout her career with a variety of projects. 

Her songs often incorporate lyrics that subtly challenge misogynist ideas, making her an influential figure for women in country music. Although her long career waned in her later years, her legacy continues to this day — as is evident with the selection of her "Searching (for Someone Like You)" to accompany the newest Apple commercial. 

It really is a great song, and if you're as obsessed with it as we are, check out her 1955 performance of it at the Grand Ole Opry on YouTube.