Using classic 'alternative' tracks in adverts

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i ask cos a lot of people still whinge even today about the infamous Dunlop (tho i always think its Pirelli) ad using 'Venus In Furs' - but as a youngun at the time, i loved the visual imagery of the ad and it was also the first time i'd heard 'Venus In Furs' and i was attracted by its bitter, dirgey 'weirdness' - this may even have been the spark that prompted me to look more into alternative rock music like that over the following years, than again maybe not

so me being 12 or whatever when that advert was done thus not having a clue or interest in the Velvet Underground, let alone the question of maintaining artistic integrity over allowing a song like that that's supposed to 'meeeean something' other than 'how unusually good Dunlop are' to be used in an advert, but it having a positive effect on me makes me likely to dismiss the idea that the song and the band's image are somehow ruined and say CLASSIC. i liked that ad as a piece of art in the same way i like Guiness ads...tho i have no desire or intention to purchase anything by Dunlop or Guiness because of them.

despite all this, i usually do get annoyed when a song i like gets picked up for an ad, suddenly the ignorami around you go 'ooh whats this song, i think i love it' and it gets re-released and is in the top 10 - hey i'm a snob - it even annoys me a bit sometimes that tracks only get in the charts through the advert association (e.g. most songs from Levis and Guiness adverts), as good as they may be. i'm sure if i'd been ten or twenty years older i may well have despised the use of 'Venus In Furs' in that ad but there you go

so do people make far too big a deal about cool songs getting used in adverts or do you think its definitely a compromise of artistic integrity and should be avoided at all costs, even at the risk of denying people who've not heard your track (cos they might be young or whetver but may well love it when they do hear it) the opportunity of hearing it?

― blueski, Friday, 1 November 2002 12:19 (twenty-three years ago)

cue various people saying 'Venus In Furs' was crap anyway ;)

― blueski, Friday, 1 November 2002 12:21 (twenty-three years ago)

also worth asking cos The Fall's 'Touch Sensitive' is now being used in a car advert...

no-one do that Bill Hicks quote tho please

― blueski, Friday, 1 November 2002 12:30 (twenty-three years ago)

when y'do a commmmurrrchial yr off the aurrr-tistic roll call forrrrEVER. END. OF. STORY. ervrything u say is susPIECATT and every WUUUURRRDD is like someone droppin' a TURRRRRDDDD into mah dreyuink.

― Obvious Kneejerk Response, Friday, 1 November 2002 12:33 (twenty-three years ago)

In the same routine Hicks refers to England as "a socialist fucking nightmare." In 1993.

― Marcello Carlin, Friday, 1 November 2002 12:34 (twenty-three years ago)

we had a big thread on the fall ad on ILM.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 1 November 2002 12:44 (twenty-three years ago)

So there.

Presumably Desmond Dekker in the Vitalite ad doesn't count.

― Mr Swygart (mrswygart), Friday, 1 November 2002 12:54 (twenty-three years ago)

"Didn't I hear the Buzzcocks in a Volvo ad? That was appropriate..."

― Lord Custos Omega (Lord Custos Omega), Saturday, 2 November 2002 14:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Using Venus in Furs in a TV ad seemed quite revolutionary at the time. So many brands now are trying to score trend points with their choice of music, though. The current use of I'm Sticking With You gets me particularly riled as I reckon someone from the advertising firm saw a film-festival release of Morvern Callar and nicked it off there.

― bert, Saturday, 2 November 2002 15:08 (twenty-three years ago)

''Using Venus in Furs in a TV ad seemed quite revolutionary at the time.''

wigga, please.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 2 November 2002 20:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I love the use of I'm sticking with you, if only because my father in law who doen't like hairy music sings it a lot. Only because he's half deaf, he's changed it to I'm sniffing the glue.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Saturday, 2 November 2002 20:36 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't think it was Volvo, but it's the same concept, and it's a shame.

Also, in terms of shameful car ad usage, let's remember: "She Sells Sanctuary" by the Cult, "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop, "How Soon is Now?" by the Smiths, "Full Moon/Boom" by Nikki Sudden & the Swell Maps, "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake, "London Calling" by the Clash.....the list goes on and on.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 2 November 2002 20:38 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't mind it. the Volkswagen ad got a lot of people into Nick Drake, so it can't be all bad.

― Evan, Saturday, 2 November 2002 21:11 (twenty-three years ago)

pah - I don't want any old hoi-polloi who watch adverts to start liking the same music as me. Let them suffer in ignorance mwahahahaaaa
here blueski
And I think there was another such thread about the same time, sparked off by a Clash<->Jaguar ad, which transformed into a massive socio-political 3-way argument about Communism or Martin Luther King stuff......

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Sunday, 3 November 2002 23:43 (twenty-three years ago)

five months pass...

I'm not usually averse to adverts using classic tracks (if I had the choice, I'd sell out immediately) but the new KFC 'Soul Food' adverts have riled me. Not sure why, maybe because I always saw Northern Soul as being great pop songs but not having any involvement in the commercial aspect of Pop, and that giving it some kind of charm. And now all this is being messed up by some dumb fast food chain. Or yeah maybe it's because I see it as MY music and don't want your average scrote on the bus to be humming along to 'Do I love you'. Either way what's the song on the new one? The one with the woman crooning 'All I want is moonlight, music...'

― Ian SPACK (Ian SPACK), Sunday, 20 April 2003 17:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Underwhelming.

Anyway, a few minutes of thought and I'm no longer bothered by N.Soul songs being used to sell chicken - apparently the guy behind the adverts is a big N.Soul fan so all he's doing is getting his favourite tunes out there. Cute. (this is knowledge gained by proxy from one of the girls from the Lynx ad with the dancing gimp - she's a big N.Soul fan and knows the KFC ad guy).

And yeah, the song is 'Moonlight, music and you' by Laura Greene.

― Ian SPACK (Ian SPACK), Monday, 21 April 2003 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

Ugh, some awful band covering the Descendents' "Suburban Home" in ad for Tony Hawk part 3832848372.

― 'you' vs. 'radio gnome invisible 3' FITE (ex machina), Friday, 25 November 2005 04:27 (twenty years ago)

The war is over.

We lost.

― danny boy, Friday, 25 November 2005 05:15 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000B8QF0K.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― älänbänänä (alanbanana), Friday, 25 November 2005 05:55 (twenty years ago)

1. Senses Fail - Institutionalized
2. Taking Back Sunday - Suburban Home / I Like Food
3. My Chemical Romance - Astro Zombies
4. Emanuel - Search and Destroy
5. Saves The Day - Sonic Reducer
6. Dropkick Murphys - Who Is Who
7. Thrice - Seeing Red/Screaming At A Wall
8. The Bled - House of Suffering
9. Hot Snakes - Time To Escape
10. Fall Out Boy - Start Today
11. Alkaline Trio - Wash Away
12. Thursday - Ever Fallen In Love
13. From Autumn To Ashes - Lets Have A War
14. Rise Against - Fix Me

― älänbänänä (alanbanana), Friday, 25 November 2005 05:57 (twenty years ago)

Someone please YSI this abortion for me.

Saves the Day doing "Sonic Reducer" might be even worse.

― Erick Dampier is better than Shaq (miloaukerman), Friday, 25 November 2005 06:03 (twenty years ago)

I'd like to hear Thursday's Ever Fallen in Love as well. Isn't that group emo or are they pop-punk or...? To the P2P services, Robin!

― Cunga (Cunga), Friday, 25 November 2005 07:00 (twenty years ago)

Screamo, I think.

― Erick Dampier is better than Shaq (miloaukerman), Friday, 25 November 2005 17:43 (twenty years ago)

"Suburban Home/I Like Food" is awful, as expected. The guy emotes like someone singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Ugh.

"Ever Fallen In Love" is bad, but only because it's bland. Without Shelley squealing every so often, the song is just boring.

― Erick Dampier is better than Shaq (miloaukerman), Friday, 25 November 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

Ugh, there's now a Boost mobile ad with some dude form Blink 182 as a little kid seeing a "cool show" when he is like 8. The video clip they use is a Descendents clip of "Coolage" I think!

― 'you' vs. 'radio gnome invisible 3' FITE (ex machina), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 17:19 (twenty years ago)

it's surely time to retire "I melt with you", I've just heard it in what must be the fourth DIFFERENT ad in as many years.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 17:34 (twenty years ago)

That little faggot got his own jet airplane.
That little faggot is a millionaire.

― detoxyDancer (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 17:37 (twenty years ago)

seventeen years pass...

Blimey, this is an old thread. Anyway....

Just heard Spiritualized on an ad for the National Lottery! (Always Together With You, from last year's "Everything was Beautiful")

― Mark G, Thursday, 8 June 2023 08:47 (two years ago)

This is the most "wtf?" one I've seen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaEZ3VAF3Bo

― lord of the rongs (anagram), Thursday, 8 June 2023 09:36 (two years ago)

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Using classic 'alternative' tracks in adverts - Classic or Dud