[aviatrix]

i think we can all agree on that, mouse. it's just that for every interesting commercial there are the "head on"s that are so artless as to be painful.

[mouse]

see.....i dunno. i'm certainly not championing rampant consumerism but i think that the commercial can be an art form. there are some impressive ones out there (the HP one is an example) that benefit simply as a form of art from the songs they use. i know that the ultimate reason on both ends is some fat cat in a suit making money off of susceptible consumers, but in between are the studios who are really putting in hard work and making something beautiful, regardless of it's use as a marketing tool.

[pinkpoodle]

I don't blame newer bands for wanting to get their music out there through TV advertising because radio has gone downhill with mp3's and so on. It's a totally different ballgame.

As far as older songs go, I suppose it gets to a point where the song is so well-known that it's not a big deal. Blister in the Sun is kinda like that. I think it also depends on what product/service the ad is for. I know Preparation H wanted to use Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire in their ads, which is ridiculous. It's not fair to the public to have to think of hemroids everytime they hear that song. Although it's intangible, the public also has some ownership over popular music and using it to sell a stupid product is a slap in the face to the listening public. Using Revolution to sell shoes is trivializing cultural history. It's almost theft of meaning. I wonder if there are any books out there that discuss this topic in depth. I'd love to read 'em.

Fortunately, ads turn over so quickly these days that a song isn't necessarily "cursed" forever. I haven't seen the ad for a long time now, but I'm still recovering from HP's use of Pictures of You by The Cure.

[candycane_girl]

I don't really care anymore when songs that I really like are in ads. It used to be kind of like, wtf? but now I just figure, hey, the artists get some money out of it and they have to make a living like everyone else.

I'm just curious to know who the money goes to when the artist is dead or there are only a few surviving members of the band.

[girltrouble]

i can't really blame someone for selling the rights to a song. for a couple of reasons: 1)ads are temporary. soon enough the ads will disappear (although there may be some sort of pavlovian reaction, like puking when the song is played) and 2) record companies don't really pay all that much once they take out all the things they charge for, and commercial residuals can allow an artist to live and create for quite a while. 3) hopefuly it will get the music to a new audience.

that said if a song isn't just a trifle, if it's political, like imagine, or a change is gonna come, or the revolution will not be televised, then, it's pretty much a repudiation of an original stance and it's selling out. but if it's another crappy, flag waving, country song (and i do like a lot of country), in a pickup commercial, then who cares? ---then again, who wants to hear it either?

[lilacwine13]

I wish I knew more about it too, since I have trouble imaging the Violent Femmes hurting for fans or money, unless they don't own that song. The ad sucks, though; I had to see the dumb thing about twenty times last night, as well as several Axe ads (including the beach one). It's amazing the TV made it through the evening intact.

[pinkpoodle]

I wish I was more familiar with the story behind music in advertising. Mostly, I want to know who permitted use of the music. Did Cat Stevens lend his song to the diamond industry? He just doesn't seem like the type. I know that Jacko owns The Beatles rights, but that's about it. All I know, is that if I ever see a commercial using a song like "Imagine" by John Lennon, then it's official that nothing is sacred. I'd never watch TV again.

[mouse]

oh! FJ! now you're totally getting a mix cd in your package of clothing which i STILL haven't mailed.....i will!

[falljackets]

awesome. NOW i know who cat power is.

thanks BUSTies!

[mouse]

huh, poodle, that's funny--i didn't realize that was originally a cat stevens song--it's sung by cat power! heh, cats. there was a really interesting interview with yussef islam (cat stevens) about his new album on npr a while back--it might still be on their podcasts.

[aviatrix]

if you put L&P’s Worcestershire sauce in your burger meat that you are going to get laid.

*snicker*

speaking of smells...
i've always gone for obscure things smell wise.

my old stand by is majic noir. it's old, old, old. if you ever date a woman who's worn it, it's so rare, that when you smell it anywhere, you feel the odd compulsion to hunt down the person wearing it and make sure it's majic noir. i've found myself doing it 3 times, and i've had ex's tell me they've done it too. it's certainly magic.

i also have a thing for women who wear men's scents (as i do occasionally). armani for men smells good on almost any woman-- #1 w/a bullet. it's nice, clean, citrusy.

the escada seasonals are always a favorite too. if you don't like the spring, wait for the summer, if you don't like that wait for the fall, etc. i'm still dreaming of escada's summer fruity from about 4 years ago. unfortunately, i can't find it.

when it comes to boy's scents, it's too bad they don't make the loopy avon bottles anymore. who needs to smell it if it comes in a bottle shaped like a semi, a plane or a bulldog?

[pinkpoodle]

Yeah, and Cat Stevens' "How Can I Tell You" is now on the DeBeers Diamonds commercials, though it's sung by a woman. Anyway, it's such a beautiful song and Cat Stevens doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would approve of something like that. I wonder if he even owns the rights.

ETA - My old roomie was spraying Axe all over himself and I told him that most women don't like that smell. I also told him that you're not supposed to spray it directly on your body but he just doesn't get it. It's "spray, delay, and walk away" according to the Queer Eye guys!!

[mouse]

i'm over getting pissed off at bands i love putting their songs in commercials. nothing's sacred anymore--cat power advertises diamonds, of montreal advertises fucking outback steakhouse....i'm over it.

re: axe--WHY would they make a commercial encouraging people to wear MORE cheap cologne?? any scent-wearer worth their salt (and i say this as a bpal devotee and someone olfactorily involved with a young man with verry expensive tastes when it comes to cologne--d&g, hanae mori, etc) knows that it's about sublety. NOT masking BO.

though--i gotta be honest, the smell of combined drakkar noir and oldspice deodorant STILL kills me, since it's every single boy i fell in love with between the years of 1995 and 2000

[LoveMyPugs]

Wow I’m really disappointed. Mr. Pugs wears Drakkar Noir and it drives me insane. I love it. However, Mr. Pug smells, INCREDIBIBLY SEXY, with just his deodorant. I think his natural smell and Drakkar Noir just complement each other. It must just be him cause my girlfriends will be like, “Ryan what are you wearing?” He’ll tell them Drakkar and they are always surprised. Most of them hate it as well but they really like it on him. I also like CK BE on him.

The one add that I absolutely hated was the one for Lea & Worcestershire sauce. It’s got this guy grilling burgers in his kitchen and he’s talking to the camera. He is mocking what the women say when they taste his burgers. He says something along the lines of, “Oh Joe, your burgers are so big and juicy!” in this girly girl voice. This commercial drives me insane. I would never the words “Big and Juicy” in the same sentence to a guy unless I was trying to insinuate something. They seriously play off the idea that if you put L&P’s Worcestershire sauce in your burger meat that you are going to get laid. Just typing this is making me laugh hysterically because it’s so ridiculous. Mr. Pug knows how much I hate that commercial. So whenever I do use L&P’s Worcestershire sauce in my burgers (was using it long before this stupid commercial) he does the, “Oh Ryan, your burgers are so big and juicy!” in this stupid little girl voice. Even though I hate it when he does that it cracks me up. It’s so stupid.

The other commercial I hated was the Aspercreme commercial that went, “You bet your sweet “ass”percreme.” That was so stupid too. They actually took it off the air or changed it or something. I think it says now, “You bet IF IT’S aspercreme.” I’m not upset that it had a “bad word” or anything. It was just stupid. Again, it made me laugh because it was just ridiculous. However, if I heard a little kid running around the mall mimicking the original commercial I’d probably fall over laughing.

GT - Oh no! Blister in the sun for burgers doesn’t sound so yummy to me.

[auralpoison]

The new commercial is for of all things, a fish sandwich.

[snafooey]

I think there was a (Canadian?) beer company that used "Blister in the Sun" a few years ago as well.

[pinkpoodle]

D'oh!! I saw that commercial for the first time last night, girltrouble!! I did a doubletake. "Holy crap, was that the Violent Femmes I just heard? It was!! It was the Violent Femmes!!" My heart sank.

[girltrouble]

i hate to change the subject (really-- i do ripping on boys who wear ass-- er axe, is my favorite pastime), but does anyone else think "blister in the sun" is a poor choice for wendy's new booger--er-- burger? i love the song, i just don't think blister and burgers go together....but maybe it's just me. it is nice to hear the song.

now back the regularly scheduled axe complaints, already in progress.....

[candycane_girl]

The Axe stuff is definitely marketed towards teenage boys. They try to make the advertising look like it's marketed towards 18-24 year old guys but of course the younguns see the ads and since they don't know much how to smell good, they assume that this stuff will attract the ladies.

It's just like those beer ads that show all the t and a. By law they have to say that they're marketing towards 19+ people but they know the ads will appeal to boys under the drinking age.

[pinkpoodle]

Haha!! See, that's what I hate about Axe, etc.!! It's mixed with B.O. funk!! I hate cologne mixed with funk. The drugstore I worked at in highschool had this cologne called "Sex Appeal" by Jovan and it was "guaranteed" to attract women. That shit was so damn stinky. We would chase each other around with it as a prank. In the end, we all suffered.

That reminds me--does anyone remember Malibu Musk? I remember getting that for a gift when I was about 13.

Drakkar!! Hahaha!!

Fortunately, I was a teen in the mid-90's and boys weren't into smelling like anything more than dryer sheets. It was either straight-up B.O., or dryer sheets and faint speedstick. There were a few who smelled like patchouli and/or pot. Guys still smelled bad, but at least they didn't smell like Drakkar or Axe!!

In conclusion, men smell bad no matter what.

ETA- I take that back. I once had a boyfriend who smelled like Aveda Brilliant Pomade and natural deodorant along with his natural "man smell." It was irresistable.