Tuesday, May 29, 2007

To quote The Dictators....

...'what's up with that?'

Did the last generation feel the same way when their cool songs were appropriated for TV ads? It was a crime to use 'Blitzkrieg Bop' for Budweiser....and there are more!

  • 'Lust for Life' used for a cruise line...I don't know about all of you, but when I hear that song, I picture Ewan McGregor's head falling towards the floor in the opening scene from 'Trainspotting' after shooting up....not shuffleboard players.
  • 'We Want the Funk' used for a freakin' minivan ad! Shoulda included George Clinton smoking a big fattie while driving the van....
  • 'Everybody's Happy Nowadays' used for AARP....I have nothing against the AARP, and, well, it certainly got my attention...but it's just not right!
  • 'One Way or Another' used for the Swiffer ads....now, Picture This, Blondie fans: Ms. Debbie Harry 'swiffering' her humble abode....
  • Funniest use? The 'Mahna Mahna' song used for some crap Dr. Pepper product- it's not just an innocent instrumental used on the Muppet Show - it was originally written by Gert Wilden & his Orchestra who scored the erotic German films called 'Schoolgirl Report (Schulmadchen Report)' ....
  • 'I Walk the Line' - even worse, the horrific cover of it used to hawk jeans, fer crissakes..
There are more and will be more, I'm sure...
Why are these horrid pairings so disturbing? It's not because of any romanticized notion of music from my younger days. It's that these songs were made in spite of, and never for, crass commercialization. If any current, MTV-dependent band wants to peddle their tunes to Apple for iTunes or iPod ads, it's appropriate...however, I don't recall any Blondie lyrics mentioning clean floors and sparkling bathrooms....or 'Blitzkrieg Bop' lauding the effects of crappy beer.

3 comments:

Marko said...

HAHAHAHA, I hear ya on this one. Half of me says 'good for you' and the other (somewhat stronger) half says 'shame...SHAME!' Oh well, the only thing I ask is PLEASE use the original versions. Nothin' worse than punk-muzak.

CL said...

Unfortunately, it's the band (or license holder of the song) who sells to the advertisers.

What does that say about old punkers?

Thank goddess for Tom Waite...

C. Margery Kempe said...

Yeah! May all the gods align against Michael "I bought all the Beatles' songs to exploit" Jackson.

Oh wait, they already have! Die, Michael Jackson, die!

P.S. What does that say about old punkers? THEY NEED MONEY!

HA HA HA -- wait, *I* need money... oh no, joke on me.