Music in commercials

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Modern English, Interpol, Flaming Lips, ELO, Mr. Roboto, jazz, classical, etc. Why do the TV ad makers get away with putting less famous music in their TV ads? Modern English said that from the Burger King ad they're popularity soared. What other examples of music are in commercials that would not be on any top 10 lists on MTV or VH1?

― A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 13 December 2002 23:41 (10 years ago) Permalink

local milwaukee fav casino vs japan's song is in a hummer ad now

― juiceboxxx@414click.com, Friday, 13 December 2002 23:52 (10 years ago) Permalink

one of local milwaukee fav casino vs japan's song is in a hummer ad now

― juiceboxxx@414click.com, Friday, 13 December 2002 23:52 (10 years ago) Permalink

MTV/VH1 would probably include Moby, but they'd probably emphasize Porcelain, which really isn't as brilliant as the slide guitar solo in "Find My Baby."

― Curtis Stephens, Saturday, 14 December 2002 00:07 (10 years ago) Permalink

a) Its cheaper
b) They could be searching for a market.
c) Despite any misgivings about said niche marketing attempts. I find myself very impressed with the VW Nick Drake Commerical.
Still Im more likely to buy a vespa then a car.
Pee Wee's Big Adventure here I come.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Saturday, 14 December 2002 00:14 (10 years ago) Permalink

Volkswagen has a frickin' CD or two of the songs they've used to sell cars to me and my friends.

There's actually been a spate of recent compilations lately made from songs used in commercials, inspired by VW & Mitsubishi's success. I still think MTV US owes us a comp or two of all the songs they rip for their own adverts and interstitials.

My favorite is still 'Popshopping' on CDHW. Mostly because the lyrics are actually about the products.

― Tom Millar (Millar), Saturday, 14 December 2002 00:18 (10 years ago) Permalink

Let it be known that many Volkswagen commercials contain music written by Chris Dyas, a member of the Blue Man Group band.

― Curtis Stephens, Saturday, 14 December 2002 00:30 (10 years ago) Permalink

many of the Levis choices over the years, including Biosphere's 'Novelty Waves', Prince Buster's 'Whine And Grine' and lets face it Babylon Zoo owe what little career they had to the jeans people

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 14 December 2002 00:33 (10 years ago) Permalink

Ive noticed this as well. This angers me however, because I'll here an amazing song (like this song in a new Oreo commercial where a kid is just lyng on the ground looking at the ceiling, and it's playing a song that sounds like some Indie Pop MASTERPEICE) but since it's near impossible to find out what the actually song is, I'm thwarted once more.

Also, which commercial was Interpol in? Because I saw one commercial, and I wasn't sure if it was them or not...

― David Allen, Saturday, 14 December 2002 01:23 (10 years ago) Permalink

Interpol was in the commercial for the new MTV show: FM nation

― A Nairn (moretap), Saturday, 14 December 2002 01:26 (10 years ago) Permalink

I'm guessing it's because alot of aging thirtysomethings are now advertising guys and fill up their work with the music that speaks to THEM (and, they presume, their generation). Thus, I've heard car ads with the Buzzcocks, the Cult, the Smiths, the Swell Maps, the Clash, the Stranglers and....er..Golden Earring in'em.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 14 December 2002 02:12 (10 years ago) Permalink

That's always been my assumption too, Alex. People who put together ads that look like Volkwagen's ads or Mitsubishi's ads aren't people who listen to Celine Dion or Trisha Yearwood. You can just tell that from the way the ads look. These ad guys are people who spent a few years in art school (with a minor in business or something) who loathed their upper-middle class suburban existence as youths, and locked themselves away comforted only by the melancholic tones of Robert Smith and David Gahan. Logic serves that if they were listening to that stuff when it was around (like I was), then they're still fond of it today and throw it into their work.

Or we could both be wrong, and it's all determined by focus groups and market specialists who read CMJ just enough to know "The Cure" and "Depeche Mode" are/were.

― paul cox (paul cox), Saturday, 14 December 2002 03:21 (10 years ago) Permalink

People who work in marketing/advertising and are actually good at their jobs = very smart folks with excellent taste, generally. Of course there's plenty of folks who suck ass at their jobs, and those are the ones that hire Jason Alexander to sell chicken.

I've often thought of advertisers as the unsung heroes of culture, since their creations are often more laitneulfni than a great deal of other forms of art. As an artist you can't do much better than having everybody get barraged with your work at all hours of the day, even if you have to work in an extremely formalized medium...

On a side note, Double D & Steinski were in advertising when they released the 'Lessons' records. Word.

― Tom Millar (Millar), Saturday, 14 December 2002 03:34 (10 years ago) Permalink

I went to go see the Snickers/Pizza Hut video commercial editor/director guy and he said that Pizza Hut (and also KFC) Tell him exactly how they want the ad done, and they don't really care about much quality. They just want the cheese to be shown on the TV, and that is all. But the Snicker's guys are more easy to work with, and they let him have some freedom with the ideas and script of the ad. And in general all the people there are cool people. Its the big guys who make the commercials bad.

― A Nairn (moretap), Saturday, 14 December 2002 03:48 (10 years ago) Permalink

Jason Alexander did chicken ads?

― naked as sin (naked as sin), Saturday, 14 December 2002 15:34 (10 years ago) Permalink

A short while ago I think Gap had some adverts with "God Only Knows" and "Waterloo Sunset". Also I forget what company it was but I was starting to really get into T. Rex and all of the sudden "20th Century Boy" was on a car ad. I thought it was nice, just cos I like the song so much, except the other day when I played it for my little brother all he had to say was "Oh, that's in a car commercial"...

I agree with the general consensus that the people involved in advertising are quite often probably more the indie rock types than top 40. I even hold that theory for MTV -- if you actually just sit down and watch the station soley for the in-between vector graphics promo spots and mid-show background music (Cornelius, Beck, Add N to X, etc.) it's really a very creatively produced channel.

― Adam Bruneau, Saturday, 14 December 2002 17:25 (10 years ago) Permalink

Jason Alexander did chicken ads?

Jason Alexander was selling KFC popcorn chicken for a while. The ads got so brutally inescapable that I finally bought two family size batches of the shit and ate it. A month later the ads stopped. Now I'm thinking of doing the same with Chili's Baby Back Ribs.

― Tom Millar (Millar), Saturday, 14 December 2002 17:36 (10 years ago) Permalink

"I even hold that theory for MTV"

Yeah, I know what you mean. I always watch MTV to enjoy the editing. Some of the fast pace editing tricks and background music they use are pretty creative. It's some of the best on TV.

― A Nairn (moretap), Saturday, 14 December 2002 17:49 (10 years ago) Permalink

MTV nothing, British Eurosport is where its at for that shit!

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 14 December 2002 18:08 (10 years ago) Permalink

also, CNX and Cartoon Network

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 14 December 2002 18:09 (10 years ago) Permalink

the Swell Maps one really pissed me off cuz that fuckin' song is out of print! How the fuck can Toyota get rights to a song I've got to listen to off a damn used cassette?!

Reissue "A Trip To Marineville" now!

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 14 December 2002 18:47 (10 years ago) Permalink

What Japan song was used in an ad (drbaht to thread, hehe)?

― Sean (Sean), Saturday, 14 December 2002 18:55 (10 years ago) Permalink

I love the fact that a Lush track is being used in a Levi's commercial.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Sunday, 15 December 2002 19:23 (10 years ago) Permalink

! Which track?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 15 December 2002 19:25 (10 years ago) Permalink

I don't know the name, check it out for yourself.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Sunday, 15 December 2002 19:33 (10 years ago) Permalink

Anthony wrote: Reissue "A Trip To Marineville" now!

Agreed. However, you can get "BLAM!!" on the Sweep the Desert compilation on Alive/Total Energy records. It's even online on that site in mp3 form.

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Sunday, 15 December 2002 19:43 (10 years ago) Permalink

The fact that Juan Atkins' "No UFOs" was used in a Ford Focus ad almost made me want the car. I just remembered that.

― Tom Millar (Millar), Monday, 16 December 2002 00:28 (10 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

AAAAAGH!!!!

Just heard Talk Talk's skinny tie'd angst-hymn "Talk Talk" being unsed in the latest commercial by Cingular Wireless.

When will it stop?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 27 January 2003 20:41 (10 years ago) Permalink

Guess that means that Mark Hollis won't be making any more music soon then.

"Electric Avenue" in a Panteen shampoo (!!!) commercial was kind of sad, but still inevitable.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:00 (10 years ago) Permalink

How long until Buckethead get's a KFC endorsement deal?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:02 (10 years ago) Permalink

Mogwai in the latest Levis ad = brilliant! Did anyone else see this?

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:06 (10 years ago) Permalink

It was originally supposed to be Sigur Ros but they turned it down.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:07 (10 years ago) Permalink

I love when the commercial with Basement Jaxx's "Do Your Thing" comes on. I don't care what it's for -- Intel or soemthing.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:15 (10 years ago) Permalink

"Do Your Thing" was used in a jeans ad, wasn't it.....girls wriggling in and out of jeans...shot from the waist down, etc.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:16 (10 years ago) Permalink

Maybe but it's definitely in an ad about taking photos with your phone and emailing it to the guy behind you in lecture etc.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:17 (10 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, "Where's Your Head At" was used for the Intel ad (As well as a Pringle's ad).

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:17 (10 years ago) Permalink

ads w/ Jaxx songs > 90% of tv programming

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:18 (10 years ago) Permalink

"Where's Your Head At" is the only song of theirs I can stomach. "Do Your Thing" makes me want to open a vein.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:21 (10 years ago) Permalink

It must be very difficult to be Alex.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:22 (10 years ago) Permalink

I mean that affectionately. I bought No More Heroes in your honor last weekend.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:22 (10 years ago) Permalink

Well done, m'dear.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:53 (10 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

OMG! WTF! Hanson's 1997 classic 'MMM Bop' is being used to sell chewing gum. The advert is incredible, spewing the lifestyle enhancing properties of wrigley's extra whilst the brothers hanson MMM Bop underneath. Are Hanson the new Free? Is it All right now?

― myke boomnoise (myke boomnoise), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:38 (9 years ago) Permalink

5 months pass...

"Slow Down" by the Feelies is being used in a current Citibank campaign; nice to hear it.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 23:47 (8 years ago) Permalink

""Where's Your Head At" is the only song of theirs I can stomach. "Do Your Thing" makes me want to open a vein.
-- Alex in NYC (vassife...), January 27th, 2003."

OMG! Another person on ILM who *doesn't* like Basement fucking Jaxx. I will go buy some Killing Joke ASAP. Thanks Alex.

Anyway.

Psychic TV's 'Roman P.' was used in a Volkswagon commercial.
The Fall's 'Touch Sensitive' was used in a Vauxhall Corsa advert.

― Sasha (sgh), Thursday, 28 October 2004 00:58 (8 years ago) Permalink

I'm always amazed by the irony of some commercial song choices: the beginning of Teenage Wasteland was used in some SUV commercial (to make matters worse, the SUVs are being used in a game of polo.)

Born in the USA was in some department store commercial -- JC Penneys or some such crap-mart. (then again it was also Reagan's campaign song).

Do the ad execs think they're being subversive or clever? Do they just not care? Are they just that dumb?

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 28 October 2004 02:57 (8 years ago) Permalink

What was that Super Bowl commercial they used "Dig It" by the Cult Heroes for? Crazy shit.

― Sansai, Thursday, 28 October 2004 04:23 (8 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

im looking for the song off the just jeans ad. its the one where they take the lobsters and let them go bac into the ocean.
please send me the artist ir song name. its really important

― Sarah Martin, Friday, 24 February 2006 11:16 (7 years ago) Permalink

yes i want that too!! ive been lokin everywhere!!plzplzplz that icelandic soundin song!!

― hayley, Sunday, 26 February 2006 11:51 (7 years ago) Permalink

There's a cover version of EC's "Pump it Up" jingling for some kind of online videogame subscription service.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Sunday, 26 February 2006 18:28 (7 years ago) Permalink

I am trying to find the background music to an ad that shows a couple at a drive in theater and then their wedding and then their children and then they are grandparents

― Janet Lynn, Tuesday, 7 March 2006 19:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

Hey the song for the Just Jeans add with the Lobsters is called Creek Lullaby, Artist is Margaret. You can get it off the CD, Deadwood - music from the original HBO series soundtrack.

― Michelle Comet, Monday, 13 March 2006 10:42 (7 years ago) Permalink

4 years pass...

can i just say i am lovin' the return of the Axe deodorant commercial with paul mauriat's "love is blue" during nba finals? commercial itself sucks, obv, but that song... it's like getting a free margarita refill for every timeout.

― hobbes, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 21:15 (2 years ago) Permalink

I nearly swallowed my tongue when I heard "Raw Power" on a commercial. No wait - that was somebody else's tongue...

― ImprovSpirit, Friday, 18 June 2010 17:53 (2 years ago) Permalink

8 months pass...

Extremely subversive piece at the level that will not be seen in the US for centuries.... How the fuck did this thing get pass the Coca-Cola exec board remains a mystery...
Made by Coca Cola España....

djpiedpiper.blogspot

Eddie Jefferson - psychedelic sally

― meisenfek, Tuesday, 1 March 2011 08:19 (2 years ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

new chrysler ad uses underrated geto boys track "G code," makes me happy every time I hear it

― Steven Tyler the Creator (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Sunday, 15 May 2011 01:14 (2 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

DSW uses Bryan Ferry's version of "The In Crowd." My ears perked right up when I heard it from across the room the other night.

http://tvcfblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/dsw-in-crowd-part-1-commercial-song-in.html

― Ermahgerd Thomas (Dan Peterson), Friday, 24 August 2012 21:11 (8 months ago) Permalink

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