# Songs which should never be played in a movie,TV show or commercial ever again **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826 "2008-02-01T05:38:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/1 "2008-02-01T05:38:50Z")
Yes. They are great songs that really capture the spirit of the moment. So great that every other freakin movie, TV show or commercial has used them to the point where they have become cliche. My vote for some of the biggest offenders: Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap (The OC, The Last Kiss, CSI: Miami, SNL parody) Fix You - Coldplay (World Trade Center trailer, exorbitant number of trailers indicating “emotionally powerful shit going on here”) Ready Steady Go - Paul Oakenfold (Alias, Collateral, Volvo commercials) Clocks - Coldplay (ER, various commercials and movies) How to Save A Life - The Fray (pretty sure I’ve heard it in a lot of trailers for romantic comedies and TV shows like Scrubs or Grays Anatomy) Breath Me - Sia (Six Feet Under, a multitude of “very special episode” trailers) Mad World - Michael Andres (Donny Darko, Geers of War trailer, “some REALLY serious shit goes down this episode” trailers) Superman - Five for Fighting (I don’t know. I just don’t want to hear it again.) Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood (T2, countless movies indicating that a motorcycle driving leather jacket wearing douchebag is, in fact, bad to the bone) Sweet Home Alabama - Leonard Skynyrd (I get it…you’re from the South) ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/2 "2008-02-01T05:42:45Z")
“Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley or Leonard Cohen or whomever. Yeah, I said it. But every single show has used it at some point or another. STOP!! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/3 "2008-02-01T06:20:09Z")
Rob Dougan - Clubbed to Death. It started with the Matrix, then appeared in several other trailers. Now it gets used in a whole bunch of fan videos on Youtube. It’s a fine song, but its use shows a lack of imagination. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/4 "2008-02-01T06:33:43Z")
“Oh, Fortuna” from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. It’s an amazingly great piece. QUIT CHEAPENING IT BY THROWING IT INTO EVERY DAMNED MOVIE! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/5 "2008-02-01T13:05:20Z")
Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, etc. I don’t know what it is and I don’t care. It’s been in like nineteen commercials now, hasn’t it? Is it even a song or just a really long shampoo jingle? ---
**Author:** ![atomicbadgerrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/6 "2008-02-01T15:26:18Z")
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle] Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, etc. I don’t know what it is and I don’t care. It’s been in like nineteen commercials now, hasn’t it? Is it even a song or just a really long shampoo jingle? [/QUOTE] Natasha Bedingfield, “Unwritten.” Pity, it was a pretty good song before it became oversaturated. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/7 "2008-02-01T15:33:15Z")
My first thought was “Like a Rock” by Bob Seger. The oversaturation in Chevy commercials in the late 90’s has absolutely ruined a great rock song. Hope Bobby got compensated well for that! Same goes for the John Mellencamp song “This is Our Country”, which is basically a rip off of any of his songs from the **Scarecrow** album. It might have been a perfectly acceptable song, but playing it in every. single. GM/Chevy commercial over the last 12 months has destroyed any good will it might have brought. What is that Christmas song…“Carol of the Bells” or something?? That one should be banished also, every retailer makes up their own product-shilling lyrics for it beginning in late October…it is evil. ---
**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 1, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/8 "2008-02-01T16:31:01Z")
“What I Like About You” by the Romantics. I last ranted against the use of this song about a year ago (here), and of course since that time **yet another** ad campaign started using it. I think it’s now been in at least a dozen ad campaigns since the song first was shown on MTV in the early 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/9 "2008-02-01T16:35:20Z")
Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” I swear to God, that song has been used in every film trailer ever. I think some mad scientist traveled back in time just to insert it in the trailers for films that came out before it. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/10 "2008-02-01T17:00:30Z")
[QUOTE=atomicbadgerrace] Natasha Bedingfield, “Unwritten.” Pity, it was a pretty good song before it became oversaturated. [/QUOTE] Intellectually, I can understand how that might be so, but it’s at automatic-retch status now. A shame. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/11 "2008-02-01T17:16:25Z")
“Ave Satani,” the theme from _The Omen_ – truly awesome, but overexposed. Should only be used henceforth for comic effect and sparingly then. ---
**Author:** ![Wheeljack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@Wheeljack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheeljack)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/12 "2008-02-01T17:43:15Z")
How about that music from _Requiem for a Dream_? ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/13 "2008-02-01T18:04:38Z")
[QUOTE=HelloKitty] What is that Christmas song…“Carol of the Bells” or something?? That one should be banished also, every retailer makes up their own product-shilling lyrics for it beginning in late October…it is evil. [/QUOTE] Ding Fries are done! Ding Fries are done! It’s impossible for me to hear that song without hearing those lyrics. For me, it’s Steppenwolf’s **Born To Be Wild** - usually in movie trailers to indicate that something wild and wacky will happen in the film. John Horner’s score from _Aliens_ really needs to be retired from action movie trailers. It fit the source film perfectly, but all hearing it now does is make me think, “I’d rather watch Aliens again than see the piece of crap you’re trying to sell me” ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/14 "2008-02-01T18:17:40Z")
**Lust for Life**. Just stop it already. Considering what the song is actually about, I have never seen an appropriate use of it. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/15 "2008-02-01T18:26:51Z")
I don’t know the name of the song or the artist, but that “Ohhh Yeah” song (“oh yeah” sung over and over in a deep, deep voice). I think I heard it first in the movie “The Secret of My Success”, and then it started showing up in any commercial plugging some decadently rich/sweet item (chocolate, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/16 "2008-02-01T19:15:36Z")
Not as bad now as back in the 90’s, but _My Girl_ was constantly played in various media - hell, they even made a movie on it. I so, so, so, so, so agree about _Bad to the Bone_. And the bizarre thing was, when this song was big I hated it then for all the _future_ times I would have to hear that friggin’ thing, 'cause I knew they were coming. ---
**Author:** ![bufftabby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bufftabby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bufftabby)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/17 "2008-02-01T19:17:51Z")
Europe, “The Final Countdown”-This should never again be used for anything non-GOB-related. Scorpions, “Rock You Like a Hurricane”-Enough. Just…Enough. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/18 "2008-02-01T19:23:46Z")
“Salisbury Hill” Peter Gabriel (used in every movie trailer to denote the part of the movie when the city folk go out into the country) “Everybody Hurts” R.E.M. (used to show that some character is, you know, hurting) ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/19 "2008-02-01T19:24:17Z")
[QUOTE=cormac262] I don’t know the name of the song or the artist, but that “Ohhh Yeah” song (“oh yeah” sung over and over in a deep, deep voice). I think I heard it first in the movie “The Secret of My Success”, and then it started showing up in any commercial plugging some decadently rich/sweet item (chocolate, etc.) [/QUOTE] That would be “Oh Yeah” by Yello. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826/20 "2008-02-01T19:34:36Z")
[QUOTE=ShadowFacts] That would be “Oh Yeah” by Yello. [/QUOTE] I first heard it in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” circa what–1986? > [@Wikipedia](#): > > The single “Oh Yeah” became famous after being featured in the American movies Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Secret of My Success, Teen Wolf, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, She’s Out of Control, K-9 and more recently Soul Plane. The song is also used on The Simpsons as the theme for the Duffman character. “Oh Yeah” is used as the soundtrack for American Football on US TV, in the game Gran Turismo 4, where it is played after a failed license test, and in the television advertisements for Irn-Bru featuring “Raoul”. It also featured prominently in commercials for Twix candy bars, and was used extensively in commercials for the now defunct New Zealand department store, DEKA. Oh yeah, this one should probably go away soon for all of our sake’s… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-which-should-never-be-played-in-a-movie-tv-show-or-commercial-ever-again/435826.md?page=2)