Music and TV commercials

[fuzzyoctopus]

Am I the only one that thinks commercials are picking some absurdly weird songs to option out nowadays?

I've been thinking of this for a while, but I just saw a GM commercial for their summer sale or whatever, and it's using the Dandy Warhols' song "Bohemian like you", except edited so heavily that all instances of the words 'bohemian like you' are left out of the song.  That really annoys me.

Or that HP printer commercial using the Cure song "Pictures of You".  Because when I think of The Cure, I think of printing pictures off of my computer and being all depressed while I do it.

Ok, that one wasn't so bad, but Hewlett Packard and The Cure just seems like an odd combo.

Then there was the 10-10-220 commercial that used the Wallflowers song "One Headlight".  COMPLETELY inappropriate choice. Not only is the song rather depressing, but what does it have to do with long distance?

Then there was the commerical for family cruises that was using Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life".
My husband was the one who caught that one, and he was almost speechless.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Somewhere between shooting up and the rock wall it hits you...


Im shocked you don't associate shooting up with heroin and Caribbean cruises?



I don't mind the Cure in the HP commercial, just because its so cool. The whole thing is beautiful and the song kind of works with the whole thing. I mean staring so long at pictures of a person does capture a moment out of time, capture a real thing, perhaps even a pure true cave kind of thing (to steal from Plato/Socrates)
But your right, The Clash's London Calling is not about being hip in a new car. And the Buzzcocks should never.... ever under any circumstances be used to sell an SUV (but some add exec thought they were)

[Spriggan]

In Japan it's pretty commong to become well knowen from a commercial.  Frequently they'll commission a song and they almost allways say who the group is and the name of the song.  Of course the big thing is doing the opening/closeing credits for a TV show.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I think the only time that's happened in America is with IPod commericals.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

which always make me go to itunes to get the song if I dont already have it.
Someone in apple advertising likes some good music.

[fuzzyoctopus]

agreed.  And since you go to iTunes to get the song, well they're obviously successful too.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

I think the best part is that I can listen to the whole album the song comes from and If I just like the 1 song, Im only out 99 cents as opposed to 16-19 bucks.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I'd just like to add one here.

Commercial - a public service announcement. If you drink and drive, you WILL be arrested.

Music - Stabbing Westward's "Save Yourself"

This one gets points for appropriateness of the title, but loses them for weirdness.

The Man does not listen to Stabbing Westward.  That would be wrong.

[Fellfrosch]

Then how does The Man know where to stab?

[Spriggan]

Then how does The Man know where to stab?

Westward silly.  If not then he'd be stabbing blindly.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Just heard the Kinks "Picture book" in an HP digital photography add and found my self singing along...
Yay!

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

yeah, when I first heard that one I was curious about whether they had chosen the Young Fresh Fellows Cover. Just curious, the YFF does a good cover. BUt I have to admit I was really pleased to hear Ray singing it out.

What they DON'T realize, however, is that the song is actually mocking people who keep pictures. Ray's something of a luddite. the thesis of the song is that people are ridiculous for relying on pictures for their memories. They use these photo albums as a substitute for real feelings instead of their minds and emotions which would actually preserve the relationships in the pictures.

Anyway, I was still pleased the picked the Kinks.  Yay!

[mulchNator]

My favorite advertisement is still the iPod commercial.  The one where the guy is walkin down the sidewalk and the posters behind him come to life.  They are all random colors and silouettes of people gettin their funk on!  Ahhhhh Yeahhhhhh!!!  The tune playin in the background is none the less than THE VINES.  Title of the track would be "RIDE"

Come on RIDE with me, RIDE . . . . with. . me, RIDE. . . .  with. . me, AHHHH HUHHgHHH HUHHHg!!!

[fuzzyoctopus]

iPod commercials in general have been fabulous.  Sure they get made fun of for the 'black outline' thing, but you know that a lot of songs - like the Jet song "Are you gonna be my girl?" wouldn't have been as big without them.

[Fellfrosch]

My favorite commercial is the series of McDonalds chicken strip ads, where the guy decries all of the insidious marketing tricks McDonalds uses to fool you into buying their stuff. No music, but very funny on a lot of levels. I guess that makes this a tangent.