Microsoft’s use of “Start Me Up” to sell Windows 95:
“You make a grown man cry.”
I’m 80% sure that Levi’s is responsible for that one.
Everybody’s talking about how all of these ads use the work of great artists like Janis Joplin, Nick Drake, The Stones and The Beatles. But it just shows that the music of today is just not good enough to sell much of anything, I guess.
Other inappropriate uses of songs in ads:
Devo’s sarcastic anthem “Beautiful World” was used in the most cluelessly straightforward manner by Target.
Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” has been misinterpreted as a feel-good ditty by several advertisers.
Some commercial (I think for an internet servicer provider) used the hook from David Bowie’s “Heroes” not too long ago–it just kept repeating the line “we could be heroes.” The rest of the lyric is “just for one day,” which made me think the company was some sort of fly-by-night operation.
LBE: You sure that wasn’t the Godzilla advertising blitz? The Wallflowers did a cover for the soundtrack, and it featured heavily in the ad campaign.
However, I agree on the Iggy Pop one. “Driving our car is just like doing heroin!” Hell, I’d buy one.
“I may make you feel,
But I can’t make you think.”
Too bad they didn’t use any of the lyrics.
BTW, inappropriate song in a car ad:
“The Seeker” by The Who, “I won’t get to get what I’m after, `til the day I die.” Put those lines in the commercial.
Co-worker of mine at the time suggested after his first couple of attempts at installing it that they change it to “Losing My Religion.”
No, it was definitely a commercial for a service. The link below gives a list of '80s songs used in commercial campaigns, and says “Heroes” was used in FTD ads. I’d swear it was an internet or computer-related service that I saw, although it’s sometimes hard to tell what is being advertised in today’s impressionistic commercials, particularly if you aren’t watching closely.
Another really weird one (for a number of reasons) was when The Gap used the guitar intro to the Volcano Suns “White Elephant” in a jeans commercial several years ago.
She was dating Doane Perry? Cool
I also thought that it was beautifully ironic to use that particular song to sell cars. I however do not have a problem with Tull selling their songs for commercials. They need all the exposure they can get these days.
Anyone else see the episode of “That 70’s Show” that was partially scored by Tull songs, Songs From the Wood, Hunting Girl and Mother Goose among them?
Even if they didn’t need the exposure I wouldn’t have a problem with it. It’s their stuff; they can do what they like with it.
Now, if they had written the song just so they could sell cars with it, that would be different. To me, anyway.
I can see why the ad companies are using music to try to tie a product to a particular feeling, especially among those consumers of a particular age. It can be very effective, but it is amusing when they pick songs that don’t mean what they think they mean, like the ones mentioned in this thread.
I imagine next we’ll start seeing ads for labor unions with Rush’s “The Trees” playing in the background.
RR
Can anyone confirm that the music in that commercial was originally written by Jethro Tull? I had always thought that flute and guitar part was an old Irish (Celtic?) folk song, even when I first heard Thick as a Brick.
Also, I thought the commercial itself was funny the first time I saw it - all the villagers running out to greet whomever this was, but then he didn’t stop, and they all sit there looking dejected.