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Don't touch that dial: Test Pattern tunes into television, movie, music and pop culture links, as well as gossip and idle chat from around the Web.

Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



TV commercial contest: Music in ads

Posted: Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:

Using music in TV ads makes lots of sense: If we love the song, companies figure, we may associate it with their product, and transfer some of that lovin' feeling on over into our purchases. And yes, sometimes a great musical choice can make an otherwise ordinary commercial memorable. And other times, oh, other times..

Why listen to the full song?
In past commercial discussions, we've griped about how often a commercial grabs just a snippet of a song and it seems apparent that no one at the ad agency bothered to Google the rest of the lyrics.

The ultimate example: You know it. That certain cruise line that uses Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life," blaring the chorus and nicely skipping over the part that discusses "the liquor and drugs, and the flesh machine." (Not to mention a certain line about the ear.)

Another favorite of mine is the car company that used The Dandy Warhols' "Bohemian Like Me" so they could play the line "You've got a great car." Whenever my husband and I saw it, we would always fill in the next line: "Yeah, what's WRONG WITH IT today?"

And a friend reports that a Cadillac SUV ad is using The Pogues' "The Sunny Side of the Street." Yeah, despite the title, that's the song whose lyrics include "a heartful of hate and a lust for vomit."

Older ads that used unintentionally humorous music included the Microsoft ad with "Start Me Up" ("you make a grown man cry"), the Nissan ad with "Won't Get Fooled Again" (fooled again...by a car company?), and the uber-patriotic Wrangler ad that used CCR's "Fortunate Son" ("and when the band plays 'hail to the chief,' ooh, they point the cannon at you.").

Songs either work, or they don't
Sometimes, the song absolutely lifts a bland commercial into a special category and makes it memorable. Of course, this is a very subjective area. I personally love the Fruity Cheerios commercial with the song "Happiness Runs" (watch it here) but some people say they find it irritating.

I also liked the M&Ms ad with the remake of Petula Clark's "Color My World," but I may have been as influenced by the cool waves of one-color M&Ms as I was the song.

A recent Ask Metafilter question had a viewer begging to know what song was used in a DeBeers diamond ad (the asker thought it was a Sears ad, further proof that good ads don't always sell the product). You know it: It's the one where the husband gets up and puts the diamond necklace on his sleeping wife (romantic or a little weird? you decide). Apparently the song that plays is Cat Power's cover of just 30 seconds of an old Cat Stevens' song, "How Can I Tell You?" Cat Power's version is beautiful, but apparently only those 30 seconds exist, so good luck getting a recording of it. Watch the ad (and hear the song) here.

Web resources
Looking for a good online source to help you ID a song from a certain ad? Here are a few
--Promo Guy has a blog and forums.
--So does AdTunes.
--What's That Tune? covers the same topic for UK ads.
--Songtitle.info is simple but useful
--What's That Called? attempts to answer that question
--The Trio.com newsletter recommended this thread on Hand Coding, a blog where folks keep posting questions and answers about ad music.

Throw out your own thoughts about music used in commercials in the comments.

Update: Want more ad talk? Business reporter Allison Linn has launched a new blog that takes a look at controversial and intriguing ads from the business side of things. Check it out at Ads of the Weird.

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Comments

I know it was mentioned a bunch of times in a former entry of yours as well but Wendy's using The Violent Femmes Blister in the Sun is also very disconcerting. Have they never listened to the lyrics of that song? I love the Femmes and that song but not for Wendy's.

Amy, Minnetonka, MN (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 9:43 AM)

Worst song and one of the worst commercials:  Petula Clark's "Downtown" and the girl who gets a makeover that involves a truly awful dress, worse hair and pretty much the worst acting ever seen on national TV.  I don't have a clue what the commercial is advertising.  Some lady is traipsing around town singing, arguably the worst song ever, while this poor girl sits there with a bewildered look on her face the entire time.   Hate it hate it hate it!

Sherrie, Saskatchewan Canada (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:16 AM)

I love the M&M's commercial with the song "This is the Day", by The The.  When I read the full lyrics of the song, it's a little depressing, but the ultimate message is hopeful, so I think it goes well with the commercial, too:)

Missy (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:23 AM)

Worst ad song ever has to go to the geniuses that used Salt 'n' Peppa's "Push it" to sell a car (I don't remember which car company).  All i remember thinking is 'are they trying to tell us that this car is the best car to use for backseat make-out sessions'.

Katherine (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:35 AM)

The best use of a song in a commercial is from Celebrity Cruise Lines, which uses "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" song by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.  It's absolutely beautiful, and it's so fitting for a cruise ship.  After our first Celebrity Cruise, we downloaded the song to our IPOD.

Lori, Lansing, Michigan (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:36 AM)

This may be a little old, and it doesn't really involve a song being co-opted into a commercial, but I simply must mute the TV whenever I see the Snickers commercials with the guy singing about "prancing nougat in the meadow" and all that.  It is STUPID and then it gets stuck in my head all day!!

Missy, Louisville, KY (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:37 AM)

My favorite is still the use of "Semi Charmed Life" for the Tigger Movie.  The song is about crystal meth addiction, but the most provocative lyrics are always blurred out in the song.  The Disney people found out and soon pulled the ad.

Chris, Washington, DC (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:48 AM)

I *LOVE* the AXE commercials with "bom chicka bow wow" Its catchy..and now me and my boyfried always sing it randomly and it just makes me laugh. Great marketing. Plus LOVE the commercials. They are so funny. My fav one is the Old man one. Where this guy and his girlfriend are hosting a party and the dad (maybe the grandpa) of the boyfriend goes into the bathroom and he is looking at the axe can and he accidently sprays himself. Then returns to the party...and all of a suddon the girl looks at the old man and starts singing "bom chicka bow wow..." and rips the old mans clothes off in front of her bf...and the old man turns to the camera while standing in only his under shirt and boxers and says in his foreign accent "god bless america!"

Told_Ya, Columbus NE (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 11:01 AM)

I cried, literally cried, when I heard "Sunnyside" used in that commercial.  Three things immediately came to mind:

1. How broke is Shane McGowan?
2. Did they actually LISTEN to that song or read the lyrics before deciding use it?
3. Is nothing sacred?

Cat, Neptune NJ (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 11:09 AM)

Usually I am extremely annoyed when ads use well-known songs in their ads, but for some reason the Target ad using "Hello Goodbye" (changed to "Hello Good Buy") seems to hit the right notes.  The cover that they use fits just right with the mood of most Target ads -- cool yet lighthearted.  And while "Hello Goodbye" is a song that many know and like, it was mostly a nonsensical song to start with so it doesn't seem offensive or puzzling to see the meaning changed for an ad.  At any rate, this is yet another extension of Target's strong ad campaign that has gone on for years.

Kirsten, Seattle, WA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 11:21 AM)

In Michigan, we have a place called Jimmy John's Subs. Is this anywhere else in the counrty? Well, anyways, they have this little flower that had a face...that flower bounces up and down to "Pop goes the Weasel" and then flys out of nowhere! I HATE this commercial, as well as all the rest of Jimmy John's. Annoying!!!

Stephanie, Brighton, MI (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 11:32 AM)

I love some of the songs that I hear in commercial ads. That's the way that I discovered Cat Powers and her beautiful music. By the way, she did a full version of "How Can I Tell You" only it's in the same style of Cat Stevens and (I don't think) not nearly as beautiful. Another song that I fell in love with is "What Are You Doing For the Rest of Your Life" by Laura Fygi. It's in the commercial for the Journey Diamond. I love, love, love it!

Jenifer, Columbus OH (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 11:56 AM)

I like the commercial that did a remake of the "Mary Tyler Moore" theme song.  The remake sounds nice, and it works with the commercial, though I can't think off the top of my head who the commercial is for (I think it's a bank).

BV, Joliet IL (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 12:22 PM)

The Vonage ads with the annoying woo hoo hoo lyrics grate on me.

The K9 singing dog no bugs on me is just disturbing.

I love the Target commercial where they sing the song "A Little Bit More" by Jamie Lidell.

Marilyn, Gainesville, FL (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 12:57 PM)

I absolutely love the Liberty Mutual commercial that shows people doing good deeds and inspiring others to do them as well. The reason I love it is the absolutely beautiful melody playing in the background. The song is "Half Acre" by a band called Hem. I loved it so much I bought the cd. Can't say I have done any business with Liberty Mutual, but should I ever need their services, they will be the first on my list.

Amanda, Birmingham, AL (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 1:04 PM)

I really like the new iPod commercial that uses "Mi Swing is Tropical" by Nicodemus.  I have that sond downloaded onto my iPod now.

Misti, Republic, WA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 1:14 PM)

There's a Chevy commercial that makes me nuts.  It uses lyrics from "American Pie" - "Bye, bye miss american pie, drove my chevy to the levy but the levy was dry".  This line is repeated ad nauseum in the ad, because they certainly don't want to use the rest of that lyric - "good ol' boys drinking whiskey and rye singing this will be the day that I die."  Drinking and driving, anyone?

Sarah, Richmond, VA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 1:44 PM)

My husband and I saw a commercial last night that made us just bust up.  It didn't have any music though.  It was a Sam Adam's commercial telling how the owner and founder always get the best product and it has employees and customers talking about what they like about the different beers they drink and why. But the laugh out loud moment came at the end when two girls were sitting at a table and one of them says something about not drinking domestic beers again, implying that she thought it was a foreign beer when her friend turns to her and says "Sam Adams is domestic, dumbass!"

Terra Crihfield, Carthage, MO (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 1:45 PM)

This will probably show my age - but I love the 7-Up commercial with the Partridge Family singing "You've Got The Sunshine in your Hands" - David Cassidy was a big teen idol when I was a 'tween. I find myself singing along whenever it comes on.  

jane doe, Springfield USA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 1:53 PM)

My favorite so far are the Vytorin commercials that have a split screen of a food item and a person who is made to resemble the food.  The voice says "You get your cholesterol from two sources, your food and Uncle or Aunt So-and-So.

Richard, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 2:05 PM)

I may be the only one but I am deeply annoyed by the AT&T commercials that end with "All Around the World".  It drives me crazy and I try to mute the tv everytime.  Time for a new song, AT&T!

Danielle, Carmel, IN (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 2:24 PM)

I can't stand the Ford commercials with the American Idols.  I've had enough of Taylor Hicks already.

Jen, Bayville, NJ (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 2:33 PM)

The Mary Tyler Moore theme is in a Talbot's commercial...which just goes to show that just because a commercial is good (or uses good music, because I love it, too), that it will be memorable for the product :)

Missy (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 2:37 PM)

I like the crusie line that used the "Aint got much money but, aint we have fun!".. good choice for a cruise.  
Also like the "I don't love you much, do I?" song for that bread commercial (Sara Lee?)
Makes two really super boing commericals tolerable.

annoyn, santa cruz, ca (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 2:42 PM)

My son absolutely loves the music on one of the animated Hilton commercials...and actually I do as well. It's relaxing and easy to sing to.  The commercial is nice as well.

http://www.splendad.com/ads/show/1032-Hilton-Journeys-Dragon

JoAnne, Tucson, AZ (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 3:00 PM)

To me the Wendy's/Violent Femmes combo is the absolute strangest use of music in a commercial.  However, my husband has been know to sing "sweet ho-ome Kentucky" whenever a KFC ad using "Sweet Home Alabama" comes on the TV.

Jenn (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 3:26 PM)

I used to chuckle whenever I heard "Beautiful World" by Devo in the Target commercials.  Maybe they didn't realize it was supposed to be a sarcastic song.  

Billy, Albany, GA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 3:37 PM)

I don't know if anyone remembers these Levi's commercials from several years back, but I thought they were really cool.  One used Soft Cell's 'Tainted Love' in an operating room setting and the other one used The Partridge's 'I Think I Love You' when a guy and a girl met on an elevator and it kind of fast-forwarded through their lives together, getting married, having a baby, and then brought them back to the elevator.  So cool but the commercials didn't seem to stay around for very long.

Kimberly, Riverdale, CA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 3:55 PM)

A local establishment decided to class-up their amateurish ads with a little classical music.  Why a BANK chose Rossini's "The Thieving Magpie" remains a mystery.

Phong Lee, Reno NV (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 4:43 PM)

I absolutely love the Wii commercial done to the Japanese musicians, the Yoshida Brothers. The music, a blend of traditional Japanese shamisen with hard rock is a fantastic blend of sounds and fits the commericals perfectly. This is one commercial that I actually look forward to.

Ravanne, New York, NY (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 4:48 PM)

I love the ad for Chevy "No its not a jet-set.. its the old Chevrolet set".. or something like that.. its shows the different kinds of music genres etc...  I especially like the ending tune..

Vandana, Ann Arbor, Michigan (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 4:58 PM)

I love that American Express used The Black Keys' "10a.m. Automatic" in their commercial featuring Shaun White.  They are an amazing band (duo) that I highly recommend.  The use of this song really gives the ad a youthful, edgy vibe.  And it compliments the whole theme, which features Shaun trekking across the globe at a moments notice to catch a good snowstorm and practice some of those amazing snowboarding skills!

S, Gulfport, MS (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:08 PM)

Any product that uses "The Flesh Failures," more commonly known as "Let the Sunshine In."  That's a song about dying in Vietnam:

We starve, look at one another short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new-told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes

You really want your product associated with that?

Brian P. Evans, San Diego, CA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:08 PM)

I hate the music on the Lunesta commercials, the haunting tone is creepy, not soothing.  

Laura, Sunnyvale, CA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:18 PM)

I'm not a religious fanatic by any stretch of the imagination.  but a fruity pebbles commercial I found to be very upsetting.  It's sort of an American Idol rip off and Barney is trying to figure out what song he can sing.  next thing you know he's dresses as elvis singing "I won't the whole bowl in my hand"?  Religious or not, He's got the whole world in his hands is usually one of the first religious songs you learn as a kid.  and to take that song not to mention one of only a few good childhood memories a person can have a commercialize it.  I thought was just sad.

John (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:26 PM)

The Zurich insurance commercials have a nice tune playing in the background by a group called Spacetrain.

Will, Cary, NC (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:29 PM)

One of the "did they ever listen to the rest of the lyrics" awards goes to Carnival Cruise Lines for "Somewhere Beyond the Sea."  The chorus ends with, "then never again/we'll go sailing."

Kirsten, Atlanta, GA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:38 PM)

I've always all the sports teams that appropriated "We Are the Champions," a famous gay anthem.

Eric, Fresno, California (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:52 PM)

The Vonage woohoo song is the Transplant "Diamonds and Guns" it is a pretty dark song with a very catchy tune. Of course all of the Transplants songs are that way.

Kathy Dalager, Spokane WA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:56 PM)

The Vonage woohoo song is the Transplant "Diamonds and Guns" it is a pretty dark song with a very catchy tune. Of course all of the Transplants songs are that way.

Kathy, Spokane WA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:57 PM)

VW's add a few years ago with Nick Drake's "Pink Moon"...it was only recently I found out what song/artist it was and bought "Pink Moon" immediately.  Everyone, EVERYONE should own that album.  If you don't buy you are a putz.  Also Geico's use of Roykksops "Everywhere I Go".  Bought that album, well, no, a live album with that song on it.  I think I like the studio version better, though.  I looove the caveman ads, so creative, especially in the details, i.e. the airport ad mentioned above...a wooden tennis racket?!?!  awesome  

gordy, portland, oregon (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:00 PM)

The omission of some lyrics when using a song for commercials is not a new practice.  In the 1980's Robert Palmer promoted Pepsi with "Simply Irresistable" (with the women in black dresses and ghost-white makeup from the song's video). Conveniently missing from the ad's version of the song was the line "She's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went."  Maybe Pepsi did not wnat their product to be considered by the public as too expensive.

Matthew, North Fort Myers, FL (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:26 PM)

Can't stand Chevrolet's ads featuring people singing songs about their cars. When they get to, "we're not the jet set, we're the old Chev-ro-LET set" I want to throw something at the T.V. And when hearing "Bye, Bye Miss American Pie" I fast forward in my mind to "this'll be the day that I die", just what you want a customer thinking when they go to buy a new car.

Pam, Yakima WA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:28 PM)

I miss the old mentos commercials and the song that was sang with them.  "The "freshmaker" always left the jingle in your head for a long time, and the way the the situations played out were cool.  I also loved the Diet Coke commercials that had the "just for the thrill of it, just for the taste of it, Diet Coke" song.  It wasn't around for very long.

Jack, Sebring, FL (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:49 PM)

Loved that NFL Channel commercial that used the Doves song "Words."  

Russell Zitske, Skoikie, IL (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:55 PM)

I find more often than not that the song used on a particular commercial has nothing to do with the product...and I wonder if anybody involved listened to the words or has a clue what the song is about.  I end up losing respect for the artist whose song is being used (I almost cried when I heard the Violent Femmes on the Burger King commercial, how could they sell out like that??).  I like it when the ad agencies try to use a little creativity and come up with their own jingles (Real Men of Genius is genius in itself).  Another source of annoyance is when they take classic songs and make up new words.  I will not eat at Applebee's for this reason.  Occasionally I'm sure they get it right and the song fits, although nothing comes to mind right now.  One thing that's always baffled me though - why do they use Sweet Home Alabama on the KFC commercials?  Doesn't the K stand for Kentucky??

Patti, Everett, Wa (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 7:07 PM)

i love geico's use of "remind me" by Royksopp. It took me quite a while to find it and i got the single on itunes not realising that i had the whole album. Also someone was using "surfing on a rocket" by air and practically the whole goldfrapp album "supernature" was used in target commercials.

commercial music in general is just great now.

christine, ft lauderdale. fl (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 7:33 PM)

I think it's the Sheraton hotel chain (I know its a hotel chain at least) that uses "We Belong".  It's not Pat Benatar singing, but the remake is very sweet and the commercial itself shows all different types of "belonging" from around the world.  It's one of my favorite feel-good commercials.

Nichole, Pineville, LA (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 7:53 PM)

Magnavox, I think it was, used a very famous Beatles line, "It's getting better all the time", but in my head I always followed with the next line in the song, "it can't get much worse". Now that's a t.v. I'd like to buy!

S. March, Colorado (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 8:11 PM)

Thanks for pointing out that it's Cat Power in the diamond commercial.  I just wish the whole song was available.  (Hey Chan, record the whole thing!)

Not recent, but some songs that I've liked in commercials:

Iron and Wine's cover of the Postal Service song in an M&M's commercial.  

Going back a lot farther - remember the old Life Saver's commercial with the African sounding vocalists singing the flavors?  "Life Saaaaaaavers hommmmmmmmmmm"  Whenever I hear Ben Harper's "Pictures of Jesus" I think of that commercial.

Mike, Austin, TX (Sent Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:48 PM)



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