Ads which rip off popular tunes without actually using them exactly

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Last night I was watching TV and I saw two such ads.. One was the Slim Fast ad which has a lame ass fake version of Spiller Groovejet and the other was a Domestos Ad which had an approximation of Hotel Yorba. I don't like either of these songs but again I just can't fucking tolerate this. I mean if you're going to use a song then use it but don't just get those fucking grubby hands and grope pop cultures ass and run away. I mean does anyone else find it mindfuckingly infuriating that whoever decides to do this knows that they can rip something off cheaply enough and still get an association in peoples heads.

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 13 January 2003 10:18 (twenty-two years ago)

this is a long running thing on NTK.

― Alan (Alan), Monday, 13 January 2003 10:25 (twenty-two years ago)

what's NTK?

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 13 January 2003 10:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Need To Know: http://www.ntk.net

― RickyT (RickyT), Monday, 13 January 2003 10:29 (twenty-two years ago)

L'Oreal is the biggest offender for this... I've heard Moving On Up and No Surprises and countless others ripped off.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 13 January 2003 12:24 (twenty-two years ago)

There's the Hellmans ad that rips off Red Alert too

― Michael Bourke, Monday, 13 January 2003 12:25 (twenty-two years ago)

This has been going on for decades. Absolutely standard practice in the world of library music and music for advertising. Can be irritating but can never be stopped.

― David (David), Monday, 13 January 2003 12:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Sure, how often do we hear backing to ads that resembles the two or four bar thematic repetition of Philip Glass. After Koyaanisqatsi, any documentaries showing the desert, volcanoes the ocean etc. always has Glass-esque music.

― WilliamR (WilliamR), Monday, 13 January 2003 12:31 (twenty-two years ago)

There was some tripe on the BBC the other night (starring Robson Jerome) that had music crudely imitating the 'American Beauty' soundtrack music. Usually it's the people commissioning the stuff who say 'we'd like it to be like this...' and the composer is forced to comply or they hire somebody else.

― David (David), Monday, 13 January 2003 12:37 (twenty-two years ago)

It is Masai in those awful hair thingie ads innit?

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 13 January 2003 12:41 (twenty-two years ago)

WHERES YOUR CHEESE AT?

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 13 January 2003 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Is it Abbey National who has those terrific pastiches of La Vida Loca, Who Let the Dogs Out etc.? They really are very good.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 13 January 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

N. are you talking about Howard?

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 13 January 2003 13:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Howard? Is that the new name for Abbey National?

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 13 January 2003 13:48 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah the yorba one is hilarious !
i thought i'd imagined it at first.
course the all-time great story about
this sort of thing, is that stiltskin
were born out of an attempt to
create a smashing pumpkins soundalike song.
the tale was that levi's wanted
'cherub rock' and corgan et al
told em to stick it. the session men who
put the soundylikey tune together
were hastily formed into a band and lo,
a number 1 hit was born !
then the singer went onto front the
reformed genesis. that didn't last long.

― piscesboy, Monday, 13 January 2003 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Halifax did the 'who gives you extra' rip off song of who let the dogs out, and features that dik Howard. Its the worst.
I think N. is talking about a different ad, where they're all in cars or something.

― Fuzzy (Fuzzy), Monday, 13 January 2003 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Why has Howard become puppet Howard btw? Did he ask for a raise or something?

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 13 January 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know about Howard but it is indeed Halifax that I am thinking of.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 13 January 2003 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Two words. Night Nurse.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Monday, 13 January 2003 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

what's that one with the pretty girl on the bench slagging off blokes with beards? I like that one.

― chris (chris), Monday, 13 January 2003 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

are you some sort of racist?

― RickyT (RickyT), Monday, 13 January 2003 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

no, not at all

beardist maybe though

― chris (chris), Monday, 13 January 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

wasn't it Vauxhall/GM that did a rip-off of 'The Last Time' / 'Bitterwseet Symphony' for an ad a few years back? given the problems The Verve encountered getting that sample cleared its no wonder they commissioned a mock-up rather than use the real thing...very annoying tho

i think L'oreal or some other cosmetics/hair brand were using a karaoke version of Doves 'Here It Comes' too which as a tad bizarre

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 13 January 2003 17:35 (twenty-two years ago)

and what was that one with the awful cover of Deee-Lite's 'Groove Is In The Heart'? i still don't get the logic in paying someone to recreate the track, either pay for the original or use some different music, at least TRY to make it a bit different - not just an inferior version (which might make me think the product advertised was a cheap imitation too)

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 13 January 2003 17:36 (twenty-two years ago)

logic = cheaper, no piddling about with royalties

― Alan (Alan), Monday, 13 January 2003 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

At one of the movie theaters near my house, the little thing before the movie that tells you to buy popcorn and not to smoke rips off "Ray of Light".

― Vinnie (vprabhu), Monday, 13 January 2003 19:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Sometimes the originators won't give permission.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 13 January 2003 20:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I recall hearing an instrumental rip-off of Moby's "Bodyrock" in the background of a commercial for a gym of some sort.

And, of course, I was personally angered by the Toyota Matrix ad which rips off Blue Man Group.

― Curtis Stephens, Monday, 13 January 2003 21:33 (twenty-two years ago)

there's a rimmel ad apeing babylon zoo at the moment.

― Ed (dali), Monday, 13 January 2003 22:34 (twenty-two years ago)

and that megane advert with the faux bowie

― Ed (dali), Monday, 13 January 2003 22:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I've seen it done to "Perfect Day" and, bizarrely, "The Passenger". This second one I don't get at all- I mean, Iggy Pop has given fucking "Lust for Life" to an ad fer cruises, surely it wouldn't take that much $$$ to get him to sell "The Passenger" to a car company.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 00:09 (twenty-two years ago)

A couple of ads on Australian telly rip off Coldplay's "Yellow" and Supergrass' "Alright"

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 01:41 (twenty-two years ago)

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