Not bad covers or inappropriate sponsorships (though you can add those too if you want) but I’m talking when a commercial goes out of its way to add new lyrics to a classic song just to sponsor a product.
The Kraft You’re Crumbelievable commercials for literally just block cheese that’s already been crumbled not only adds a groan worthy pun to EMF’s song, they also literally got the same band to rerecord their own song just for the commercial.
I don’t know if Better Off Alone by Alice DJ is considered a classic, but the commercial below made a hash of it:
“When you believe in magic, and I hope you do, you’ll always have a friend wearing big red shoes…”
There have been several commercials that use “Feelin’ Alright?” as an upbeat little ditty. Tellingly, they never do any other of the other lyrics, including the next line “Not feelin’ too good myself.” The song is about a bad breakup (though the singer manages to move on at the end).
I’ve blocked the lyrics and even the sponsor, but today I saw/heard an ad which used Elton John’s Rocket Man to sell a product. There were people dancing.
Made me sad.
This is the hard rock band Status Quo adapting their own song “Down, Down, Deeper and Down” for the Australian supermarket brand Coles.
I routinely hit the mute button whenever I hear a rock/pop song during a commercial break.
Doesn’t matter if I didn’t like it much in the first place - I refuse to associate it with your crappy product.
That’s on the band, as well. Shameless. I’m also looking at you, Survivor.
First thing you should do when you have a big hit is invest!! Might not have to parody yourself 30 years down the road to pay your child support.
It’s been on for just a couple of weeks, but I’m already sick of the stupid Doritos commercial with the parody of “My Favorite Things.” It’s almost put me off corn chips altogether.
The Kinks have licensed more of their music for commercials than you’d ever believe.. Including a couple that dealt with a certain cola drink.
What? Do tell.
I always thought this was the best example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rhw5s9N_-g
Pepsi used The Ides of March by Vehicle.
Lyrics-I’m a friendly stranger in the black Sedan
Won’t you hop inside my car?
I got pictures, got candy
I’m a lovable man
And I can take you to the nearest star
Some blue jeans company edited “Fortunate Son” so that it came out as a flag-waving feel-good tune- which it aint. Same with Born in the USA.
A Hyundai Commercial used "Thick as a Brick".
I’m torn between “Damn, they sold out” and “Y’know, they just made more from that one commercial than they did from the original single, and the album, and the tour. So, I’m glad the guys are making some money finally.”
I can never hear “Love Is Strange” without thinking of those damned giant babies.
I will never forget these two examples of inappropriate use of a well-known song to promote a product, I was so appalled.
A number of years ago Kohl’s, a department store chain, used “Turn! Turn! Turn!” (not any of the original versions) to promote a Fall White Sale. Who thought that using an anti-war song with words from the Bible was an appropriate way to sell sheets and pillowcases?
Perhaps even worse, there was a brand of cat litter that actually used the old Gospel tune “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” to sell their product.
The mind boggles.
“GLENN! Glenn Glenn GLENN!”
Well, we don’t know just how lucrative those deals are, when a food giant wants to use an iconic song by has-beens. Imagine you were offered a couple Mil for your 40-year-old work, out of the blue. Financially secure or not, it’d be foolish not to bite.
Survivor did a parody of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ where somebody gets promoted to SUPERVISOR!
Too stooped, too lazy, too drunk to find a link.