Topic: Music in Commercials (Read 20672 times)

Praeserpium Machinarum · « **on:** 19 Dec 2005, 01:45 »

How do you lot feel about it?

What sparked this was that I heard Feist's Mushaboom in a Lacoste commercial and I thought it was hella cool. I think its an excellent way to get lots of awesome music out to a lot of people. Take Nick Drake for example, when his song Pink Moon was used in some Volkswagen commercial, he was rediscovered and hailed as a great singer/songwriter.
The downside is of course that the music might be some mainstream tripe that doesn't tickle anyone's fancy, but that's the conditions I suppose.

Thrillho · « **Reply #1 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 12:37 »

No one would have ever heard of Dandy Warhols if it wasn't for Vodafone.

But on the other hand, some songs you think 'they shouldn't be touched.'

lastclearchance · « **Reply #2 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 13:02 »

I think if the songwriter says it's okay, then I don't care what songs are used. Of course, that isn't always the case.

An unrelated commercial with a great song: http://www.bravia-advert.com/

Gryff · « **Reply #3 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 14:15 »

Seeing this topic made me instantly think of that bravia advert. Lovely song!

Also, imagine if the evil advertisers had got their way and used Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire' in a commercial for haemorrhoid cream, or Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand' in an ad for tampons.

Micolithe · « **Reply #4 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 14:16 »

I'm kind of suprised that JC Penny is using an Electric Light Orchestra song for their holiday commericals.

nescience · « **Reply #5 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 14:24 »

Quote from: lastclearchance

An unrelated commercial with a great song: http://www.bravia-advert.com/

I used to live right near that hill. Bouncy-balls invade North Beach!

chamberk · « **Reply #6 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 15:24 »

I really liked that Nick Drake VW commercial, cause it did get me interested in his work. There are plenty of people who are like RARRRRRR IT'S A HAPPY COMMERCIAL WITH A HORRIBLY DEPRESSING SONG WORST COMMERCIAL EVER, though.

I also like that one ad that plays Grandaddy. And the other one that plays Postal Service's "We Will Become Silhouettes". Cause I like both of those songs. (They were both car commercials, but you couldn't get me to name teh car for the life of me. Talk about great advertising, eh?)

surefunk · « **Reply #7 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 15:44 »

if it's done well, it can be cool. but it still feels weird sometimes, like when there was a modest mouse song in a nissan commercial last year. just get this feeling like "wait...what's that doing there?"
if it builds up an audience for the artist, then that's great, but i wonder how easy it is for people to even find out who the musician is if they haven't heard the stuff before.

Kai · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 17:37 »

Or people could be awesome like Tom Waits and not want any of his music in commercials, and doesn't want people imitating his vocal style[READ:Whiskey addled scratchbox of doom], and when they did he sued the hell outta them. TAKE THAT, CAR COMPANIES THAT LIKE TOM WAITS

Running For Home · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 17:48 »

Blitzkreig Bop should not be used for Pepsi ads where the cans are moshpitting in the freezer and talking.

Bunnyman · « **Reply #10 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 19:05 »

I generally refuse to listen to a song if I hear it in a commercial. It just destroys the indie cred, y'know? More pathological on my part than anything.

I like to forget RJD2's "Ghostwriter" was used in some car commerical.

Nonetheless, witness the final word in awesome commercials.

theenginedriver · « **Reply #11 on:** 19 Dec 2005, 19:45 »

it always makes really incredibly sad to hear good music in commercials.

TrueNeutral · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 06:36 »

I don't watch TV so I don't have to see it, and it gives my favourite artists extra money to get better production values. It's a win-win situation.

Praeserpium Machinarum · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 13:16 »

Quote

Or people could be awesome like Tom Waits and not want any of his music in commercials, and doesn't want people imitating his vocal style[READ:Whiskey addled scratchbox of doom], and when they did he sued the hell outta them. TAKE THAT, CAR COMPANIES THAT LIKE TOM WAITS

I think I would be strangely flattered by that. I mean they must really think he is awesome to go out of their way to actually find someone who only SOUNDS like him. Pissed off, sure, but also kind of flattered

slinkyindieninja · « **Reply #14 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 13:25 »

Quote from: Kai

Or people could be awesome like Tom Waits and not want any of his music in commercials, and doesn't want people imitating his vocal style[READ:Whiskey addled scratchbox of doom], and when they did he sued the hell outta them. TAKE THAT, CAR COMPANIES THAT LIKE TOM WAITS

That sounds like what happened when Muse's cover of Feeling Good was used in a Nescafe ad. After a few weeks it was changed to a soundalike.

Thrillho · « **Reply #15 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 14:19 »

Quote from: Gryff

Seeing this topic made me instantly think of that bravia advert. Lovely song!

Also, imagine if the evil advertisers had got their way and used Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire' in a commercial for haemorrhoid cream, or Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand' in an ad for tampons.

I wouldn't put that past Nick Cave. He'd probably think it was hilarious.

However, he'd also kill someone and store their body in a piano if they did the former...

Giantandre · « **Reply #16 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 15:33 »

Yeah guys it must suck to have the band you love make some coin so they can make some more albums w/o having to work at a 7/11......STOP BEING SO INDIE..........

Merkava · « **Reply #17 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 15:38 »

Wasn't there a car commercial with The Walkmen's We've Been Had? Whoever did that wins.

öde · « **Reply #18 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 16:34 »

I really liked the song that was on the Touch of Pink adverts, I'm dissapointed they changed it

There's also some other songs in adverts I like, but I can't remember them...

öde · « **Reply #19 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 17:48 »

Quote from: tommydski

i'm confused by your reference to this 'touch of pink' sir.

in my house this is a reference to lady parts.

clarify.

Hah, it's perfume.

User_Name · « **Reply #20 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 19:08 »

I don't give two shits if a song is played on a commercial.

If it's a good song, it's a good song.
The popularity of a song doesn't lessen it's quality, and it wouldn't deter me from listening to it.

GebStar · « **Reply #21 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 21:08 »

Quote from: lastclearchance

An unrelated commercial with a great song: http://www.bravia-advert.com/

That Commercial made me cry.
But no this topic has just come about in the right time. I decided to look into Jose Gonzalez (who does the song in the add) after a friend said "He's actually really good, he did that bravia add" and I'm like "awesome" so i got his 2003 album, which has the add song on it, and I'm very pleased.

I think it's a combination of the add, and the good friend brining it up, however if someone asks, i was into him before the add came out.

Peck · « **Reply #22 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 21:32 »

The problem I have is that I'll see a commercial, hear the song, forget about it, and then download it by complete coincidence a few months later. It's happened with Supergrass, Le Tigre, Kings Of Leon, and the Walkmen so far.

Inlander · « **Reply #23 on:** 20 Dec 2005, 22:08 »

Quote from: GebStar

I decided to look into Jose Gonzalez (who does the song in the add) after a friend said "He's actually really good, he did that bravia add" and I'm like "awesome" so i got his 2003 album, which has the add song on it, and I'm very pleased.

I bought Bryan Ferry's As Time Goes By just to get his version of "Falling in Love Again", which was used in the Victoria Tourism ads a few years ago.

Also, I bought the Go-Betweens' 16 Lovers Lane because of the old Channel 7 promos, which used "Streets of Your Town". Although not the line about butcher's knives and battered wives.

El Opium · « **Reply #24 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 00:03 »

Quote from: tommydski

.......or if anyone uses 'sex bomb' by flipper in an advert.
that's my song you fuckers. if you use it i will cut off your fucking face.

I tried to imagine what that song would be used to advertise and all I could think of was an imaginary brand of cheap beer that has a strange gritty substance at the bottom of the bottle.

McTaggart · « **Reply #25 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 00:59 »

The Dandy Warhols Bohemian Like You was used in a car ad. Sortof. They used the line 'Got a great car' but changed the line 'Yeah, whats wrong with it today' which comes right after.

That's actually one of my pet hates. I can't stand it when they they cut up songs just to use them in ads.

slinkyindieninja · « **Reply #26 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 04:40 »

Quote from: tommydski

in the uk i saw an advert for star trek that used 'wake up' by the arcade fire. that was odd.

I saw that. Well I heard it first and was like "that's Arcade Fire" and then turned around to the tv and saw that it was a Star Trek ad and then it was WTF time.

elcapitan · « **Reply #27 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 05:20 »

Anyone else seen that Citroen C4 ad, with the dancing transformer? They've been playing that tune on saturday morning video shows here, apparently. My mate tipped me off, so I looked it up. Les Rhythmes Digitales - Jacques Your Body.

Also, I'm still trying to track down a version of The Times They Are A-Changin' that I heard on a car ad (Honda?) years and years ago.

Kai · « **Reply #28 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 05:33 »

Bob Dylan sold one of his best songs to a car commercial? My world, it is shattered.

elcapitan · « **Reply #29 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 06:25 »

It was a cover, I'm not sure who by. A female vocalist (not Tracy Chapman, before anyone suggests it).

amok · « **Reply #30 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 09:26 »

channel 4 (uk) use some pretty cool music when advertising upcoming shows. it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside when I heart a Fourtet clip on a program preview (forget which one it was)

nescience · « **Reply #31 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 09:31 »

Quote from: elcapitan

Anyone else seen that Citroen C4 ad, with the dancing transformer? They've been playing that tune on saturday morning video shows here, apparently. My mate tipped me off, so I looked it up. Les Rhythmes Digitales - Jacques Your Body.

LRD was in a car commercial? Man, he is seriously blowing up. That is Stuart Price, the producer of Madonna's new album. And he was sampled by Missy in "Lose Control."

Does sanyone else remember the David Bowie mash-up contest in the US? It was for some car company (maybe Audi?) and on some of the car commercials they featured a mash-up of Rebel Rebel and one of the tracks on his 2003 album Reality. You could download sound utilities to help you merge two or more tracks. Kind of a neat concept.

Thrillho · « **Reply #32 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 09:40 »

Quote from: tommydski

in the uk i saw an advert for star trek that used 'wake up' by the arcade fire. that was odd.

i don't really have a problem with people selling songs for adverts. i would admittedly prefer if artists didn't do it but i understand that it is often an absurd amount of money for a very trivial, short-lived advert.
i think i would do it if it was tailored specifically for the advert or an instrumental. obviously if it was a song i had written with lyrics i would be hesitant.

.......or if anyone uses 'sex bomb' by flipper in an advert.
that's my song you fuckers. if you use it i will cut off your fucking face.

I saw Channel 4 use Sigur Ros's Hoppipolla on an advert for a film.

Der Golem · « **Reply #33 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 10:04 »

A local channel where I live used a Fantomas song, Rosemary's Baby in a film advert. I think it was Requiem for a dream.

Kai · « **Reply #34 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 16:43 »

Requiem for a Dream is pretty bitchin.

theenginedriver · « **Reply #35 on:** 21 Dec 2005, 20:01 »

the requiem for a dream theme is sooooo incredibly beautiful.

Valrus · « **Reply #36 on:** 22 Dec 2005, 08:52 »

I saw an advertisement for a news channel with an Explosions in the Sky song as the background music. It worked okay, although the fact that they had a song by that band playing behind the footage of 9/11 was sort of grimace-inducing.

sjbrot · « **Reply #37 on:** 22 Dec 2005, 12:25 »

Quote from: Praeserpium Machinarum

I think I would be strangely flattered by that. I mean they must really think he is awesome to go out of their way to actually find someone who only SOUNDS like him. Pissed off, sure, but also kind of flattered

Well, the problem with that particular situation was that the company in question aproached Tom Waits to do the add, and when he flat out refused, they went over his head and found an imitator. It was pretty understandable why he would be mad.

The real question here should be whether or not a certain song being used in a commercial lowers its emotional impact. Of course, artists are people who have to pay bills, and commercials also give them exposure. Commercials have been playing more inovative and indie music than any radio station in the country has been for years.

And sometimes they get to have fun with it too. The Shins license out songs in a subversive way, like "New Slang" ("The dirt in your fries", "Bleed into their buns") which was licensed to McDonalds for an ad, or "Young Pilgrims" ("I know there is this side of me that/Wants to grab the yoke from the pilot and just/Fly the whole mess into the sea.") which was licensed to an airline.

But what happens to the emotional connection between artist and listener when someone's favorite song is used to hawk clock radios or something? It cheapens the entire thing.

I'm not going to hold it against any artist that does license their songs out, but I'm not going to pretend I feel the same way about the song afterwards either.

ozphactor · « **Reply #38 on:** 24 Dec 2005, 16:42 »

Quote from: tommydski

in the uk i saw an advert for star trek that used 'wake up' by the arcade fire. that was odd.

I'm gonna have to go with slinkyindieninja on this one and bust out the WTF card. Star Trek and the Arcade Fire... dear God, can there be anything more incongruous? (There probably can be, but I don't wanna hear about it.)

Seeing songs I like in commericals has never really bothered me. Yeah, sometimes it's awkward (Iron & Wine pitching M&Ms, but that's nothing compared to the Star Trek/Arcade Fire combo), sometimes it actually fits (as much as I hate Hummers, I have to admit Ratatat was a pretty good choice), but either way... meh.

Red · « **Reply #39 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 07:17 »

Quote from: Praeserpium Machinarum

How do you lot feel about it?

What sparked this was that I heard Feist's Mushaboom in a Lacoste commercial and I thought it was hella cool. I think its an excellent way to get lots of awesome music out to a lot of people. Take Nick Drake for example, when his song Pink Moon was used in some Volkswagen commercial, he was rediscovered and hailed as a great singer/songwriter.
The downside is of course that the music might be some mainstream tripe that doesn't tickle anyone's fancy, but that's the conditions I suppose.

You saw that commercial? I wasn't to bothered by it because it was done in pretty good taste.

I think as long as it makes sense and isn't just thrown in because "ItS T3H U83R AWXSOM3 R4M0N3S S0NG!!!!!!!11!1". The Ramones version of "what a wonderful world" has been used in like, fourty car commercials.

Also, I don't mind it if my favourite artists make a little cash, but if they act hardcore indie or the worlds greatest metal band and do a shampoo commercial, I get mad. It will be a cold day in hell before I sit back and let "I'm still your fag" play in the background of a calonge commercial.

ozphactor · « **Reply #40 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 10:14 »

Quote from: Red

It will be a cold day in hell before I sit back and let "I'm still your fag" play in the background of a calonge commercial.

With a title like that, though, I don't think we need to worry

Octillus · « **Reply #41 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 11:00 »

Chromeo's Rage in a McDonald's commercial.

*shudder*

Mnementh · « **Reply #42 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 11:48 »

I normally and never bothered by music in commercials, and tend to look down upon those who are, but I was mildly annoyed when G. Love did the coke song.

Eris · « **Reply #43 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 14:34 »

What I find annoying is when I hear a song on a commercial and like it, but don't know what it's called or who it's done by. That means I can't look it up to listen to it or other songs by the artist.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #44 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 14:36 »

Apart from classical music, the odd cover or oldie, and one car commercial that used an orchestrated version of 'Mein Herz Brennt' by Rammstein, I very rarely see an advert with music I recognise.

ozphactor · « **Reply #45 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 18:01 »

I was just googling something a minute ago, and I stumbled upon this. It's an ad for Cell C, featuring The Boy Least Likely To's "I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon to Your Star." I had never even heard of this company before, but I gathered from the ad that they're a wireless carrier in South Africa.

Anyways, I think the song fits pretty well with the tone of their ad, but they must have some kind of music nerd in their marketing department, because I can't imagine how else they could dig up something this obscure (relatively speaking, of course).

four star daydream · « **Reply #46 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 22:49 »

for this new sit com coming on on i forget even what network they have been using AC Newman's miracle drug, and also a New Pornographers song.... i cant remember which one but i wanna say sing me spanish techno....

nescience · « **Reply #47 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 23:00 »

I know I just posted this in another thread, but I thought I'd share my recent discovery of Daft Punk and Juliette Lewis in a Gap ad which I think played while I was in Japan. My eyeballs are seriously exploding in my head right now.

Praeserpium Machinarum · « **Reply #48 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 02:48 »

That... is quite odd isn't it? I mean it as if they just dragged them in from the street and commanded "Do a silly dance!"

penpen17 · « **Reply #49 on:** 03 Jan 2006, 17:09 »

I'm actually rather impressed by the Hummer commercials. Although I don't recognize the music, it is very good (even though I do not have a very high opinion of Hummers)

Another thing that surprises me is when good music is played in trendy stores. In one shopping trip, I heard Death Cab for Cutie (post-Plans so I guess I'm not really surprised), Metric, and a band that sounded a hell of a lot like Deerhoof

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Music in Commercials (Read 20672 times)

Praeserpium Machinarum

Micolithe

nescience

chamberk

surefunk

Running For Home

Bunnyman

theenginedriver

TrueNeutral

Praeserpium Machinarum

Giantandre

Merkava

User_Name

Peck

El Opium

nescience

theenginedriver

sjbrot

Red

Octillus

Mnementh

four star daydream

nescience

Praeserpium Machinarum

penpen17