Commercialism

Commercialism

We all have songs stuck in our heads from time to time. Sometimes I feel like I have a whole jukebox stuck in my head, and at any moment I may be randomly blurting out a million different songs.  Most of the time something triggers a certain song, or maybe I have heard it recently, either way I just can’t stop singing songs throughout the day. 

There are other days, where I don’t remember hearing a song but somehow start singing it. Hell sometimes me and woman of the house get the same song in our head at the same time and have no clue as to why. Then while we watch more TV a commercial comes on, and hey, there is that song!

Commercials come to us in our homes or in our cars, or through our headphones. They stay for a while, enough to tell you what they are advertising, and then sometimes just a little longer to stay stuck in our heads.

 In some cases you know the song and get excited because,

“Hey they are using a song I know,”

 And suddenly in the store you are buying ladies shaving cream, not because you need it, but because

 “Hey they used the coolest Joni Mitchell song in their ad, so they deserve some of my money”.

(Plus I like the way that it makes my face feel so smooth, and smell like a bouquet of lavender and chamomile)

In other circumstances, I hear a song on a commercial and I can’t quite remember it, maybe it’s an altered version, but I really like it, and I remember it . So it makes me happy, but I just wish I could figure out where it is that I know that song from.

Other days, I hear a song in a commercial and I don’t know it, but I really like it, then I spend all my time looking for this song. Nowadays the internet makes it easier, but before I had google in my pocket, it was next to impossible to discover. Praise the Lord for the invention of Smart Phones

So after that long introduction, I figured I would show you some of my favorite commercials that feature some classic songs that I love or learned to love after seeing the commercial.

So here is 6 classic commercials, all with great music and great stories.

Kingsford Charcoal-  Fascination by Rob Crow

If you don’t know Rob Crow, maybe you have at least heard of Pinback. If not, that’s cool I still like you, but at least go check them out. Rob Crow is one of the kings of the Indie scene in my opinion.  He has played with dozens of bands that you have never heard of. Don’t worry I don’t know half of them either, and if I had never been turned onto Pinback I wouldn’t have known any of them.

Fascination is a song that you probably have heard a million times and just sort of ignored.  It was a top ten song and was originally done by The Human League.  The Human League were a great 80’s band, and this song which they titled (Keep Feeling) Fascination and Don’t You Want Me were two of their biggest hits.

But in this commercial the whole world just slows down for a bit, and the song  ( by its new musician) does the same.  

This commercial makes me long for the summer, especially today as the snow begins to cover my yard and I inevitably know that I will be shoveling before this day is done. But don’t we all just wish we could always have those care free Saturdays where the only thing on your mind is how much you can eat and drink before the sun goes down?

The reason why I was drawn to this commercial was because it took me a few days to figure out what song it was. I knew I had heard it and I knew that this wasn’t the original, but I couldn’t quite place it. When it comes to music, I try not to look things up as much as possible. I work primarily off my memory so eventually I figured it out and boom, I discovered a great cover by someone I already enjoy. Don’t just take my word for it, watch the video. (be advised it will make you hungry)

State Farm Insurance- Point of Know Return- Kansas

So this is one of those songs that I had heard a few times but personally never paid attention to. When it came to Kansas, I was drawn to Carry on Wayward Son and then Dust in The Wind. It wasn’t that they were bad, I just never gave it much of a listen.  I gave it a better listen after seeing High Fidelity, but it wasn’t until I saw this commercial that I was really drawn to the song.

I mean it really is a kick ass song and has a crazy Time Signature.(but then again, it is Prog Rock). The song is just out of this world, and furthered my love of Kansas and made me check out more of their stuff.

As for the commercial. It was awesome and basically had a guy singing and having fun in his car, jamming, like everyone does, except this dude had no embarrassment. Pulls up to a stop light and just keeps jamming. I know I get caught doing this a lot, and what’s more I probably look much dumber because I never roll my windows down. I live in the AC. (except for like that first week of spring when it feels good to roll down the window again)   So when I roll up next to you, you just see a guy crazily yet silently rocking.

   

I wish State Farm made more commercials like this, and less with Aaron Rodgers(although I do appreciate Da Superfans)  What is really weird is how many commercials that insurance companies have out there too.  Just please no more shitty singers singing the jingle with the magical agent showing up.

So here it is….

Target – So Groovy (Reach Out of the Darkness) – Jocelyn Alice & Right The Stars

This is another cover song, but this one stays pretty true to the original.  The original version of this song was done by Friend and Lover. It was their only hit, but it is a song that most people know and remember.  It was more of a folk rock number back then, so giving it a vamp with some unknown indie artists is well worth it.

To be honest I know nothing about either Jocelyn Alice or Right the Stars, but I am trying to. I really like what I have found from both of them and hope that this commercial zooms them into success.  Jocelyn Alice is a very gifted singer, but she has that voice that so many contemporary women have right now.(think Florence and the Machine or Of Monsters and Men)

 Meanwhile Right The Stars is very refreshing and sounds like 30 different bands and nothing you have ever heard before at the same time.

 So definitely if you have time look them both up. I really, really like Right the Stars.

The commercial was so good, that it always found a way to get caught in everybody in the house’s head. Between myself, Woman of The House and the two boys; someone was always singing the song. It renewed my interest in the original and got me on a weird hippie folk kick for a while (which ended when I started listening to Sukiyaki nonstop)

So here mates, check out this very new Target Commercial

Travelers Insurance – Trouble- Ray LaMontagne

I don’t recall exactly when this commercial came out, but I am sure it was during that weird period of time when Ray LaMontagne was sweeping all over Hollywood.

His songs were on almost every tv show, Parenthood, One Tree Hill, House and many more.  I know that it was well after this song came out that it was on the commercial, but any publicity is good publicity, right?

Ray LaMontagne is one of those guys that just has such a beautiful voice, and it doesn’t matter if he is singing the names of the items on the Dollar Menu at McDonalds; you still want to listen. 

His career has never lead to major mainstream success, but most people through tv or friends or whatever have heard at least one of his songs if not more. All of his albums have sold well, but have proven that the sum of the album  is better than the individual song as none of his singles have had huge success.

I got hipped to Ray LaMontagne by Taylor Hicks from American Idol, when he actually performed this song on American Idol during his run to the top in 2006.

Unfortunately for Taylor, his career lasted just as long as the dog’s in the commercial.

That’s Right this is that cute commercial where the dog just can’t seem to find any protection for his bone, and no matter where he buries it, he seems to think someone is going to find it.

VW Golf - Mr. Roboto – Styx

It’s hard to think that in 1999 people got excited by an Eight speaker cassette stereo system, but this commercial highlighted just that.

This was a commercial that got a lot of people interested in Styx again, as if they needed more people interested in them.

By now, again, I assume everybody has heard at least one Styx song, whether it be by listening to the band hearing a commercial, Pandora recommending it, or even if you have only heard Cartman on South Park singing Come Sail Away. In some way or another I think everyone has heard Styx

The cool thing about this commercial is that you don’t hear the music until the end, you just get to watch Buster Bluth, (that’s right it’s him, they even spoofed it on Arrested Development) dancing and you have no idea what is going on until his friend comes and opens the door, then they just drive away rocking out.

So without any more explanation…..

Levi’s Wide Leg Jeans-  Tainted Love- Soft Cell

Ok so where do I begin, this was an awesome commercial, and was honestly the first time that I had ever heard Tainted Love.

So Tainted Love is an incredible song, and if you have never heard it then, I feel sorry for you, I really mean that.  The song is an old 60’s song by Gloria Jones  , but the version that most people know was the 80’s cut by Soft Cell. Otherwise you may have also heard Marilyn Manson’s version.

Of course since I am an 80s music fanatic I love the soft Cell version and can’t get enough of it. They did tons of different versions of it as well and made it a great dance song.

This commercial was directed by Spike Jonze, and if you don’t know who he is, then you live a sheltered life, (or maybe I do) Spike Jonze has a whole  reel of great commercials, and he has made a few movies, including Where the Wild Things Are and Being John Malkovich. Where I learned to love him was his awesome repertoire of music videos, Bjork, Beastie Boys, Fat Lip, Weezer, Fatboy Slim, Puff Daddy, R.E.M, Daft Punk, the list could go on and on.

What’s crazy too to think about is, how many commercial directors do you know? I don’t know too many, so this to me is by far incredibly awesome.

The commercial does not actually feature anyone doing the song, albeit the actors in the commercial sing it. And after you watch it, going to the hospital will never be the same. Every time I end up in the ER which sadly and lately is a lot I always think of this song. You will too.

I figure I should end there, not because there are not more, but because for me they don’t get any better than that.  

I just want to say that I am aware of the ones I left out, including the VW commercial that features Da Da Da, of course the Coke commercial (Teach the world to sing) and  any of the IPod silhouette commercials, and of course that woo hoo Vonage commercial.

So let me know what else I may have left off, and let me know what you think of the ones that I have shown you, and seriously check out some of the bands, it is worth your time