I heard something on TV recently that continues to disturb me today. It wasn’t anything about the country’s astounding deficit or the situation in Afghanistan (though I find both of those things quite disturbing). Instead, it was one of my current favorite songs, “Janglin’” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, being played during a car commercial. Terrific, I thought. Now I can’t listen to that without thinking of the Ford Fiesta.
Musicians benefit from the increased exposure that being featured in such commercials bring, but it comes with a cost. Not only will they be called sellouts, but their songs will forever be associated with advertisements for cars, cruises, and cookies. These songs are still great on their own, but after getting so much screen time, the listening experience is, well, somewhat compromised.
“Everyday People,” Sly and the Family Stone
Toyota featured this song in so many of its advertisements that I couldn’t even remember how the rest of the song goes beyond “I am everyday people” until I looked it up online. Turns out, the song has more meaning than just the lessons you’ve learned behind the wheel of your new Camry.
“1, 2, 3, 4,” Feist
It’s impossible to hear this song without picturing dozens of people dancing and clapping their hands in a cheerful array of colors. It’ll inspire you to get up and dance, too—all the way to the Apple store.
“Pink Moon,” Nick Drake
Hands down, this is one of the best commercials ever made. It really does make you want to take a long, moonlit drive to nowhere in particular with Nick Drake’s soothing voice as your copilot. I suppose there are worse images a song from a commercial could evoke.
“Unbelievable,” EMF
Not that “Unbelievable” is the best song in the world, but it is catchy and fun. However, if you’ve ever seen the Kraft “Crumbelievable” commercial, you’ve no doubt found yourself replacing the line “Your purple prose just gives you away” with “That big cheese taste that blows you away.”
