I'd posted this elsewhere, and my friend Kel suggested that Gwen's Forum Friends might like to play, too.

So here goes...

You've probably been annoyed on many occasions by adverts that use music you love to sell stuff you don't want.

Or maybe you were happy to see a song by a beloved artist hit big BECAUSE it was used in an advert.

Or maybe you bought a CD specifically because you heard the song in an advert.

I started thinking about it and got slightly overwhelmed.

Examples:

Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" for VW

Carly Simon's "Anticipation" for ketchup (Heinz?)

Kinks' "(So Tired of) Waiting for You" (for an internet service, I believe)

Beatles' "Revolution" for Nike

Blur's "Song 2" (Woo hoo!) for Nissan (Sentra?)

Can't remember if it was Verdi or Puccini or whether it was for Taittinger's or Tott's champagne: "Oh Mio Babbino Caro", Kiri Te Kanawa singing.

There are lots more here: http://www.adcritic.com/music/

Which can you think of?

Did you like how they were used?

Do you now hate a song you used to kinda like because you heard it used to shill something on TV?

Also, I know the Buzzcocks, Who, etc. have been used but can't recall for WHAT. Do you remember?

Disclaimer: I am not and probably never will be an employee of any advertising-related entity. :) I am also, I should point out, not a student writing a paper. I'm just curious.

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

Answers

Vauxhall, I believe, uses the string section from Madonna's Papa Don't Preach at the end of their adverts, and I think it's well- used. Songs like Lenny Kravitz's Fly Away, which sucked from the moment they were first written, were bound to annoy me anyway -- used in an advert or otherwise overplayed.

In last week's issue of the NME, Moby addresses the whole question of using music in adverts:

He's licensed his music since 1995 and sometimes given profits away entirely (to Greenpeace, motoring organisations, homeless shelters, animal rights groups), kept some for himself and -- 'my number one reason' -- generated cash for his independent label, Mute.

'Even the people protesting the WTO,' he avers, 'they still use computers, they still drink soft drinks, they still wear sneakers, they still drive cars -- everyone is involved in consumer culture...I just can't make sweeping generalisations anymore. There's consumerist values which are horrifying, some are benign. The world isn't as dichotomous as it used to be; we have greedy communists and millionaire socialists...if it has merit and substance it will still emerge as precious after it's been trampled on...Whenever human beings analyse a situation, the great flaw is to judge it from a static perspective...Systems are complicated and can't be judged from a static perspective...Static orthodoxy is almost always wrong.'

I guess that's a bit of a serious answer, but I think there's a lot of validity to it.

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

Milla, the fake email address you used means that anyone who responds to this thread will receive a bounced email to their inbox.

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

I love the Spice Girls song that was little more than a Pepsi commercial.... "Move Over"?

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

Apologies for the bounced mail. :( :( Removing "nospam" leaves a functional address, though...

Removing "nospam" from my cookies in general, however, innundates me with, well, spam mail and my INBOX is tiny (I have about half a meg leeway most days). There has to be a compromise, though, and I'll get working on one. Suggestions welcome (to address without "nospam" in it).

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

Ok, so that song from Verizon Wireless, People Everywhere Just Want to be Free...is that a real song or was it created for the ad? It seems I've heard it before, but maybe it's because that ad is on 9 MILLION TIMES A DAY. Just because of that song I will never ever in my life use Verizon for my wireless needs. Over-dramatic? Yes. I just can't stand that song.

On the other hand, a few years ago VW used that Trio song, "Da da da". I found some crazy soundtrack it was on and bought it (I think it was the Biodome soundtrack).

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

Oh, horrible. HORRIBLE! It makes me so mad. Music creates associations in my mind, conjures up feelings and dreams. Hearing music that has meant something to me used to sell something creates a new association that ruins the whole fucking thing. Nothing pisses me off more. Hey, is nothing sacred? Art and commercialism should have more clearly defined boundaries. Sure, write a jingle, that's great. Just make sure to advertise your top 40 single: "As heard on mr. fatcat's corporation's commercial!" That would make me happy.

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2000

For some reason, I don't mind when it's a little known song. But when something like THE WHO gets used for Lexus (or whichever one shows those stupid people playing polo on the edge of a cliff out of their SUVs), I'm thinking: Yeah, Because you know, they really NEED more money. Somebody like the Buzzcocks, that's probably their last big chance to cash in on the song without having a reunion tour with 8 other bands, but you'd be hard-pressed to convince me that Pete Townsend needs more dough. Or the Rolling Stones.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

Cubby, I have to agree with you...I DESPISE that damn Vorizon song. It is SO annoying!! ARRGH! If I hear it once more, I think I'll scream!

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

I remember being pissed off when Lenny Kravitz sold out...but I don't know. I probably miss a lot of what goes on.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

I, for one, was a bit miffed at the Beatles being used for adverts. And WHY? Because Michael Jackson owns the rights to a lot of their songs... Pssht! hehehe

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

By the time most pop songs are sold out, I'm already sick of 'em, so it only gets worse when I hear the same annoying songs everytime I turn on the radio AND TV!

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

Mostly it bothers me that certain songs I like are now forever associated in my brain with hair dye or cars or something. Have you ever noticed how many Motown songs are used in commercials?

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

In some cases, I've had newly-found, seething hatred for songs I'd otherwise not ever hear unless I was stuck in my dentist's office listening to some "Jammin' Oldies" station. Case in point: that "Whose That Lady?" song for Salon Selectives... (and don't even get me started on that grating child lipsynching to it.)

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

I know this is off-topic, but...anyway. I maintain that it's not my fault that I sing "Tresomme, Tresomme, ooh-la-la!" whenever I see the commercial or products. That song drives me insane. I hear it in my sleep. The Vorizon one is pretty bad, too.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

Nothing to add except to suggest to Milla that she sign up for a free e-mail account at one of the thousands of sites that offer them, and then use that for posting, but never actually check it (or only go in once in a great while to check for actual mail and dump the spam).

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2000

When Lennon wrote "Revolution" I doubt he was thinking about tennis shoes. And when McCartney wrote "Good Day Sunshine" I doubt he was thinking of Sunchips (or whatever they're called). It's terrible that people now associate these classic rock songs with cars, fast food, and other crap. I make it a point not to buy products that use classic rock tunes. Maybe if everyone did this.....?? And boycott that a@@hole Michael Jackson (who owns the Beatles songs) while you're at it.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Word, Mike.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

I make TV commercials and I hate it when they use popular music (including classical) to sell their product. What pisses me off is when they use these songs for promos for shows- I've heard that Blur (Woo Hoo) song so many times for football promos and more; Poor Moby's been raped a thousand times over. Unless it's being done with wit and humour, it shouldn't be done at all, so there.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

What I heard is that Moby deliberately sold the rights to all his songs to get more exposure. And it worked: he's sold a huge pile of CDs to people who otherwise wouldn't give him a chance...and I'm sure he's made a mint.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000

Milla, that's a little strange about Moby, when all he had to do was work with Madonna on one album that would have paid for a small island in Greece. Oh well, I suppose there's selling out and SELLING OUT...

-- Anonymous, November 23, 2000

Yeah, but if it wasn't for Porcelain being used in that commercial, I would've never heard of Moby. My husband picked up Play and I love it.

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2000