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Songs mis-used in commercials


bazooka

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I've never really appreciated the selling of products by using songs I grew up with, which meant so much more in so many ways then. But like anything, there are exceptions.

One commercial I've always enjoyed seeing using a song is the FTD florist one where Devo is singing Beautiful World. Only this time, the scene is flowers, not nuclear holocaust.

That's a good'n, if to no one but me.

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I've never really appreciated the selling of products by using songs I grew up with, which meant so much more in so many ways then. But like anything, there are exceptions.

One commercial I've always enjoyed seeing using a song is the FTD florist one where Devo is singing Beautiful World. Only this time, the scene is flowers, not nuclear holocaust.

That's a good'n, if to no one but me.

Target also used that Devo song :: It inspired me to dig out that compilation so I could have another listen. It's the exception to the rule. I usually don't like it when popular songs are used in commercials too.

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originally posted by me

They used "Happy Jack" by the Who in a Hummer commercial. That doesn't make much sense. If I'm not mistaken, Happy Jack is about a kid named Jack who all the kids make fun of, but he doesn't really seem to care.

Just out of curiosity, was I right on the song meaning? Is that what its about?

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Strange coincidence? or ghoulish opportunism?

"Super Freak" Rick James died yesterday.

Tonight I heard his Give It To Me Baby in some Chevrolet commercial.

I don't know if this ad has been running regularly for a while, or if was somehow selected to capitalize on the news.

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Strange coincidence? or ghoulish opportunism?

"Super Freak" Rick James died yesterday.

Tonight I heard his Give It To Me Baby in some Chevrolet commercial.

I don't know if this ad has been running regularly for a while, or if was somehow selected to capitalize on the news.

You know, I just saw the 'Behind the Music' on VH1. Maybe they are being quick with the cash-out.

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I always thought that it would be hilarious (and a little sad) if AC/DC did an AT&T commercial where they were singing this song to the tune of "TNT"

AT&T! Its dynomite! AT&T! Calling people all night! AT&T! Its a power phone! AT&T! Long distance rates explooooooooooooode!

wouldn't that be funny? And how about the song "I want action tonight, satisfaction tonight!" What if it was a tinactin athletes foot commercial? "I want tinactin tonight!"

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I always thought that it would be hilarious (and a little sad) if AC/DC did an AT&T commercial where they were singing this song to the tune of "TNT"

AT&T! Its dynomite! AT&T! Calling people all night! AT&T! Its a power phone! AT&T! Long distance rates explooooooooooooode!

wouldn't that be funny? And how about the song "I want action tonight, satisfaction tonight!" What if it was a tinactin athletes foot commercial? "I want tinactin tonight!"

lol man that would be funny, send a letter to AT&T about it.
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  • 7 months later...

The Car's Just What I Needed for Circut City is just wrong, I can't even listen to them or that song now thanks to those overdone commercials on at least three times per break. And Circut City is not just what we need, since they don't cary a lot of needed items that Best Buy does now and I was told by CC that a particular graphics chip would be good for my pc when I said it was an ME, well that chip is too high power and would have fried my system if I put it in. No I don't think Circut City is just what I needed. :P

Any song that has the lyrics changed to promote a phone, resturant etc ranks right up there too.

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The Weight. For the AT&T commercial. It doesn't go with the commercial at all. While we're on the subject of commercial songs, I absolutely can't stand the song on the Vonage commercial. You know, the one with the pretentious typical sh*tty blues riff, and the girl who can't sing. People do stupid things. Like make this commercial. I want to kill every living thing in the house everytime I see that. Seriously, I have to mute it everytime it comes on it sucks that much.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think thats because some people who can not afford the cost of alcohol even though they want it but cant get it, are forced to buy coca cola. So its saying you cant always get alcohol but COCA COLA will always be there.

I just found this thread randomly via an accidental search. I read the above post and registered an account just to share the following fact:

This is, without a doubt, the dumbest thing I have EVER read. We have all taken 2 steps back, in revolution, having read Aneurysm89's post about Coca-Cola and alcohol.

Thanks for your time.

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  • 10 months later...

Latest atrocities:

Repeat offender Applebee's restaurant is using Papa's Got A Brand New Bag to hype their take-out service. Applebee's marketing is unflagging in the abuse and lyric mutilation of classic songs in all genres.

Somehow someone has connected the Kinks 1964 punk antecedent All Day and All Of The Night with Tide detergent and working Moms. And, Oh Lord, they use the original -- didn't even have the decency to make a crummy cover and maybe break our hearts a little less.

It occurred to me that the KFC commercials take just a few short riffs from Sweet Home Alabama. I hope that doesn't mean that they aren't paying for it (I believe someone can use like 6 or 8 bars without infringement ramifications). If that is what's going down, we're probably in for more rip-off "sampling" of favorites in the future.

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How about "Happy Jack" being used in the Hummer commercial. MAybe if the people at GM had done some research on Songfacts and realized what the song was about, they wouldn'y have been so anxious to use it.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't see that Batman had already posted. This is funny though, because the song was originally title "A Quick One." (hehe)

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They used "Happy Jack" by the Who in a Hummer commercial. That doesn't make much sense. If I'm not mistaken, Happy Jack is about a kid named Jack who all the kids make fun of, but he doesn't really seem to care.

I was gonna post this, I kinda understand why it was used: HAPPY Jack!

That kid's HAPPY because he won the soap box derby!

Another Who song misused was I Can See For Miles.

Isn't that song about an argument with the singer's girl friend?

I understand the use of the chorus,(the car has bright headlights)but they used the 1st line, too

"I know you've deceived me, now here's a surprize."

"I know that you have cause there's magic in my eyes!"???? What the crap does that have to do with cars??

Really?

EDIT: Sorry if the Happy Jack thing as solved, I still put one!

Edited by Guest
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How about "Happy Jack" being used in the Hummer commercial. MAybe if the people at GM had done some research on Songfacts and realized what the song was about, they wouldn'y have been so anxious to use it.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't see that Batman had already posted. This is funny though, because the song was originally title "A Quick One." (hehe)

No, it wasn't. Happy Jack has always been called Happy Jack, but the A Quick One album was retitled Happy Jack in the US because AQO was too "suggestive".

They're both songs though too, although A Quick One (the song) is only a short form.

Talking about the Who, I've once seen a commercial for a competition or something where you could win a trip with some football team, and they had Magic Bus playing in the background.

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