Driving home from work last night, I heard the Kinks “Picture Book” from one of my favorite quirky albums: The Village Green Preservation Society. I’ve been hearing part of the song in those HP digital photography ads, lately, so it was nice to hear someone play the whole thing.
As irked as I get when some mega-corporation latches onto a great song to sell its snake oil and poultices or its slave-labor-produced sneakers, it’s nice when one gets it right and finds a tune that not only compliments the ad but also deserves a little recognition in its own right (I’m thinking of Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” in the VW ads, for example.)
Are there any other cool tunes that have been used in commercials without making you cringe?
Apple’s iMac campaign. But this could just be because the ads were so well designed and I’m a Mac whore.
iMac New Color Launch: She’s a Rainbow – The Rolling Stones
iMac Ruby: Ruby Baby – The Beach Boys
iMac Snow: White Room – Cream
Other GOOD ones
VW Beetle: Mr. Blue Sky – ELO
Office Max: Rubberband Man – The Spinners
Current song usage that makes my skin CRAWL:
Coke C2: I Want to Break Free – Queen
Some Investment Co.: Young Americans – David Bowie
Some Cruise Line: Lust for Life – Iggy Pop (that’s just wrong)
Check that – Ruby Baby should be Dion, not the Beach Boys
i was ok with Dirty Vegas being used in the car ads. (which car brand? i forget…anywho. “Without You” is the song.)
The Stones’ “Start It Up” (if that’s the right title) for Windows 95.
heh. all i can think of on that is Weird Al’s spoof “This windows 95/ is eating up my drive/” –or is that the one you mean, Linky?
I’m with MJ on “Lust for Life”…it’s just so wrong to see a family running around all happy and hear Iggy singing in the background.
Bran, I haven’t heard Weird Al’s spoof, and the rhyme doesn’t seem to fit the melody of the Stones’ song. What I remember is that Microsoft paid about $8M for the rights.
think, “you make a grown man cry” –that verse/chorus. then they match up. 😉