One of my favorite past times pastimes is to think of songs that would be good in specific ads. I always thought “Put Me in Coach” would be good in an ad for an airline where the reg’lar seats had more legroom or where there was no first-class at all (Southwest). And I always thought “Urge For Going” would be great in a Flomax ad.
I know there’s others but I can’t remember them now. Ideas?
(I thought of this cos of the Geico “One Headlight” ad.)
James Gary
Hmmmm…how about “Don’t Bring Me Down” for an ad touting the benefits of synthetic insulation in clothing and bedding?
mai naem mobile
Whiter Shade of Pale for Tide or some other laundry detergent. Also, I think a funny ad could be made for a wireless.company using Sylvias Mother (“and the operator says one more minute”)
east is east
Jakob Dylan probably pulled in three figures for selling that song. I would do the same. Fuck em if they can’t take a joke.
DougJ
@mai naem mobile:
Brill.
RSA
Or “There She Goes” (the La’s version) for a diuretic aimed at women (sic).
DougJ
@east is east:
Easily three figures.
Suzanne
@RSA: The horrible version of that song by Sixpence None the Richer was used in a birth control ad. Made me laugh, as that band is ostensibly Christian.
That song by Train that has the line about getting run over by a crappy purple Scion would be funny in an ad.
Jamey
The “…coach” song is “Centerfield.”
Steeplejack (tablet)
Jesus, DougJ, pastimes, not past times. If you’re going to give autocorrect free
reignrainrein, at least get the kung fu grip on it.“Tax Man” for H&R Block.
KG
i always chuckle at songs that don’t make sense in the modern world anymore. like, I wonder how many people under the age of 25 understand Return to Sender or Operator.
Jamey
“Computer Love” by Kraftwerk for PornHub.
RepubAnon
Preparation H actually tried to get the rights to Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” – but the heirs turned it down…
West of the Cascades
Ads for the California Travel and Tourism Commission featuring “California Uber Alles.”
angelfoot
This past Christmas GM was using “Brand New Cadillac” to pitch buying your significant other a new Caddy. Just a little tone deaf.
NotMax
Pastimes.
Past times are history.
/going on your permanent record :)
Can’t link to it as the only copy I have access to is on reel-to-reel tape, but an acquaintance in college wrote and performed a felicitous, tuneful song called “Oldsmobile” for one of his short films that would have been beyond perfect for an ad.
Peter
@Steeplejack (tablet): Yes, but the Junior Parker version.
Cypress Hill sampled it for “I Wanna Get High.” Which, come to think of it, would be another good airline ad song. Maybe for Colorado Air, if there is such a thing.
NotMax
@KG
Or, for that matter, Western Union
Peale
Everybody Hurts for Band Aids.
NotMax
@efgoldman
Have three of them, although the heavy-duty rack model is on long-term loan to a friend who does radio shows and also audio file work for people’s computers.
Mike J
The Nerves, Hangin’ on the Telephone for High speed mobile internet.
Chorus only, obviously.
east is east
My grandparents had a party line in Gettysburg. Three rings were for us. Good times.
JR
Ted Cruz 2016 should use “Son of a Preacher Man.”
mellowjohn
Thin Lizzie’s “The Boys Are Back in Town” for LawnBoy.
p.s. i read somewhere that the Navy recruiting wanted to use the Village People’s “In the Navy” until cooler heads prevailed. or at least until someone explained the Village People’s rep.
NotMax
@efgoldman
The reason still have a copy is that I did the engineering for the multi-tracking of the film’s soundtrack. Took the better part of an afternoon to lay down all the tracks for just the “Oldsmobile” song. IIRC, guitar, electric organ and four-part vocal harmony, all performed by only him.
Peale
Beer for My Horses would go with Milwaukee’s Best
NotMax
“It’s Not Easy Being Green” for recycled paper.
srv
We Are The Champions for Koch Industries.
east is east
Chris Christie should use Born to Run. Good song about wanting to get out of that shithole of New Jersey. I was born there. My dad used to fish the streams when he was growing up in the fifties. Now it’s pavement..
p.a.
Didn’t Hummer use Happy Jack without realizing it was about self gratification? Or if they did know, A+ for snarkiness.
Steeplejack
I’ve found some good music tracing back from ads. My big get this last holiday season was Gio Galanti’s “Together Forever,” which appeared endlessly in Korbel ads on the second-tier TV channels that I frequent.
Several years ago I found Nicola Conte’s “Bossa per Due” in a jaunty car commercial (Volkswagen?). And of course Volkswagen also used Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” in a notable spot.
And this Land Rover ad has great music, although there appears to be some disagreement as to whether the song is really by Jun Miyake or just a snippet done for the commercial.
Peale
Deliah, Oh Deliah. Deliah all my life. If I hadn’t shot poor Deliah, I would have had her for my wife…I think goes with Grouper Social Club.
p.a.
@east is east: Born to Run would be a natural for x-lax, if it was still around.
east is east
@p.a.: Hummer? I think you mean Hillary Clinton. Yes, I think that happened at an event.
Suzanne
@p.a.: I thought someone used “Love Will Tear Us Apart” in an ad, also not knowing what it was about. Oopsie.
catbirdman
Coincidentally, while showering at 0530 this morning I happened to be musing about “Put me in coach” as a possible reference to airline seating. I was hoping to formulate it into a humorous Facebook comment in response to Zack Parsons’ latest at somethingawful.com (in which he reports that GW Bush’s “Other Situation Room” in the White House featured “a collection of Bush’s favorite Chris Farley and David Spade movies, and a cassingle of John Fogerty’s ‘Centerfield.’ He also had an arcade cabinet installed of Spy Hunter, but he was too afraid to play it and just liked to listen to the music and watch the demo mode”). But I failed — I’m glad you were able to bring it home. One more unmistakeable sign that we are approaching THE SINGULARITY.
Joel
It’s too bad Peter Tosh didn’t live long enough to fulfill his destiny in Washington or Colorado:
“And I will advertise it…”
Steeplejack
@Steeplejack:
And the (Twelve) Caesars’ “(Gonna) Kick You Out” was used in this memorable Smirnoff Ice ad about 10 years ago. Probably spiked sales and then got the account director fired when the suits actually watched it.
Full song here.
Tree With Water
Dylan’s Idiot Wind for… take your pick. It could be used in attack ads, anyway.
sharl
As X’s I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts plays in background, announcer’s voice comes on:
{In background a stormy ocean changes to calm water, song fades out, and shore birds begin to sing.}
gbear
@p.a.: ‘Pictures Of Lily’ should be the Balloon Juice theme song.
east is east
@Tree With Water: “Someones got in for me, they’re planting stories in the press.”
p.a.
@Tree With Water: That would be an excellent theme song for the Sunday bobbleheads. How’s this: Psycho Killer for Bill Kristol’s intro.
Joel
@angelfoot: Mercedes did this about 20 years ago with Janis Joplin.
wasabi gasp
carpet cleaner
Violet
“Pressure Drop” for a laxative product.
p.a.
I think I heard a car commercial using Professor Longhair whistling. Big Chief I think.
Violet
@p.a.: How about “Wrecking Ball” for W’s intro.
east is east
And now Dylan is available on youtube. I don’t know if this was a decision by Columbia records or by Dylan but either way it is great. Now I can listen to You got a hold of my heart, my favorite song of all time.
Bobby B.
Beefheart’s “Neon Meatedream Of a Octafish” for Red Lobster. “rancid buds bursting/tra la tra la”
p.a.
@Violet: For W I always thought of T Heads, I think it’s Once in a Lifetime:”…and you may ask yourself- ‘how did I get here?'”
east is east
It’s Someone’s Got a Hold of my Heart—It’s getting harder and harder to recognize the traps, too much information about nothing, too much educated rap. It’s just like to told me, it’s just like you said it would be.
max
@efgoldman: Wwwooowwww maannnn!
ETA: On Pawn Stars, I’ve noticed a reel to reel machine sitting on a shelf behind the counter. It’s been there a long time! Maybe it’s just a prop.
Up to a coupla years ago I had a reel-to-reel that worked (Sony! The Sound of the 70’s!), but it was always in storage. No place to set it up. Sad that it is gone. ;/
max
[‘Thorogood – Highway 49‘]
Mnemosyne (tablet)
@gbear:
“Pictures of Lily” is also about masturbation. I think there’s at least one more Who song on the same topic, but I can’t remember the title.
p.a.
@Mnemosyne (tablet): MaryAnn with the Shaky Hand
Jean
“Dirty laundry” for Detergent.
p.a.
Bill Clinton intro: Squeeze’s Tempted.
p.a.
@Violet: No! I like that song.
east is east
@DougJ: @p.a.: yea, well you referred to Hillary as hummer, so you speak for yourself.
Violet
Koch Industries–“Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits.
Steeplejack (tablet)
Speaking of the Stones, the Maysles brothers’ documentary Gimme Shelter just started on TCM a few minutes ago.
Culture of Truth
I’ve always wanted to play Heart’s “How Can I Get You A Loan” for a bank
AnotherBruce
I get a kick out of the “Homely farmers.com” ads.
p.a.
@east is east: ???
this
wasabi gasp
GPS Navigators
Yatsuno
OH FOR THE LOVE OF BUDDHA!!!
east is east
@p.a.: that’s what she said
Mnemosyne (tablet)
@Steeplejack (tablet):
Among other things, it shows definitively that it’s an urban legend that the murder by the Hell’s Angels happened during “Sympathy for the Devil.” They were actually playing “Under My Thumb” at the time.
And, really, the entire goddamned show is an astonishing clusterfuck.
janeform
@Peale: Nice. And a beautiful song.
BubbaDave
Hot Rod Lincoln has some potential….
PhilbertDesanex
“Fuck You I’m Rich” Yuppie Pricks, for the GOP convention.
wasabi gasp
ADT
cckids
@Violet: Nice.
In that spirit, Green Day’s “Last of the American Girls” always makes me think of Sarah Palin.
“She puts her makeup on like graffiti on the walls of the heartland.
She’s got her little book of conspiracies right in her hand.
She will come in first for the end of Western civilization
She’s a natural disaster, she’s the last of the American girls.”
Alison
If they had commercials for vibrators (do they? I’ve seen condom ads, but I can;t recall if I’ve seen any for anything more explicit), they could use Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own”.
Suzanne
I remembered this evening that I had had this same thought about “Uptown Funk”. The part “If you don’t believe me, just watch!” would be great for a TV network. Then I heard it used in a TV network ad, and I felt awesome.
Steeplejack (tablet)
@Mnemosyne (tablet):
Yep. Oddly dispiriting to watch now, as opposed to the still potent energy of Woodstock.
wasabi gasp
high speed internet service
NotMax
“Revolution Number 9” for the Herman Cain campaign?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@NotMax: or Love Potion Number 9!
he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother for Jeb!-mentum
Violet
For any political talk show, Sunday show, pundit roundtable–“Life is Just a Tire Swing”–Jimmy Buffet
piratedan
how about these….
TMBG – The Statue got me High for any museum or arts foundation….
TMBG – Man, It’s So Loud In Here” for Bose sound reduction Headphones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtaLKvini4k
Nick Lowe – Has she got a Friend?” – dating service sites
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8puI5KX4yRg
fuckwit
@Mnemosyne (tablet): Fidle About. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFhO7EU08Tg
Rich (In Name Only) in Reno
I imagine there must be foot deep knee prints in the dirt at Van Morrison’s front drive from all the ad-execs kowtowing in vain for the rights to “Domino” for that pizza chain of the same name.
Mike G
@West of the Cascades:
Ads for the California Travel and Tourism Commission featuring “California Uber Alles.”
Some travel agency approached the Dead Kennedys to use “Holiday in Cambodia”, but were turned down.
Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” would be cool for a steakhouse.
Foreigner’s “Urgent” for FedEx, or the Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed” for lip balm…
Anne Laurie
TV ads for new drugs & medical equipment seem to use a lot of Boomer Classics, presumably because we’re the demographic being targeted. Right now, in heavy rotation on the local news, Dire Straits’ Walk of Life shills a Type II diabetes drug, and CeCe Penniston’s Finally sells bladder-leakage pads under the tag line Let yourself go!
de stijl
2 – 3 years ago the NFL used Morrissey’s Every Day Is Like Sunday for promos. Nothing says “I’m so amped for the Vikings – Packers game!” like nuclear Armageddon.
Zinsky
“Love Hurts” by Nazareth in an ad for KY Jelly, perhaps?
SectionH
@Anne Laurie: Shoot me, I like Dire Straits. Also too, we were hanging in at craft beer/dive bar in the East Village this evening, and they started with Soul Kitchen and went from there to some Stones. Y’know, if this is hipster music, I can deal with it.
Zinsky
@Violet: well done!
Just One More Canuck
“White Punks On Dope” for Rand Paul
Amir Khalid
Off-topic, but this puts a whole new meaning on the saying “It ain’t worth shit.”
Central Planning
I’m not sure if you’re looking for serious ones or not, but:
Motherless Child for an adoption agency
Only The Good Die Young for the Corrections Corporation of America
Brown Sugar for Domino. That’s something republicans would choose.
Kristin Andreassen has a tune called “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes” which, obviously, could be used by Crayola. Now that I think about it, maybe a Crayola competitor should use it. Rose Art maybe. I think it’s a catchy tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EELEjeYzfjM
SectionH
Terry Pratchett and Peggy Rae in one month. Oh, and Leonard Nimoy.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2015/03/23/rip-peggy-rae-sapienza/
Penus
I always wanted to start a moving company and use “I Like to Move It” in the ads. How a moving company would produce the revenues to secure the rights to such a song is not my concern.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Coca-Cola’s new ad featuring 99 Red Balloons. “Contains memories. And other secret ingredients.”
delk
My favorite music for ads are the ones that make me Google “Target Holiday Ad Music” or “Nisson Altima Ad Music”.
I’d rather ads turn me on to new music and give up and coming bands money and exposure. Radio and traditional music outlets sure don’t do that.
Honestly I rather be born to be deaf than have to endue Born to Be Bad hawking something.
The Golux
Nothing to do with advertizing, but I’ve always wanted someone to make a western (film or TV series) that would use Jack Bruce’s “Theme For An Imaginary Western” as its theme.
RSA
@KG:
I was born in the mid-1960s, and I didn’t understand “I’ve Got A Brand New Pair Of Roller Skates,” because my skates didn’t need a key. And “Pennsylvania 6-5000” was just a catchy jingle.
stevetheweavee
“Someday My Prince Will Come” for a mail order photo printing company
jake the antishoshul soshulist
@RepubAnon:
Ring of Fire was co-written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore. (it was about her relationship with Johnny Cash). Kilgore was the one who wanted to sell the song, but the Carters and Cashes would have none of it.
jake the antishoshul soshulist
@Alison:
Yes they do. I have seen ads for KY’s vibrators. The most unusual was one where a couple received his and her vibrators at a bridal shower.
...now I try to be amused
@PhilbertDesanex:
Also “Rich White Republican” by Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band.
J R in WV
@east is east:
We were the first subscribers in our exchange to have a private line. Ms J was prone to get business calls 24/7 and we didn’t want to piss off the neighbors by waking them up a 2 or 3 am.
The phone company said they weren’t sure, but that they would try to set such a strange beast up for us. – this in about 1978 or 79…
boatboy_srq
@angelfoot: About as good as “Eminence Front” to back the Yukon (?)
boatboy_srq
@Just One More Canuck: Bonus: “TV Glotzer” for Fauxnews.
smintheus
“Electricity comes from other planets” (Velvet Underground, Temptation inside your heart), ad for SolarCity.
Bill Murray
The Dillinger 4’s “A Floater Left With Pleasure in the Executive Washroom” as the theme song for the CFPB
The Replacements “Shiftless When Idle” for Sarah Palin
Czar Chasm
Orrin: The Cure, ” Lullaby”