# Comercials that usurped songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462 "2010-02-10T19:49:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/1 "2010-02-10T19:49:09Z")
There are many songs that, when I hear them, make me think of a product that song was used to hock on television or the radio at one time. I honestly think I watched too much television as a kid. I even go so far as to hear the commercial version - with altered lyrics - when I hear the song. “Mr. Big Stuff” Jean Knight - Big Stuff Oreos (“Oreo big stuff - who do you think you are?”) “Legs” ZZ Top - Leggs (“She’s got legs…Sheer Energy Leggs”) “Hit the Road Jack” Ray Charles - KFC (“Kentucky fried chicken’s got more, got more, got more, got more”) “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” - Mrs. Weiss soup (“When Johnny comes marching home for lunch, it’s Mrs. Weiss”) “Turkey in the Straw” - Murphy’s Oil (“now the dirt is finished but the finish is fine”) I’m sure we’ve done this before but I’m bored, so indulge me. What are some popular-songs-cum-jingles you recall…and can’t help but recall? ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/2 "2010-02-10T20:09:24Z")
“Like a Rock” Bob Seger - I can’t hear the song anymore without seeing trucks tearing through a bunch of mud. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/3 "2010-02-10T20:14:47Z")
A few years back either a premium cable channel or a video rental store (I forget which) ran a commercial using Beethoven’s _Ode to Joy_, with a choir singing the melody as “_Movies movies movies movies; movies movies mooooovies_…” To this day I can’t _not_ hear “movies” in my head when I hear that piece. Dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/4 "2010-02-10T20:16:07Z")
When I was a kid, I thought Carly Simon’s “Anticipation” was a ketchup jingle. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/5 "2010-02-10T20:19:37Z")
Hate to admit, but some pairings work well: United Airlines/Gershwin Beef/Copland ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/6 "2010-02-10T22:12:46Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > “Like a Rock” Bob Seger - I can’t hear the song anymore without seeing trucks tearing through a bunch of mud. Likewise John [del]Cougar[/del] Mellencamp & “Our Country”. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/7 "2010-02-11T01:19:00Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > “Like a Rock” Bob Seger - I can’t hear the song anymore without seeing trucks tearing through a bunch of mud. I always thought it was the quintessence of irony that that song, about keeping one’s integrity, was bought to sell trucks. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/8 "2010-02-11T01:21:37Z")
Showing my age - “Theme from The Magnificent Seven” always makes me think of Marlboro cigarettes. Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo” makes me hungry for beef. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/9 "2010-02-11T01:27:31Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > A few years back either a premium cable channel or a video rental store (I forget which) ran a commercial using Beethoven’s _Ode to Joy_, with a choir singing the melody as “_Movies movies movies movies; movies movies mooooovies_…” > > To this day I can’t _not_ hear “movies” in my head when I hear that piece. Dammit. I have a solution: Substitute the lyrics to “Clementine.” Try it, it scans perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/10 "2010-02-11T01:37:58Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > I always thought it was the quintessence of irony that that song, about keeping one’s integrity, was bought to sell trucks. Actually, Seger, a native of Detroit, explicitly licensed that song to GM to help the U.S. auto industry and to keep American auto workers employed. > **[Bob Seger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Seger#National_success:_1976-1987)** > > Bob Seger (/ˈsiːɡər/ SEE-gər; born May 6, 1945) is an American retired singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, breaking through with his first album, Ramblin' Gamblin' Man (which contained his first national hit of the same name) in 1969. By the early 1970s, he had dropped the 'System' from his recordings and continued to strive for broader... ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/11 "2010-02-11T05:21:34Z")
Für Elise: "Oh, I wish I were already there Instead of here Playing this song Oh, I would have a big choc-o-late shake A cheeseburger And also _whoops_ and also fries" ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/12 "2010-02-11T05:56:39Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > A few years back either a premium cable channel or a video rental store (I forget which) ran a commercial using Beethoven’s _Ode to Joy_, with a choir singing the melody as “_Movies movies movies movies; movies movies mooooovies_…” > > To this day I can’t _not_ hear “movies” in my head when I hear that piece. Dammit. Holy shit, I thought I was the only one! It was Starz! by the way. “_When I want movies I wanna see Starz_!” was the rest of it. For me, it’s \*Taking Care of Business \*(OfficeMax, I believe); _Bad to the Bone_ (every movie ever made about a lovable bad boy); ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/13 "2010-02-11T06:27:23Z")
It’s been… what? 20-25 years? And I still think of the [California Raisins](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10W-4BO2uho&feature=related) when I hear “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/14 "2010-02-11T14:03:39Z")
> [@statsman1982](#): > > For me, it’s \*Taking Care of Business \*(OfficeMax, I believe) Office Depot. The ultimate for me has already been mentioned - “Like a Rock”. It’s almost like the song never existed before the commercials for me. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/15 "2010-02-11T14:16:40Z")
That song “Trouble” (not sure who sings it) being used in the insurance commercial with the dog. Also “How You Like Me Now” by the Heavy in that KIA Super Bowl commercial where the giant stuffed animals go to Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/16 "2010-02-11T14:26:04Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > That song “Trouble” (not sure who sings it) being used in the insurance commercial with the dog. > Also “How You Like Me Now” by the Heavy in that KIA Super Bowl commercial where the giant stuffed animals go to Vegas. I mentioned Trouble in a recent AI thread. I can’t hear that song now without thinking of the dog and his bone. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/17 "2010-02-11T16:21:53Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > It’s been… what? 20-25 years? And I still think of the [California Raisins](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10W-4BO2uho&feature=related) when I hear “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”. Ha! I can’t believe I _forgot_ about this. I guess because I haven’t heard “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” in a while. OR, because that song was sooooo entrenched in the whole Raisins thing (remember the Christmas special?) that it has ceased to exist in its own right and now is only and forever a song about claymation raisins 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/18 "2010-02-11T17:19:31Z")
\*Casey Jones. \* Love that Good & Plenty! (Actually, I hate licorice, but the song sure is catchy.) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/19 "2010-02-11T17:37:24Z")
Was I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing written for Coke? I don’t think so. I remember performing it in Glee Club oh sooo many years ago, it was presented as a folk song. But now, whenever I hear “That’s the song I sing. . .” I ALWAYS follow it with “Coke is!” ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462/20 "2010-02-11T17:55:01Z")
I’m very annoyed with Clapton for his phone commercial. I used to \*like \*“I’ve Got A Rock ‘N’ Roll” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comercials-that-usurped-songs/528462.md?page=2)