For the past week or so I’ve been racking my brain over this. I’ve asked friends for help, but like me they remember precious little. It was a commercial that aired in the early to mid-1990s, starring (I’m almost positive) Michael J. Fox. He’s driving around with a buddy of his, and they pick up an old chair alongside the curb and drive off with it. But what makes the commercial so memorable is the incredibly ridiculous song in the background: an endless chorus of “Duh duh duh.”
Can anyone give me the 411 on this, specifically:
-What was the commercial advertising?
-Who sang that horrendous song?
-Where can I find a video of the commercial?
Thank you to anyone who responds, for helping me sleep better.
It was a Volkswagen commercial, and it was SO not Michael J. Anybody. The song is the 80s classic “Da Da Da”* by Trio.
*Link goes directly to video file.
Does anybody remember the controversy about the ad? I remember that one of it’s first airings was during the Ellen episode in which she came out of the closet. That association, and the fact that these two guys seem to be picking up discarded furniture for their joint use led a lot of folks to assume that they were a gay couple. Of course, there was the usual choir of fundamentalists screaming that this was “validating their lifestyle! Think of the children! Dear God, think of the children!” yadda, dadda, da. (Of course, this was before Will & Grace, back when showing even remotely gay on TV was a big deal.)
Memories are subjective of course, but I remember this being listed as an example of ads that were crafted to appeal to gays without being overt, but it was usually in the context of an interesting advertising trend, not a source of tremendous controversy. I’m sure somebody somewhere was objecting to it, but I don’t think it was any kind of media firestorm.
Soap, Dynasty, and Melrose Place had had regular characters who were gay (at least Jodi identified as such, even if he seemed to get more women than men). Many, many other shows had recurring or one-off gay characters, and Northern Exposure had featured a gay wedding. I’m not sure when Smithers on The Simpsons was clearly identified as gay, but I’m sure it was pretty widely talked about by then. That’s only counting popular U.S. commercial network shows. Fans of Masterpiece Theatre on PBS had been treated to the Love that Dares Not Speak Its Name for decades. The mere presence of an ambiguously gay duo was not a big deal to most television viewers.
I always thought the guys in the VW ad were roommates, and poor/unemployed ones at that, since they had to pick up discarded furniture on the street rather than shelling out for a new couch. If there was any gay subtext, i must have missed it.
Jeez, that ad does not feel like it was that long ago, but the car is noticeably dated.
While we’re on the subject, was it also a VW ad that had a couple driving down a street and everything went in time with the song? Windshield wipers, guy dribbling a basketball, possibly the husband tapping on the steering wheel (?), etc?
I missed it too. I think many assumed that “Two men together in a small Volkswagen = gay”, much in the same way some might assume “Two women together in a Subaru Forester = lesbian”. (In the US, the Volkswagen Jetta is supposedly a popular car among gay men. Why, I don’t know.)
Was that the ad where they picked up the chair, noticed a smell, then discarded it? If memory serves, the ad was for the car they were driving.
On a similar note, I’ve been trying to remember an old McDonald’s ad that went, “When you’re down to your last, and you don’t want to fast.” The idea back then was that you could get a hamburger, fries, and a drink for under $1.00, and get change back. Does anyone remember this?
