# Songs with a brand name in the title **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 7, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628 "2019-05-07T18:04:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [May 7, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/1 "2019-05-07T18:04:40Z")
I heard Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” this morning. It led me to think about how silly it was that the Kinks had to change “Coca-Cola” to “cherry cola” in “Lola,” and yet here’s a song all about a brand-name product, with that brand name as the song’s title, no less. Then I got to wondering what other songs have a brand name in the title. Not just in the lyrics – there must be thousands – but in the _song title_. The only one I could think of was “Wells Fargo Wagon” from the musical _Oklahoma!_ Surely there are many more than that. Right? As an aside, does the British law that forced the Kinks to change that line still apply? If so, does that mean “Kodachrome” has never been played on British airwaves? Seems unlikely to me. ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/2 "2019-05-07T18:16:05Z")
The wonderful, yet almost criminally “unknown” Texas angel Nanci Griffith has a lovely song called “Ford Econoline” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/3 "2019-05-07T18:16:09Z")
Weird Al- eBay Craigslist It’s All About The Pentiums Spam TMZ ---
**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:** [May 7, 2019, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/4 "2019-05-07T18:23:03Z")
> [@Royal\_Nonesutch](#): > > The wonderful, yet almost criminally “unknown” Texas angel Nanci Griffith has a lovely song called “Ford Econoline” An then of course there’s the much less wonderful “Chevy Van” from the not-criminally unknown Sammy Johns. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/5 "2019-05-07T18:25:36Z")
Here’s one I just heard a couple of weeks ago: [Jenny Lewis - Red Bull & Hennessy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rINs_GRLAVs) ---
**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 7, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/6 "2019-05-07T18:29:24Z")
“Western Union” by The Five Americans. [The Five Americans - Western Union - YouTube](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fJMwxucTJyo) Harry Chapin had “Greyhound” and “Northwest 222” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/7 "2019-05-07T18:29:44Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > The only one I could think of was “Wells Fargo Wagon” from the musical _Oklahoma!_ Nitpick: “Wells Fargo Wagon” is from _The Music Man_. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/8 "2019-05-07T18:31:41Z")
> [@Royal\_Nonesutch](#): > > The wonderful, yet almost criminally “unknown” Texas angel Nanci Griffith has a lovely song called “Ford Econoline” And the [more recent Chuck Prophet song of the same name](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-74x_TtW6tY). As far as I can tell, Chuck Prophet is also criminally unknown. ---
**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 7, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/9 "2019-05-07T18:35:58Z")
There’s probably a lot of car songs that qualify, such as “Mercury Blues” and “Pink Cadillac”, in addition to those already named. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/10 "2019-05-07T18:36:19Z")
Hot Rod Lincoln-Commander Cody Little Honda-Beach Boys Pink Cadillac-Bruce Springsteen 1/3 ninja’d! ---
**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:** [May 7, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/11 "2019-05-07T18:36:37Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Nitpick: “Wells Fargo Wagon” is from _The Music Man_. D’oh! Of course you’re right. I must have seen the Surrey With the Fringe on Top coming down the road and mistook it for something else. ---
**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:** [May 7, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/12 "2019-05-07T18:40:22Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Hot Rod Lincoln-Commander Cody > Little Honda-Beach Boys > Pink Cadillac-Bruce Springsteen > > 1/3 ninja’d! Jeez, car songs could take up a whole other thread. I didn’t think of that. “Little Red Corvette” is another. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/13 "2019-05-07T18:43:18Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I heard Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” this morning. It led me to think about how silly it was that the Kinks had to change “Coca-Cola” to “cherry cola” in “Lola,” and yet here’s a song all about a brand-name product, with that brand name as the song’s title, no less. > > Then I got to wondering what other songs have a brand name in the title. Not just in the lyrics – there must be thousands – but in the _song title_. The only one I could think of was “Wells Fargo Wagon” from the musical _Oklahoma!_ Surely there are many more than that. Right? > > As an aside, does the British law that forced the Kinks to change that line still apply? If so, does that mean “Kodachrome” has never been played on British airwaves? Seems unlikely to me. It’s not a law, it’s one of the regulations of the BBC - they’re not allowed to do any advertising of any kind. So they wouldn’t have been able to play the song, and they own four of the biggest radio stations plus had by far the biggest music TV show, Top of the Pops. I’m not sure if the rule’s applied consistently though - I’m sure some songs get away with it, maybe if it’s more subtle. Like my example, Smells Like Teen Spirit, definitely got away with it, perhaps because Teen Spirit, the deodorant the song title came from, wasn’t on sale in the UK at the time. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/14 "2019-05-07T18:43:48Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Jeez, car songs could take up a whole other thread. I didn’t think of that. With a name like that, _you should have_!! 😃 And today I learned that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was [inspired by deodorant.](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/nirvana/smells-like-teen-spirit) > [@](#): > > Cobain didn’t know it when he wrote the song, but Teen Spirit is a brand of deodorant marketed to young girls. Kurt thought Hanna was complimenting him on his rebellious spirit, as someone who could inspire youth. Sales of Teen Spirit deodorant shot up when this became a hit, even though it is never mentioned in the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/15 "2019-05-07T18:50:03Z")
[Rum and Coca-Cola](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxL2uNr7bk), here by the Andrews Sisters ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/16 "2019-05-07T19:03:39Z")
Does _Koka Kola_ count? (The Clash) Brand New **Cadillac** (the Clash) Roland The Headless **Thompson** Gunner (Warren Zevon) **Night Train** (Guns n Roses) From a **Buick** 6 (Bob Dylan) Give Me **Novacaine** (Green Day) – dodgy. The brand is spelled Novocain, but it’s the spelling for the same product in a dozen songs **Heinz** Baked Beans & **Medac** & **Odorono** (The Who) 😃 **Marvel** (Radkey) **Victrola** (Veruca Salt) Warrior in **Woolworth** (X-Ray Spex) ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/17 "2019-05-07T19:04:24Z")
[Coca-Cola Cowboy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdVLEo3JyWc) (Mel Tillis) [Air Force Ones](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xLUO4qXEyw) (Nelly) [Vasoline](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht672-wYelc) (Stone Temple Pilots) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/18 "2019-05-07T19:14:02Z")
[They Might Be Giants have a song](http://tmbw.net/wiki/AKA_Driver) that was originally titled “NyQuil Driver” but had to be changed so that it wouldn’t have a registered trademark in the title. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/19 "2019-05-07T19:14:55Z")
Red Solo Cup Toby Keith ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628/20 "2019-05-07T19:33:53Z")
“Little GTO” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-brand-name-in-the-title/833628.md?page=2)