Most repugnant use of a popular song in television advertising?

[Bossy Monkey]

Poll question: Most repugnant use of a popular song in television advertising?

So so so so many...

This is inspired, if that's the word, by a cellular provider's recent decision to use Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" in their little 20 second spot of misery. Now I don't have a religion, but if I did that song would be about as close to one as I could have; I am repulsed, sickened, disgusted and enraged every time it comes on. (Of course, that pretty nearly describes my reaction to any TV commercial, but that's another story.)

The really egregious one was the jeans company that briefly ran a snippet from "Fortunate Son" edited to sound like it's a flag-waving song instead of the opposite. I think they heard from a lot of people about that in a hurry; anyway it was replaced by something innocuous by Steve Miller faster than you can say New Coke, or so it seems in my memory.

I guess the question is: Are you more annoyed by hearing songs you like or love cannibalized into an ad jingle or by being forced to hear a song you hate under the same circumstances? (I've asked here before; most people choose the latter, while I fall into the former category.) Then again, there's the ones that are just bone stupid, like using the music from "Sweet Home Alabama" to sell Pepsico products ostensibly from Kentucky, presumably to convey Southernness. Regardless, I've included tunes that can be loved or hated by all, so there ought to be something for everyone to vote for regardless of which category you find yourself in.

There is no Other. It was hard enough getting it down to ten choices. Register Other votes by replying below.

Notice that I'm trying hard not to mention brand names. Like these shitweasels need any further advertising.

I know that London Calling should be on here, but that one was so bizarre and stupid as to be almost funny. Anyway, as I said, feel free to respond below if you think it's worse than all the choices I've offered.

[SmileyBoy]

1. That Dave Matthews-sounding song for Chase.

GOD, that pisses me off something fierce.

Wasn't it really Dave Matthews Band, or was it an impersonation??

[Bossy Monkey]

4. Artist and title, in that order, are in parentheses in the poll response

ie Five for Fighting, 100 Years. I understand that it's just one guy rather than an actual band, 'though I've never cared enough to follow it up. When the record came out the guy came on the Dan Patrick radio show to promote it, 'though perhaps he'd just left the rest of the band behind. That was already hearing it one time too many.

Edit: I remember when I used to be literate...

[Left Is Write]

24. I like that song.

I hate that it's used in a Chase ad, but I really like the song. I don't think it sounds DMB-ish, but then, I can't stand DMB.

[Random_Australian]

2. Other: Alex Lloyd, 'Amazing' used to advertise some freaking car.

It came No.1 in the jjj hottest 100 competition down here (ie. it is pretty freaking awesome), and then they used it to sell cars.

[pinniped]

3. I have Cingular and was appalled they used Solsbury Hill.

Nike's use of the Beatles' Revolution was one of the worst atrocities.

Every FN time that stupid eharmony crap commercial comes on I yell and put it on mute or change the channel.

The same goes for every single stupid Concasst commercial.

A couple weeks ago someone here mentioned that stupid Applebees commercial with those two bozos trying to sing the Gilligan's Island tune. They also suck eggs.

[RoyGBiv]

5. Sorry ... Other

_Mercedes Benz_ by Janis Joplin being used by the Mercedes Benz company to sell its cars is the most repugnant use of a song in television advertising.

I can't think of anything else even close.

[ghostsofgiants]

20. And also quite ironic.

[fishwax]

48. hard to argue with that

:puke:

[last_texas_dem]

6. "Fortunate Son"

1) Because it was strategically edited to sound like a jingoistic, flag-waving song.

2) Because, IIRC, John Fogerty doesn't own the rights to his own songs so has no control over what awful ways they get used.

And an honorable mention to that tampon or pad commercial a few years back that used "Time of the Season" by the Zombies.

[UncleSepp]

7. The Nails, 88 Lines About 44 Women, some SUV

I couldn't believe my ears. Of course, none of the lyrics were in it, just the humming part.

[China_cat]

8. Iron Butterfly's Inagaddadavida

for a fucking BANK.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

42. YES!

:grr:

[LostinVA]

9. "Dust in the Wind" -- stupid car ad

[last_texas_dem]

44. Oh yeah, that was bad

Do they even consider the lyrics of these songs before they decide to push some product using them?

[peekaloo]

10. The Ramones for Pepsi.

*sigh*

[Giant Robot]

11. Voted for Solsbury Hill

Because.....well just because darn it! It shouldn't be in a commercial.

But I think a close second would be the Beatles "Revolution" in those Nike ads. Makes me shudder...

[last_texas_dem]

51. Oh yeah, and

remember when they used a cover of the Beatles' "Getting Better" for (I think) Philips? They made the "It can't get no worse" line unintelligible and (although I guess for understandable reasons), in turn, removed the contradictory angle that always made the original a little cooler.

[ok_cpu]

12. Other - I never really liked the original song

but the "Crumb-believable" abomination from the cheese commercial makes me sad.

Could EMF need money that badly?

:cry:

[anarch]

13. that fucking Pizza Hut commercial with that fucking Jessica Simpson

singing "These Boots are Made for Walking". Thankfully I haven't seen that for a while, and they evidently replaced Ms. Simpson with Ms. Piggy after a while, which wasn't quite as repugnant. Still, though...jeez.

[Left Is Write]

25. Yeah, that song and ad are stupid, BUT

one expects Jessica Simpson to do something of that sort. It's more repugnant to me when a song and/or artist are used for advertising that never should have been (the Clash and Led Zeppelin are excellent examples, as are the Beatles).

[peekaloo]

14. Oh yeah, "Lust for Life' to pimp cruise ships.

although it does make me laugh thinking about the "liquor and drugs" line they don't use.

Then there's the shooting heroin song "There She Goes" used for feminine hygiene ads or is that an STD commercial?
:P

[XemaSab]

37. That's f***ed up.

[Hugin]

15. Best Buy using the Cars pretty much did me in...

But, the coup-de-grâce for me was the use of Sheryl Crow in a
Subaru ad...

I love my Subaru and I love Sheryl Crow... But...

Well, you know.

*sigh*

[DainBramaged]

16. The new song in the GM commercials I really love it

AM Radio, Everclear. Gearheads rule.

[Sugar Smack]

17. GREAT THREAD.

:applause:

I hate to see classical music butchered in commercials. There's Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" used to sell the drugstore perfume "Vanilla Fields" and Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" for that airline. GAH!

[HuskerDU]

18. Mercedes Benz by Janis probably takes the cake, however,

at least it wasn't her idea since she is dead. What bothered me was OUR own Steve Earle pimpin' chevy with his 'Revelution Starts Now' song. I still like Mr. Earle very much, but damn what a disappointment! I guess he needed the dough because he has like 6 ex-wives.

[Coventina]

19. IMO: nothing topped Jesus & Mary Chain's "Happy When It Rains"

used in a Chevrolet commercial.

Then there was the Cure's "Pictures of You" for Hewlett Packard. Yikes.

[Sufi Marmot]

21. "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake...

...in that stupid VW commerical a few years ago.

[fishwax]

50. at least that exposed a lot of people to nick drake

who would never have heard of him otherwise. Not that it entirely makes up for it, but at least it has some side benefit :)

[WillParkinson]

22. TGI Friday's....

Rocks You Like A Hurricane by the Scorpions.

The ad is cute, but I like the song.

[Left Is Write]

23. When I heard THE CARS on an ad, I wept.

Using London Calling in an ad is so wrong as to defy description.

[bertha katzenengel]

26. Was hard pressed to choose between CCR & Lynrd Skynrd--chose CCR

Although "Fortunate Son" being used for jeans isn't quite as bad as ANY good song like that being used for food, forgoddsakes.... I still had to go w/ CCR.

[lizziegrace]

27. Led Zeppelin and Cadillac n/t

[Whoa_Nelly]

33. Am 100% with you on that one, lizziegrace! n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. "Like a Rock"

I was never a huge fan of that song, but I really detest it now after that Chevy commercial.

[CanuckAmok]

29. C'mon... The Beatles' "Revolution" to sell Nikes. Duh.

http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?docid=1G1:5086944&refid=ink_tptd_mag&skeyword=&teaser=

"We are not in the business of singing jingles".

[CanuckAmok]

31. Also, Psychic TV's "Roman P" for the VW Golf GTI

Ad exec "A": "This is a great track...perfectly signifying everything that's good about the GTI. We just have to find a way to work it into the new campaign."

Ad exec "B": "Yeah, we should probably omit the line 'little girls drinking, eating cocaine, little girls cost you your greatest mistake"

Ad exec "A": "Hmmm... I think you're on to something, JL."

Ad exec "B": "Yes, well, while we're at it, we should probably omit the line 'Sharon swinging high up above, crying lying dying for love'"

Ad exec "A": Oh, yeah, that's a given.

Ad exec "B": "Hold on, Alex, maybe I'm being too hasty. Our demo isn't going to connect these obscure references to serial pederasty and the Manson murders. Twenty-two to thirty-five... that's our market. I say 'run with it'!"

Ad exec "A": "Plucky decision, sir! And in any case, Marketing says that serial pederasty and drug-induced violent ritual murders are on the up-swing... It sure would be great to tap into that wave before it breaks big!"

[Fenris]

30. "London Calling" used in a Jaguar ad

[realisticphish]

32. The who

in a motherfucking hummer commercial :grr:

[Whoa_Nelly]

34. Question: Do the artists receive a kickback/royalty

for the use of their songs? :shrug:

Seems like they would, but I really don't know...

[last_texas_dem]

47. I believe they do

Although there are some cases where they don't own the rights to their songs and thus don't get any money (at least I don't think) from their use and don't have any say over how they get used. Which really sucks for the artist...

[Kat45]

35. I just saw an ad using T Rex's "Bang a Gong"

I forget what they were advertising.

[blondeatlast]

40. Advertising--get ready--hope you are sitting down...

JC Penney clothing.

It's kind of heartening to know you FORGOT the commercial for which it's used!

[long_green]

36. "Revival," by The Allman Brothers, for Red Lobster

"people can you see it, LOBSTERS EVERYWHERE!" Duane and Berry did not die for that.

[Kat45]

38. Then there's Aerosmith's "Dream On" for some car.

I love the song, so I just try to enjoy hearing a bit of it and ignoring the commercial. The car ad with the Led Zep song really gets to me. All these yuppie-types who most likely wouldn't be into Led Zeppelin are singing along to "Rock and Roll" while driving the cars. Ridiculous!

[intheflow]

39. Other. "Come Together" a few years back to advertise...

what was it? Apple Computers? Microsoft? IBM? It doesn't matter which, some computer thing.

Mac vs. Windows arguments aside, using any John Lennon song to bolster corporate anything is a sacrilege to everything Lennon stood for.

[blondeatlast]

41. Most IRONIC use of a popular song in political PR--

"Born In The USA"--

For--sit down--are you ready--breathe--

Who can (as in are old enough) to remember???

Edit: Springsteen put the kibosh on it's use but FAST...

[Kat45]

53. I remember that. Reagan wanted to use it.

He was too stupid to know what the song was really about, or he would have been had he bothered to listen to more than the chorus. Bruce said no way.

[blondeatlast]

54. IIRC, it was used at a couple of campaign stops.

I'm pretty sure I remember it being played on the news--a real :wtf: moment for me!

[Lisa]

43. Bob Dylan, "The Times They Are A-Changing" -- Bank of Montreal

What was Bob thinking? That's one of Canada's "Big Five" banks -- even the smallest of them (Toronto-Dominion) generally makes something like a billion dollars per year. Just on principle, I don't think 1960s protest songs should be used to shill for ANY bank (with the possible exception of credit unions and maybe VanCity).

[Radical Activist]

45. All the investment firms that use hippy revolution songs.

That makes me sick. The fuckers were the ones who spit on hippies and made sure change didn't happen. The one that uses Volunteers of America comes to mind.

[wildhorses]

46. I'm sick of it ALL

makes me feel OLD
somehow cheapens my experiences
tarnishes the reflections of my memories

[Burma Jones]

49. I agree with all of them, plus, some Jerry Garcia instrumental

work to sell Elizabeth Taylor's Diamonds perfume....

[CBHagman]

52. I resent a lot of them, but particularly...

...the use of "The Weight" for some cellular phone (Was it Cingular?) and "I Melt with You" (I think that was Burger King).

But I voted for "Solsbury Hill," simply because I've always loved that song.

And the song "Woo-Hoo" was obnoxious as all get-out prior to Vonage using it. My noisy neighbors play their TV so loud that I can tell when the *@$%#!! commercial is on.