# Most misused song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887 "2012-05-14T15:02:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/21 "2012-05-14T18:28:37Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Born in the USA “Pink Houses” should be able to give that a run for its money. \*There’s a song by John Cougar Playing on the radio And I sing along with the chorus The rest of the words I don’t know Oh, but ain’t that America for you and me Ain’t that America somethin’ to see baby Ain’t that America home of the free, yeah Little pink houses for you and me\* ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/22 "2012-05-14T18:38:28Z")
“When a Man Loves a Woman” is another often misunderstood song. It’s frequently used as a love song when it’s actually an anti-love song. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/23 "2012-05-14T19:12:52Z")
_Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)_ by Green Day. Billie Joe Armstrong said it’s about a guy breaking up with his girlfriend, conflicted between feeling bitter and being understanding. Instead, it gets played at weddings, proms and commencements. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/24 "2012-05-14T19:24:16Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I’m surprised no one’s mentioned this yet. > > Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” used to sell cruise vacations. > > The instrumental opening to The Velvet Underground’s “Heroin” was used to sell SUVs. That reminds me of the Jeep commercial that uses the instrumental foot-stomping portion of Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”. Not as bad as those two songs, but still – a hellfire-and-brimstone warning against the perils of sin being used to sell cars? Huh. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/25 "2012-05-14T19:33:42Z")
Wagner’s Bridal Chorus from _Lohengrin_, a.k.a. “Here Comes the Bride”. The story just ain’t purty. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s _Pie Jesu_. I’ve heard it used at baptisms. It’s a funeral piece. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/26 "2012-05-14T19:50:33Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > _Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)_ by Green Day. Billie Joe Armstrong said it’s about a guy breaking up with his girlfriend, conflicted between feeling bitter and being understanding. > > Instead, it gets played at weddings, proms and commencements. And TV show series finales! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/27 "2012-05-14T20:04:28Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I’m surprised no one’s mentioned this yet. > > Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” used to sell cruise vacations. > > The instrumental opening to The Velvet Underground’s “Heroin” was used to sell SUVs. I came in to say this. Soon after the cruise line started playing this ad, The Onion ran an article that said something to the effect of “Company Uses Song About Heroin Addiction to Sell Product.” Now I’m not gonna lie, I’d definitely sign up for a vacation similar to what’s portrayed in “Lust for Life,” but I’m pretty sure that’s not what Disney Cruise Lines or Royal Caribbean was trying to go for in the ad! ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/28 "2012-05-14T20:19:30Z")
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s _Fortunate Son_ was used in a Wrangler jeans commercial. Of course they only used the first line: Some folks are born to wave the flag Ooh, they’re red, white and blue The rest of the lyrics aren’t really feel-good-patriotic. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/29 "2012-05-14T20:24:33Z")
Yeah, the very next line is “it ain’t me.” ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/30 "2012-05-14T20:31:09Z")
GE using _Sixteen Tons_ for its [clean coal commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1A146sANdg) was either hilariously tone deaf or teeth-crushingly infuriating, depending on how you look at it. 'bout as insulting as the babes, really. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/31 "2012-05-14T20:34:55Z")
Anheuser-Busch has been using the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See” for a while now to sell Busch Beer. Busch’s slogan is “Head For The Mountains”, so the lyrics “Gonna climb a mountain / the highest mountain” sure fit with the outdoorsy, clean-as-a-mountain-stream theme of the commercials. The next two lines don’t sound so nice, though: “but gonna jump off / nobody gonna know.” ---
**Author:** ![Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashley_Pomeroy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/32 "2012-05-14T20:38:53Z")
The Fall’s “Theme From Sparta FC” was [used by the BBC](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/score_on_bbci/4450760.stm) for the Final Score, despite the fact that it has lyrics such as “_come on I will show you how I will change / when you give me something to slaughter_”. “_We live on blood / we are Sparta FC / English Chelsea fan / this is your last game_”. And something in Greek, which is probably equally objectionable if you’re Greek. See how I put the full stops after the quote marks? That’s the one true way. Because the sentence-outside-the-quote is more important than the quote-inside-the-sentence, and the sentence-outside-the-quote has finished. It’s interesting to imagine the worst possible marriages of song and advert. “Rise” by Public Image Limited for condoms. Sigue Sigue Sputnik’s “Love Missile F-111” for chocolates. Toris Amos’ “Me and a Gun” in an advert for tampons. Public Image Limited’s “Rise” in an advert for tampons. “Love Missile F-111” in an advert for tampons. “Tainted Love” in an advert for tampons. And also condoms. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/33 "2012-05-14T20:39:09Z")
It’s been said a million times, but “I Will Always Love You” and “Every Breath You Take” need to be included just for their use as wedding songs. And it’s nice to see I’m not the only one who is horrified by “You Are My Sunshine.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/34 "2012-05-14T23:41:02Z")
Maybe not the _worst_, but one of the funniest has to be using “New York, New York” to sell Philadelphia cream cheese (which incidentally is made in Chicago). Of course, they only use the first line: “Start spreading the news”. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/35 "2012-05-15T00:03:17Z")
Not necessarily misused, I guess. But whenever Harley riders are shown on TV, they _ **always** _ play [Born to be Wild](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_to_Be_Wild). ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/36 "2012-05-15T00:34:53Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > “The Star Spangled Banner.” > > I don’t think pre-game entertainment is what Francis Scott Key had in mind. I don’t know that he expected it to be as enduring as it has been, but I think he would have been surprised to find that the story of a valiant victory of sorts following a bloody battle is primarily sung before sporting events. Which is why I advocate [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhnUgAaea4M) song for our national anthem. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/37 "2012-05-15T00:46:15Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > But I’ll throw “You Are My Sunshine” out there for Honorable Mention. It’s a horribly sad, creepy song if you actually listen to the words. Only the chorus is suitable as a lullaby or to sell greeting cards and diapers. There’s more to the song? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/38 "2012-05-15T01:05:01Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > There’s more to the song? There are hundreds of versions, some with additional lyrics, but these verses are almost always the same: > [@](#): > > The other night dear, as I lay sleeping > I dreamed I held you in my arms. > When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken > So I hung my head and I cried. > > I’ll always love you and make you happy, > If you will only say the same. > But if you leave me to love another, > You’ll regret it all some day. > > You told me once, dear, you really loved me > And no one else could come between. > But now you’ve left me and love another; > You have shattered all my dreams. I don’t know if I would characterize it as “creepy” but it’s definitely not a happy song. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/39 "2012-05-15T01:21:41Z")
Surely the threadwinner must be **Janis Joplin** ’s ironic anti-consumerist [Mercedes Benz](http://youtu.be/i-4AheUl6ls) being used entirely without irony in a Mercedes Benz ad. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887/40 "2012-05-15T01:22:24Z")
Anyone remember Target’s decision to use [this song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56u6g0POvo0) to promote their plastic consumerist utopia. And [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRqmQY30r5g) may not quite be the best song for your car commercial. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-misused-song/621887.md?page=3)