So maybe I'm a little late to the party but BossLady and I finally saw that Sir Mix-a-Lot "Baby's Got Backpack" commercial for Target. And being complete goofballs and total dorks, we both immediately jumped up off the couch, started shaking our rumpuses in the air and began bumping butts. After proving once again that Korean people have no rhythm, I sat back down to ruminate on what has to be the saddest commercialization of music for advertising that I've ever seen.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to get all holier than thou and start preaching from my soapbox. I think it's safe to say that the words "Sir Mix-a-Lot: and "artistic integrity" have never been uttered in the same sentence. Every artist has the right to profit from his work. And I would imagine Sir Mix-a-Lot could use the money these days. In fact, there's big part of me hoping that Windex buys the rights to his other big hit from the 90's, "Press 'Em Against the Glass." Now, THAT would be funny!
Anyway, like I was saying, I don't disparage the rights of an artist to profit commercially from their work. But a little piece of me dies when I hear songs by independent, anti-establishment artists used to shill consumer products. Here are the Top-5 past or present commercials that have made me cringe most...
Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" (Royal Carribean Cruise Lines)
Nothing says maritime comfort like a song about shooting up heroin.
Rolling Stones "Brown Sugar" (Pepsi)
If you like crazed interracial sex with slaves, you'll love Pepsi.
Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" (Mercedes)
If there was ever an anthem for anti-materialism, this was it.
John Lennon's "Instant Karma" (Nike)
If Michael Jackson's not going to hell for sodomizing young boys, selling the rights to this song should guarantee him a spot.
The Smith's "How Soon Is Now" (LaBatts Beer)
Songs about alienation and suicide really make me want to go to a club and drink beer.
There are other pairings of songs and commercials that just don't make any sense to me. Two that come to mind are Aphex Twins "4" being used in an anti-drug commercial and Peaches' "F*ck the Pain Away" in a McDonald's commercial. But the artists in my top five all played important roles in my life at one point or another so I'm putting them in a specal category. I know we all have to do things to put food on the table but it kills me to hear these songs used in commercials. Sometimes, I don't even want to watch network TV because I'm afraid I'll see something like AT&T using The Clash's "London Calling" in a commercial.
Is it just me? Does this piss anyone else off? Am I crazy to let this bother me so much? I'm a little nuts, aren't I?
(By the way, if you happen to like Sir Mix-a-Lot AND you like bibles, you'll LOVE this link)
SOOO many classic lines in Baby Got Book. Weird Al would be proud. "NIV with a ribbon bookmark" cracks me up every time. maybe b/c I've got one.
Posted by: bobw | August 18, 2005 at 09:36 AM
ANY commercial using Lennon's music is a travesty. One of my pet peeves was when Nike used "Revolution." Just ruined the whole spirit of the song.
BTW, that link is hilarious!
Posted by: Brent | August 18, 2005 at 09:49 AM
That LINK? OH MY GAAAWWWD! That is hysterical!
Posted by: Queen of Ass | August 18, 2005 at 09:56 AM
Michael Jackson doesn't have the rights to John Lennon's solo music, Yoko Ono does. If I'm not mistaken.
Anyway, it's not hard to dislike Yoko Ono.
Posted by: manogirl | August 18, 2005 at 10:02 AM
MD, thanks for the laugh. baby got book. love.
i'll trade you:
http://zachslow.com/Videos/Videos.html
watch maximum wage. slow to pick up, but worth the wait. wish we could hear that song in a commercial.
Posted by: bitemycookie | August 18, 2005 at 10:03 AM
That was hilarious!
Posted by: Theresa | August 18, 2005 at 10:17 AM
I always thought it was funny when Visa used Abba's "Dancing Queen" for a commercial. But when I was living in Europe, I once saw a Nike commercial using The Sex Pistol's "Anarchy in the U.K." That one surprised me.
Posted by: Francesca | August 18, 2005 at 10:21 AM
Thanks for making my day with that link. It was too funny. I can't wait to show it to my church friends!
Posted by: Melanie | August 18, 2005 at 10:26 AM
Our tv isn't tuned in and is only used as a computer/ps2/xbox screen so I miss out on all of this. I'm glad.
Posted by: Ko | August 18, 2005 at 10:33 AM
I am so with ya on this one. It's a travesty. The Carnival Cruise Line/Iggy Pop Commercial irritates me each an every time I see/hear it.
Oh, and in case you haven't heard it, Toyota uses The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I go."
My friend is predicting that Bauhaus will be doing Burger King commercials any day now...
Posted by: misfithausfrau | August 18, 2005 at 10:35 AM
You're not alone, MD. As a huge Bowie fan, I practically cried when I heard "Heroes" being used for a FTD commercial.
Posted by: Stephen | August 18, 2005 at 10:43 AM
Love the Violent Femmes shout-out. Final sign of the apocalypse will be Pavement's "Cut Your Hair" shilling for the Hair Cuttery.
Posted by: not-for-profit-dad | August 18, 2005 at 10:51 AM
My reaction? Every time?
"Damn. I used to like that song."
*moment of silence while she mourns*
Posted by: Xdm | August 18, 2005 at 11:02 AM
What about the Police and "Every Breath You Take" for Lipton Tea? They changed the words to "Every drink you take. I'll be drinking you." Someone needs to be beaten for making that commercial.
Posted by: Adler | August 18, 2005 at 11:39 AM
I will never look at my KJV bible again.
Ever.
Posted by: tpon | August 18, 2005 at 12:28 PM
Sorry, i will never look at my KJV bible in the same way again...
that makes a big difference.
Posted by: tpon | August 18, 2005 at 12:29 PM
Hmmm, I have never really noticed the use of songs in commercials. Except the stupid Cingular song with the famous phone number (that I can't even remember right now)
But when something catchy comes on, I usually sit there and do the "white man's overbite" dance. I, too have no rhythm. It is sad, really.
Posted by: Linda B | August 18, 2005 at 12:31 PM
I totally agree. Then there's the other side of the coin. A lot of commercials feature good songs by mediocre indie bands struggling to get paid in an environemnt where everyone is downloading rather than paying for their music, so they tour relentlessly and if they're lucky they get some hipster jerk who's sold his soul to Madison Avenue or a hollywood studio to recommend to the higher ups that they use their music in a Saturn commercial or on the O.C. The Walkmen (saturn), modest mouse (saturn), kings of leon (VW), The Polyphonic Spree, the Shins. Is it better to sell out on your way up, or is it just more repugnant when you're at some point on that long downward slide? These folks aren't like Bob Dylan hawking lingerie in that surreal Vic. Secret commercial, or Robert Deniero lending his personality to American Express in that horrible NY commercial. But I still question it.
I think of what John Densmore of the Doors said about this whole issue:
"Songs carry emotional information and some transport us back to a poignant time, place or event in our lives. It's no wonder a corporation would want to hitch a ride on the spell these songs cast and encourage you to buy soft drinks, underwear or automobiles while you're in the trance. Artists who take money for ads poison and pervert their songs. It reduces them to the level of a jingle, a word that describes the sound of change in your pocket, which is what your songs become. Remember, when you sell your songs for commercials, you are selling your audience as well.
When I was a kid, if I saw an artist I admired doing a commercial, I'd think, "Too bad, he must really need the money." But now it's so pervasive. It's a virus. Artists are lining up to do ads. The money and exposure are too tantalizing for most artists to decline. Corporations are hoping to hijack a culture's memories for their product. They want an artist's audience, credibility, good will and all the energy the songs have gathered as well as given over the years. They suck the life and meaning from the songs and impregnate them with promises of a better life with their product."
Has a Doors song ever been used in a commercial?
Posted by: Dutch | August 18, 2005 at 12:38 PM
I guess it doesnt bother me b/c I consider (most) pop music to be a product anyway. what's that ben folds line: some producer with computers fixes all my sh*tty tracks.
oh, that and I dont bother watching TV much, and I'm quick to check the other sports channels whenever commercials are on.
Posted by: bobw | August 18, 2005 at 01:32 PM
re: doors and commercials -- I heard this exact discussion on the radio while driving to work the other day. And yes, a Doors song was used in a commercial once -- "Light My Fire," Buick ad, 1967 or something. Apparently it was controversial then, and they haven't done it since.
Posted by: Wood | August 18, 2005 at 01:37 PM
I completely agree. Songs which previously held some personal meaning and even cultural significance are reduced to thirty second economic soundtracks. What I've been disappointed with recently has been hearing the Who in Saab commercials. How do you go from smashing guitars and singing about "My Generation" to lending your genius to a Swedish car manufacturer? Sure, they're not part of the anti-establishment anymore, but I can't imagine they're having trouble paying the bills...
As for the Doors, I remember Cadillac using the slogan "Break on Through" a few years back, but I don't think they had the song. Am I remembering correctly?
Posted by: ShotgunDaddy | August 18, 2005 at 01:44 PM
I agree with you. Like Dutch says, I think there's a difference when artists who DON'T need the money sell their songs for a commercial. Do the Stones really need MORE money?
Modern artists tends to get screwed by their record labels so I tend not to judge them. They're practically slaves to the industry.
So no...you're not crazy for getting pissed off when watching those commercials. It drives me absolutely fucking nuts! Sometimes, I'll scream at the TV. (Hmmm...maybe we're both nuts)
Fun post
Posted by: Diggable Dad | August 18, 2005 at 01:56 PM
I'm a far cry from Lawrence Lessig, but I think under current copyright law, it's legit to riff 15-20 seconds of a song for, say, a commercial, without owning the rights to the song. So artists need not sell out or collude with advertisers or corporations for their songs to be in commercials. When someone who is also not Lawrence Lessig told me about this tidbit after I was completely dismayed by Nissan's use of the Smiths's "How Soon is Now?" about 6 years ago, I felt a little better about how the world works. But once a song's bastardized, it's bastardized. Apologies for using that word on a parenting blog...
Posted by: JDo | August 18, 2005 at 02:15 PM
Baby's Got Book is effing hysterical! Soooo funny. Thanks for sharing that link. Made my day.
Posted by: Ruth | August 18, 2005 at 02:29 PM
Brilliant post title. Everything else has been said.
Posted by: landismom | August 18, 2005 at 03:54 PM
You know Johnny Cash's family DID turn down an offer (quite generous offer too) from Preparation H to use "Ring of Fire" in their commercials....
Posted by: Corinne | August 18, 2005 at 04:14 PM
Well since I work in the biz, I'll chime in on this one...
Artists and musicians, like music fans, have differing opinions on the issue. Some think it's selling out, some think its just plain selling. My personal opinion is that that artists who have a problem with it are simply restricting themselves from an additional source of revenue. Given the current state of affairs in the music industry, this is just not good policy. If you're a new artist and don't see big label advances or royalties, any additional income stream will help to sustain you when you're not touring or hawking merch. And an established artist doesn't get chump change for these commercials. The bigger the song, the bigger the check. And let's face facts here. Very few of them will turn down an easy payday solely on principle.
I find that the artists who whine the most about money are generally the ones making it. Coldplay only laments the fact that their record label is getting rich, because they are pissed it's less money for them. And something tells me that if they were still an unknown quantity, they'd be a just as vocal about the money that they and their label weren't making. Metallica, who used tape swapping to sell themselves in the early days, got completely bent out of shape because music sharing was cutting into their bottom line.
Music is product. It may be an expressive art form that has meaning for you and me, but at the end of the day it's still product. And the artists who make money, or have the potential to make money from it, know this.
Of course, I'm the guy that takes 15% of the top of everything the artist makes, so I could be biased.
Posted by: BIYF | August 18, 2005 at 04:44 PM
OK, well, I would have advised my client to NOT take the butt cream deal also. So, maybe there is some wiggle room on principle...
Posted by: BIYF | August 18, 2005 at 04:51 PM
The idea that a song I know in another context will evoke emotions in me that will persuade me to buy a product pisses me off. I know advertising is manipulative -- but the transparency factor is just way too much.
Whenever I hear a song that been licensed for use in a commercial, I think of it as the artists' retirement plan account. It seems you may get too old to sing, but never too old to sell.
And my favorite ironic pairing for this summer: a home mortgage lender is sponsoring the Rolling Stones' tour.
Posted by: alice, uptown | August 18, 2005 at 04:57 PM
My favorite example of Improper Song Use in a commerical was the Nissan Xterra ad featuring the guy rockclimbing at night to the opening drum riff of the Velvet Underground's "Heroin". I'd have loved to have been a fly-on-the-wall at the meeting where that song was pitched to the head of advertising.
My brother-in-law is the guitarist for an up-and-coming band (Foreign Born - check 'em out at www.foreignbornmusic.com). Having struggled in previous bands, he's doing well for himself these days and is able to keep making music because he and his mates have developed some business sense; they've sold songs for commericals (did a Sprint ad) and have earned money on the side by writing jingles (Old Navy). They can pay their bills and get their music to people who might never get to hear them otherwise. BIYF is right; for these guys, it's how they make their living, and very few of us can truthfully say that we'd do what we do for free.
Posted by: Jason | August 18, 2005 at 05:05 PM
When I found out how many times the 'N' word was used in the song "People Everyday", it struck me as odd that Toyota used it for YEARS.
Posted by: Jason Looney | August 18, 2005 at 05:18 PM
Check out what Devo's lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh has been doing for the last few years:
http://www.ncbuy.com/news/wireless_news.html?qdate=2002-05-02&nav=VIEW&id=994YB08Z4H0020502
There are better articles than that on his tricks, but I'm too lazy to find them. It does explain why every time I see that swiffer wetjet commercial using "whip it" I go off on a twenty minute tirade about "what's wrong with mops?" "why do we have to throw everything away in this bullshit materialistic society of ours."
I blame the subliminal messages.
Posted by: Dutch | August 18, 2005 at 05:32 PM
I think the main reasons all these great songs end up in commericals is because many a former hipster/punk rocker/indie rocker work at the creative ad agencies and their draw from their own taste. Maybe that is why I usually find it funny instead of sad when I hear a good song in a commerical-I always imagine the cool art director who must have come up with it.
Posted by: cdl | August 18, 2005 at 07:04 PM
Led Zepplin for Cadillac is the one that set my hair on fire...
Posted by: panthergirl | August 18, 2005 at 07:30 PM
John Lennon's "Instant Karma" (Nike)
If Michael Jackson's not going to hell for sodomizing young boys, selling the rights to this song should guarantee him a spot.
That cracked me up! :)
Posted by: tod | August 18, 2005 at 09:44 PM
I'm admitting I'm a geek here, but it really annoys me when people hear Aaron Copland's, "Hoedown" from Rodeo and they shout out "Beef! It's what's for dinner!" Also, this one is a bit old, but United Airlines playing George Gershwin's, "Rhapsody in Blue," also annoyed me because people didn't know who wrote it and where it came from. They just knew it as the song from the UA commercial.
Posted by: enygma | August 18, 2005 at 10:35 PM
Dude, Husband and I talk about this all the time. So fucking sad. I mean, how much money do these bands NEED anyway???
Also, as a side-note, I agree with Dutch. How many fucking things do we need to throw in a landfill?
Posted by: MIM | August 18, 2005 at 11:46 PM
OK, just saw during the James Bond AMC marathon that Bob Dylan sold out to Kaiser.
Posted by: MIM | August 19, 2005 at 12:38 AM
I am Korean and I have rhythm. I just needed to state that for the record.
Posted by: CityMama | August 19, 2005 at 06:42 PM
I was so upset to see The Cure's Pictures Of You in a camera ad. It broke my heart
Posted by: Jennifer | August 25, 2005 at 12:56 PM
How about the Ramone's Blitzkrieg Bop for cell phones? I was banging my head on the coffee table at that one.
Posted by: agog | August 31, 2005 at 03:33 PM
I frequently hear advertisements for HMO's and Hospitals play the opening to Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime as a generic hospital background noise. I always remimd myself that OP:MC takes place in a mental hospital.
Posted by: Dick Reichenbach | November 03, 2005 at 09:55 PM
Just as Blistex can heal chapped lips, love can heal a broken heart.
Posted by: Lamar Cole | February 03, 2006 at 04:27 PM
Good job and great design!
Free mariachi sheet music Free mandolin sheet music Tringas music Editing music The music mp3 Navy hymn music General music Final fantasy x sheet music Switchfoot music video Crip music Free live music downloads Internet music videos Celtic music online Sample wedding music Switchfoot music videos Crossfade music Find country music song Cold case music Make music online Mafia game music Codes for background music House music radio Free happy birthday music Trumpet christmas music Coldplay music downloads Macross plus music The music of dolphins Salvation army music Acid music loops Star wars music video
Posted by: New music b | June 27, 2007 at 07:14 PM
Just a quick note to say great to see people blogging about climate change and if you want more information on the topic you might like to check out my blog. Links are always welcome, if you like the site but more importantly it may provide you with a few interesting stories for your readers. Also the morning is not incredibly overstaffed while the evening gets the shaft. This extra labor trends across all day.
Posted by: viagra online | September 08, 2010 at 01:16 PM
http://viagraprixfrance.net/#217343 forum viagra prix http://viagraprixfrance.net/#528253 - viagra naturel cialis une fois par jour acheter viagra http://tadalafilrxpills.net/#975421 tadalafil generic http://tadalafilrxpills.net/#743511 - buy tadalafil buy cialis soft п»їhttp://genericviagraelite.net/#585595 cancun airport buy viagra http://genericviagraelite.net/#477943 - generic Viagra online buy viagra canberra
Posted by: undutsabuby | November 14, 2012 at 03:05 AM
462298 http://fatherpaydayloans.ca/#808080 payday lending laws http://fatherpaydayloans.ca/#147031 - payday loans payday loans las cruces nm п»ї781443 http://cialisonlinecheapestcialis.net/#291716 buy cialis in the uk http://cialisonlinecheapestcialis.net/#43814 - Cialis Online buying cialis at shoppers drug mart 127462 http://happycanadianpharmacy.net/#122849 cialis online no prescription canadian pharmacy http://happycanadianpharmacy.net/#658585 - canada pharmacy happycanadianpharmacy.net
Posted by: ElideEvem | November 15, 2012 at 08:36 AM
sildenafil acostumbramiento viagra sin receta http://viagrafespana.net/#548285 tadalafil 50 mg sildenafil citrate
Posted by: UncovaUnepe | November 19, 2012 at 05:39 AM
881092 http://cialismedsonline.net/#340412 cialis where to buy http://cialismedsonline.net/#551656 - cheapest cialis order generic cialis india
Posted by: Suitamumbebra | November 20, 2012 at 08:13 AM
457452 http://clomidbestpharm.net/#761268 metformin & weight gain clomid online
Posted by: EMEDIABEALPES | November 24, 2012 at 06:10 PM