I’d hate to step into an elevator and hear a Muzak version of “Free Fallin’”.
And “Cat’s In The Cradle” was the hold music when Homer called the Fatherhood Institute (which didn’t help his mood any).
The Roots caused a controversy when they performed the instrumental intro of obscure song “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” by Fishbone as Michelle Bachmann was walking onto the Late Night stage to the interview with Jimmy Fallon.
I sometimes try to stir up trouble. I check every jukebox for “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw” by Jimmy Buffett. I usually do not find it, but once in a while…yep
For a long time, Philadelphia Cream Cheese used “New York, New York” in their commercials. Or at least, the first bar: “Start spreading the news…”. It doesn’t matter, anyway, because the stuff is made in Chicago.
Had an online acquaintance complain about a local news story about a police station shooting, which as I recall signed off with the backing track to “Don’t Fear The Reaper” as an outro. There’s really no way to describe it that causes it to sound like a thing you’d expect a news station to do.
Back in my prehistoric commercial radio days, the hourly network news unexpectedly had a final feature story on the dangers of alcohol abuse.
Unfortunately I had this song already cued up to start coming out of the news and it was too late to substitute another one. :(
hmmm, darn…
I was really kinda hoping it was gonna be this.
My go-to example of this occurred when I was in High School (and may have been deliberate): at a high school dance, Warren Zevon’s Excitable Boy was on the playlist.
The song is very boppity and danceable. But the lyrics were as inappropriate to the occasion as humanly possible …
“He took little Suzie to the Junior Prom
Excitable boy, they all said
And he raped her and killed her, then he took her home
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he’s just an excitable boy
After ten long years they let him out of the home
Excitable boy, they all said
And he dug up her grave and built a cage with her bones
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he’s just an excitable boy”
Years ago, I attended a bowling banquet for the 8 year old son of the woman I was seeing. Held at the bowling alley, the kids could bowl as much as they wanted, for free, and there was cake and ice cream and punch and trophies.
And a DJ.
Who played “The Rodeo Song.” At headache-inducing volume.
“Are you out of your mind?” I hollered across the room, but he couldn’t hear me.
He pissed me off, the f*%^ing jerk.
Just stood there with his pecker in his hand, eh?
(You’re my new best friend.)
Let’s not forget the scene in “Deep Space Homer” where the shuttle is floating around in orbit, out of commission, and James Taylor is singing “Fire and Rain” to Homer and the other astronauts. He gets to the line about flying machines in pieces on the ground, and suddenly he gets this oh crap, did I just sing that line? look on his face, and quickly substitutes a more positive line. Not that it helped.
A few years back, there was a television commercial for something travel-related (I think it might have been a cruise ship company).
The music was Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life.”
I mean, were they really advertising a cruise where the passengers could shoot heroin and drink all the time? And watch strippers of various genders?
Who knows, maybe they were and they were just carefully coding it to stay out of trouble.
Years ago I listened to a DJ announcing the death of actress Margaret Hamilton. In the background, the Munchkins were singing Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead…
While it can be regarded as ridiculously disrespectful, it was at least relevant, making it some-what appropriate, ultimately?
I was at a post office the day before taxes were due, and “Taxman” by The Beatles played.
Let me tell you how it will be
There’s one for you, nineteen for me
'Cuz I’m the tax man
Yeah, I’m the tax man
I’ve heard that that song gained some massive popularity after Margaret Thatcher died.
Wow. Not a good day in the studio for ol’ Casey.
I was once visiting a convent, and I was surprised to hear For The Good Times -“hold your warm and tender body close to mine” over the Musak. Sort pf tough on a community of celibates!