how about the badly drawn boy song.. ’something to talk about’ in the hummer commercial… boo.

I don’t really care if people put their songs in ads, at least the songs are better than some of the shit the ad people make themselves

I understand why bands do it, especially struggling bands. They need the money and some of these companies are paying good money, I think Joe Strummer got $50,000 for one of his post-Clash songs. Having said that, any song I hear in an ad immediately gets removed from my iPod. The problem is that once a song becomes associated with an ad it becomes difficult to dis-associated it (even if sub-conciously). And, frankly, I don’t want to the music I listen to trying to sell me a car or a bank or a computer, a bra or jeans.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds: Tuff Enuff - Ford Trucks - “Built Ford Tough” campaign.

And look: this is all that they asked for. An artist, song, and product or campaign. RS did not ask for an in-depth freakin’ analysis.

I like the song used in the new Sega baseball game commercial? I don’t know the name of the song - it sounds like Nirvana.

Crystal Pepsi — Right Now , Van Halen

Remember Van Halen’s “Right Now” used in the Crystal Pepsi” commercials?

We Want Roth and Eddie Now! Stop the announcement delays guys!

Wilco’s new tracks from Sky Blue Sky on the VW commercials

Crystal Pepsi? “Right Now”? Anyone? No? …

How about the latest abomination–haven’t heard, just heard about: “All You Need Is Love” being used to promote non-biodegradable baby poop collectors–Luv’s diapers. I want to cry. “Across the Universe”, “Revolution”, and above-mentioned “..Love” are some of John Lennon’s finest and most heartfelt. I know he is appalled. And I agree with those who mentioned John Fogerty’s “Fortunate Son” All of these are songs with too much meaning to be bastardized. For the artists who can sell–shame shame. For those who no longer have a choice–I apologize for the planet.

CSS and ZUNE

CSS And NIKE

CSS and The Sims game…

CSS and ZUNE

CSS And NIKE

CSS and The Sins game…

U2 + iPod

Dylan tried to get away from the idea that he was saintly. People like “the lost soul of dylan “put that mantle on him.If Bob lived in a gumbo hut wrapped in swaddling cloths, would that be worthy of your worship? Or can he just make a living doing what he wants, not giving a fuck how high you set the bar, that he will not jump over

This weeks music news blows. How boring; not one interesting story. Hopefully Thursday and Friday’s news will be a lot better.

Led Zeppelin and Cadillac

The second you sign recording contract that pays you for performing music, you have sold out. Piss on the semantics of how “commercialized” you become when you sell your music for any other reason. Ask anyone that slaves through crappy venues on the road in shit conditions how much artistic integrity they are hoping to maintain by remaining unsigned and poor. Zero percent my friends. Selling out is the idea. That’s why they don’t give the music away, and Napster is dead.

Lost Soul of Dylan makes a great point - I completely agee. What message is Dylan sending, for example, by selling out his music to today’s young artists - singer/ songwriters? I like and admire Bob Dylan but basically he’s being hypocritical. I guess it’s now okay to believe and act a certain way as long as it’s convenient for that period of time? It really goes against the grain of what rock and roll music used to stand for…non-conforming, creativity in getting a message across, and not compromising the music. Selling-out to the corporate machine disolves those beliefs. It’s just my opinion of course but I prefer artists that simply do not compromise the integrity of their music in order to make an extra buck.

These choices are boring. What about Nextel’s use of Salt and Pepa’s “Push It”? That was hilarious!

Sorry I forgot to add this - A lot of great classic songs seem to be created so that the fan can interpret the meaning of the music for themselves. A song may mean something completely different to me than it does to you. That’s the beauty or art of a great song and sometimes the inital meaning or message of the song may even change over time to the artist that created it. The sell-out of a great song for commercial purposes basically compromises and replaces the initial interpretation of that song with a permanent and lasting image. I really doubt this is what the artist envisioned when they created that tune. Thanks, I’m done now.

Damn it Rolling Stone! Why do you continue to piss me off?
The Dylan/Victoria’s Secret commercial was a steaming pile of dog shit. When I see women in their underwear, I don’t want old Bob Dylan’s creepy pencil thin mustache accompanying them. That’s just a side note, the real thing that pisses me off is that Dylan sold out and you go ahead and encourage such behavior. The young self-righteous Bob Dylan of the 1960’s would have told any company to go screw themselves when asked about using his music in a commercial. Now 60-something Bob Dylan of today has lost his soul and sells a song of his to be used in a women’s lingerie ad (at least it wasn’t one of his better tunes).
This is almost like a metaphor for Rolling Stone magazine these days. You spend so much time and effort driving home the ideals and music of the late 60’s, but you are perfectly fine with putting wastes of space like Fall Out Boy, Fergie, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera on your cover to sell a few more copies of those issues. You should be condemning these “artists” for producing uninteresting/poorly written music and dragging down the over all culture of today.

I have to really agree with Dyer’s Eve about the classic songs getting ruined. That is a completely different thing than using new songs to gain exposure to an artists upcoming album or unknown bands trying to make a buck and gain some exposure. Although I can’t really get mad at the artists for doing it, it still kind of ruins the song for me sometimes.

This is a tough subject because there are so many different angles to agrue the point. A lot of good points have been made with this discussion.

Good valid points on this discussion. Unfortunately artists like Petty and Springsteen who stick to their morals and don’t “sell-out” will suffer commercially and maybe financially in today’s super-corporate market. I guess I can see older artists doing it to simply expose and reveal their music to a younger generation since radio is basically dead. I guess the money that comes from that exposure in the form of a corporate commercial is just icing on the cake but it eventually all comes down to money for most artists. It’s not the most terrible thing going on in music today but I always hate to see the greed factor take over. Seriously, does Jimmy Page or Robert Plant REALLY NEED the exposure or revenue for selling a great classic song for a Cadillac commercial? It’s doubtful. I simply don’t like seeing great rock classics that are used to pitch a product so much that eventually the product itself becomes the “face” of that tune. It’s hard to believe that a lot more seasoned artists don’t feel the same way. Oh well life goes on.

The problem with the logic in the previous post about older artists hitting the road and earning record sales, is that they never really left the road. Dylan, Mellencamp, etc. tour regularly, and their tour continue to sell-out. This doesn’t necessarily equate to record sales. You basically can’t really pinpoint who can sell-out and who can’t sell-out. I can’t blame older artists for wanting to be relevant (even if they are taking the wrong path…see my previous post about Mellencamp and the Chevy comercial). I for one don’t llike purely commercial music, but many of the recent commercials have been featuring what is not considered commercial music. Meaning that many newer commercials are featuring lesser known songs, if not lesser known artists. Many people didn’t know the new Dylan tune before the Ipod Commercial, even if they most certainly knew Dylan.

One could probably more easily make the point that radio makes artists become sell-outs. An artist has to make a certain kind of music to get radio play, whereas, artists can sometimes make pretty much whatever kind of music they want and license the song to commercials. I get just as tired of some songs becuase of radio play as I do commercial play.

Interesting opinion Marcus and I see your point and agree to some level but I have to go back to the fact that John Mellencamp, Led Zepplin, The Beatles, Dylan, The Who, etc… really don’t need to sellout to “pay the bills or keep their lights on”. Most of these well established artists have millions of dollars in the bank with a lot of residual income pouring in every year so why do they need to sell the rights to their music to corporations trying to sell their product? It’s called greed - or in other words “The American way”. As I said earlier, a new artist in this day and age probably needs to explore every possible PR avenue such as commercials to help launch their career so they can “pay the bills” but I’m sorry, not Bob Dylan or the Beatles. I say if you’re Mellencamp for example and you want more more record sales then hit the road and earn it.

Count me as one who actually likes hearing “sell-out” songs most of the time. I like hearing the many “Dandy Warhols” songs that are in commercials, for instance.

But the one that for some reason really rubbed me the wrong way was a Ramones song in a Pepsi(?) commercial. I don’t remember which song, but it had animated cans jumping around. This was a year or two ago. I guess it’s when the song is used just for the lyrics, but totally out of context of the song.

Which reminds me that as a kid I only knew the song “Happy Together” as refering to “the honey and graham cracker taste of Golden Grahams”.

I actually enjoyed Devo’s Beautiful World used for the Target ads. It disturbed me at first, but I can’t help it. Target commercials are pretty damn eye catching.

Thank you Marcus. Well put.

I personally don’t buy this BS about “musicians back in the day did it for all the right reasons, never for the money.” I’ve read interviews with Paul McCartney where he readily admitted that he and John Lennon sat down together and wrote songs with the intention of “having a hit” so they could afford a new car, house, etc.

The reason they didn’t make commercials is because they didn’t have to. They had the support of both AM and FM radio (depending on what type of music they played). And DJs (remember them?) would take caller requests and play the most requested song of the day/hour. If they didn’t have the record, they’d find it.

Now, most radio stations are preprogrammed days or weeks in advance. The DJs have nothing to do with the choice of songs. And the radio stations (controlled by a parent company on Madison Ave.) play safe, predictable, conformist music (that way they don’t have to work at predicting trends).

So where is a creative musician going to get played these days? MTV2/Fuse? Nope. They’ll teach you how to pimp your ride, insult someone’s mama, or where to find B-list celebrities from ten years ago, but they don’t play much music. The internet? Yeah, but nobody will pay for it. XM? What percentage of a percentage of people actually subscribe to XM? What about regular TV shows and commercials? Bingo.

Granted, it’s not all about the money, but most musicians are struggling to make ends meet. If taking a check to let Chevy pimp your song keeps the lights on and the landlord away from your door, you do what you have to do. I’m not saying I like the situation, but don’t blame the artists. They’re doing what they have to do to make a livelihood.

TheDude,
that’s Royksopp - Remind Me.
((:

its a royksopp song.

I want to know who makes that song for the geico caveman commercial. The one where the caveman is on the escalator thing and sees the geico sign and stops and comes back and is really disgusted by it. Hilarious. Any help?

London Calling - not sure of the ad, but I’m sure Joe Strummer is fuming in his grave.

but the point is made. STOP USING ZEP!!!

the question is madcap, what took you so long to get the album? That songs been around alot longer than cadillac’s been using it. Damn

For the record, U2 never recieved a dime for the iPod commercials or the U2 edition of the iPod. They got their money off of sales of “The Complete U2″ digital box set that came out at the same time, and to promote “Vertigo”. As Springsteen said at U2 R&R HOF induction;”anybody can do a commerical and take the money. But to do a commercial and NOT take the money? That’s genius!”

J Hardin basically proved to us all that it’s all about the money these days. Bands want to make music so they can get paid. Back in the day… bands made music because they wanted to make music and the money was not their main motivation. That’s why we haven’t had another Dylan, or Hendrix, or Zeppelin in such a long time. These bands/musicians set out to make great music. Almost like an Olympian… their goal was to be the best. Now, most of the bands/musicians out there want to get paid, and that’s putting a damper on the creativity of their music. Kurt Cobain and the grunge era bands tried to go back to that formula, but the corporate music monster stopped them from turning music back in that direction. Don’t get me wrong… there are still a lot of great, genuine bands/musicians out there, but let’s face it… music just isn’t what it used to be.

Oh, and John Mellencamp… there was no other way to advertise your new music? So what?!? Haven’t you made enough money over the years from all of your other albums throughout your career? What’s wrong? Is your mansion not big enough for you? Dang, nice try pal. I’m not buying that “I had to sell out” bull crap.

Absolutely the most offensive: the car commercial totally twisting around the gist of Creedence’s “Fortunate Son.”

I actually think that in the case of the Mellencamp “Our Country” commercial, it may have hurt his album sales. The song became so overplayed and synonamous with the Chevy commercial, that to listen to it meant to support Chevy. Many critics touted the album as a return to basics of sort, but the song “Our Country” was basically the same old Mellencamp we have heard since the mid nineties, which may not represent the entire album well. Many people may not have checked out the album (myself included) because they couldn’t stand the song. I actually think that Tom Petty’s album may have sold better, but I’m not sure about that.

I also completely respect artists like Tom Petty who will not license their songs to commericals. It is their choice. Just like many artists like Pearl Jam didn’t do videos for a while by choice. Videos are a form of exposure, and many artistsdon’t do ads for fear of overexposure.

Some songs actually gain initial awareness and/or popularity BECAUSE of the commercials. Some examples of this are:

“Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” - Jet (iPod), “History Repeating Itself RMX” Shirley Bassey (some car), “Con Te Partiro” - Andrea Bocelli (Bellagio Hotel, Vegas), “Remind Me” - Röyksopp (Geico).

These days, artists are realizing the exposure potential and actually writing stuff FOR the commercial: Devo is a good example, John Mellencamp’s “Our Country” is another. Mellencamp says he did it because artists like him can’t get ANY radio airplay nor label support for their new stuff - and he’s right!

All in all, I think I have to agree with Gary:

BEST ALL TIME: California Raisins with “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (btw, Gary: it was Raisins, not Grapes; Marvin Gaye, not the Temps; and the spot used it’s OWN version - later released on a Calif. Raisins album!)

WORST ALL TIME: So many to choose from, but I’d have to say “I Want My M.P.G.! (Money For Nothing)” by Dire Straits (ironically, a song ABOUT commercialization!). Even after being subjected to that one dozens of times, I STILL cringe each and every time I hear it! Mark Knoffler must hang his head in shame every time he cashes his checks for that!

Note to Mercedes-Benz: Janis was being sarcastic when she prayed for one in her song by the same name. Why you used the song in your commercial mystified me.

First I respect everybody’s opinion on this matter but I think Madcap’s point is excellent. Can anybody ever hear “Like a Rock” or “This is our Country” without thinking of a damn Chevy truck? Actually I remember a RS article not too long ago where Mellencamp was saying that he decided to finally “sell his soul” with that song and commercial. He basically said there was no other way to advertise his album and make any money so he decided to accept Chevy’s multi-million dollar deal to use it for their truck commercials. I even think he even said that if it’s good enough for Dylan (IPOD) then its good enough for him. Way to whore yourself out there John. What happened to getting out on the road and earning fans the old fashioned way? That seems to be a lost art -so to speak. It seems like artists/ bands in the past that had no choice but to earn their fan base on the road seem to have the strongest most loyal fans today. Pardon my examples in case you don’t care for their music but artisits/ bands like Springsteen, Nivana, and Metallica were basically road dogs that virtually received no air-play at all while they were starting out. They earned their fans by touring, and touring, and touring some more. These bands still have very loyal fans today because of that. Look at all of the crap that Metallica has released in the past 10-years but they’re still very popular because of their fan base. Look at Tom Petty for example, I’m a big fan by the way, but he’s been very vocal in the past about this topic. He completely rejects commercial or corporate sponsoring of music and usually references this during his shows. His latest record Highway Companion is excellent and probably the best thing he has released since Full Moon Fever or Wild Flowers but few people know about it because it didn’t get very much airtime. It’s actually pretty sad when you think of it. Petty will probably just fade away unless he “sells his soul” and jumps aboard the corporate PR machine to sell his next record like Mellencamp. This eventually deprives the true and loyal fans of a great artist and his or her music.

In Argentina Renault (french car brand) used two Nine Inch Nails songs: “Burn” and “Mr. Self Destruct”. Also did a cell company “Miniphone”, but I can’t remember which track…

I guess we could go back and forth about whether this is right or wrong all day, but the bottom line is artists want to be heard and paid. In the current market, it seems to be more successful for an artist to license their song to a commercial and make money, than to spend millions in promotional fees to try (many time unsuccessfully) to promote an album. It can be argued that many people don’t find new music through commericals, but it can also be argued that people don’t find new music from promotional ads that the artist (or label) hae to pay for. At the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter where a song is played or how much money an artist gets paid for it. If it is good music and you like it, enjoy it, if not ignore it.

One very important question everyone that complains about this should ask themselves is this: Would i turn down a raise at my current job?

These commercials basically equate to a raise for the artists. And I am willing to bet most of us would gladly accept a raise at our current jobs so that we could go out and buy more music.

why did cadillac use led zeppelin’s “rock and roll”? it has nothing to do with rock and roll. those damn commercials ruined the song because when i finally got the album, i couldn’t hear the song without thinking of cadillac.

Actually, I saw a Diet Coke spot and really liked the song. I YouTubed it and learned it was “Starry-Eyed Surprise”, got it off iTunes, and listen to it all the time.

Actually Matt, I read a statistic some time back where U2’s “How to Dismantle…” sold twice as many records as their previous album all because IPOD used Vertigo in of their commercials.

I have to agree with Matt with the comment about “who actually finds new music through the commercials.” I for one rarely hear a song I don’t already know in a commercial, so I guess my comments about helping people find new music don’t apply to myself. I find that when I am playing Wilco or Postal Service albums for my non-music-geek freinds, they don’t seem to recognize the songs that have been in countless commercials. I don’t see how a person could not recognize a song like some of the Postal Service songs that were in every other commercial last year, but I guess some people just don’t pay that much attention. I also agree with Dyers Eve about the older established artists that get plenty of airplay and shouldn’t need the money (although I think that Bob Dylan reached several fans with his Ipod Comercials, and he doesn’t get significant airplay anymore like Mellencamp and Seger did when they did their commericals).

Why do people feel the need to state something that they think is witty and then write “needless to say” I was being sarcastic? If it was needless to say then don’t say it.

Oh yeah, on topic - anyone that has had anything to do with the music industry in the lat ten years is well aware of the fact that pretty much the entire industry has sold out. You need to search for and find your own santuary in music and not worry about anyone else. It will just dilute your own personal enjoyment.

Do people actually find new music through these commercials? To me it seems a way to have a catchy jingle for the general public without writing one and giving a wink to those in the know that says we’re cool like you. I don’t picture the general public saying “man! that song was awesome! I’m going to find out what that was, buy the T-shirt and go to the show.”

In this day and age, I can see how a new up and coming band may use a popular song for a commercial in order to jump start their careers. That song by Jet a few years back comes to mind. Although I totally disagree with older established artists like Bob Dylan( IPOD?), John Cougar (Chevy), or The Who (CSI)that sell-out for commercials or TV shows. I can’t see the justification for this other than trying to make even more money than they already have or trying to revive their careers. Especially commercials that completely change the original song to match their commercial pitch - that is disgusting. I have a lot more respect for artists that don’t sell-out to today’s modern PR machine where everything is advertised to the extreme. I think they used to call it “selling your soul”.

How about when Michael Jackson authorized the use of the Beatles song Revoloution in a NIKE add?

how bout those outback steakhouse commercials.

“Let’s go outback tonight!” those are pretty rockin if you ask me.

That VW ad with the “Molly’s Chamber” soundtrack turned me on to Kings of Leon, and I’m forever grateful. It may have taken me a long time to find this great band otherwise–they’re not exactly hitmakers.

In response to trippytrippington, I was talking about new listeners hearing Wilco for the first time. Not someone who likes Wilco already getting to hear their favorite songs. Your sarcasm is duly noted, and everyone has the right to like or dislike a song that they hear in a commercial. How many original songs for commercials do people actually like anyway, so its not really a problem is a band sells a song for use in a commercial and you don’t like it. My comment was basically stating that you can’t blame artists for using the commercial medium for getting their music heard and getting paid for it at the same time. Especially when said band plays music that isn’t necessarily supported by radio. I was basically trying to state what Markus later posted.

how about U2’s ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ being used by the NFL?!

One thing to keep in mind, often the artist of the original song has nothing to do with use of the song in the commercial. They had long ago unknowingly signed away those rights. Not always the case, but more one would realize.

hmm i love all the commercials the who did for the sell out album. very clever. excellent album, and you think it’s silly, then you don’t get it.

Maybe I missed someone else mentioning it, but my heart was truly broken when I heard John Fogerty’s “Fortune Son” savagely edited so as to somehow become a “Woo-hoo, America!” tune for a jeans commercial - can’t/won’t remember the company involved.

I mean, if that song can be used as propaganda, with no one blinking an eye….

unless it has to be specifically rock n roll,

what about Kanye/Luda/Game’s “Where U @” song for Boost Mobile?

And takin’ it waaaaay back, what about the Kriss Kross Sprite song?

How about Jack White’s song he wrote for the Coke commercial? Pretty sweet.

I used to think that artists lending their songs to commercials was “selling out” (watched too much Bill Hicks, maybe). But nowadays, when radio is controlled by faceless corporations pushing even more faceless corporate music, if commercials are the only way to get your music heard by a larger audience, are you going to reject the one chance you have at success because of some outdated sense of moral outrage? A lot of good your integrity will do you when you’re working the door at Wal-Mart at age 70 because you couldn’t afford to retire.

Yeah, hearing my favorite Wilco music is so easy nowadays! All I have to do is turn on the television! I’m so happy that certain selections from their new 4-star album are being heard by people who otherwise may have never heard it! Now I’m able to share my love of depressing alt-country music with other people, provided those people are also interested in economy vehicles! What a world we live in!
Needless to say, I am being sarcastic.

I’ll give you Jet, even though I hate them– something about that seemed awesome and appropriate.

But Dylan and Victoria’s Secret? Nothing was cool about that.

Stiltskin..Levi’s..great ad

I, like many people here, really like the Wilco songs in the VW advertisements. Besides listening to the albums or maybe satellite radio, where can you really hear Wilco? This makes it hard for listeners to discover Wilco. If you want to complain that someone sold-out because of the quality of the music then go ahead, but don’t call bands sell-outs because they want their music to be heard, or even because they want to get paid for their music. Who really wants to make music that noone hears anyway?

That’s just my take on the subject.

T-Rex: The Slider- for the Coke ads,”You’ve had a good run Root Beer”
Madeline Peyroux: Don’t Wait too long- for the Dockers ads

I have very little respect for artists who put their songsin commercials.

Best ever - California Grapes using the Temptations version of “Heard it through the grape vine”

Worst - Verison using New Order “Chosen Time” - I felt robbed of something special

1) The Gap using “Mellow Yellow” by Donovan

2) Fruity Cheerios using “Happiness Runs” by Donovan

3) The Gap using “Draggin’ the Line” by Tommy James

4) HP using The Kinks’ “Picture Book”

5) The Who using “Coca-Cola”–Coke after coke after coke after coca-cola (from Sell Out!).

metallica forever-the best band in history

metallica forever-the best band in history

metallica forever-the best band in history

Wilco’s entire “Sky Blue Sky” for VW and I heard Wilco’s, “What Light” used for an AMC promo. Ironic. They go from pissing off their record label wit han album that’s “not commercial” to have their songs played in commercials.

Modest Mouse done Mazda commercial with their brilliant song “float on”

The Rolling Stones ‘Start me up’ to launch Windows ‘95.

Johnny Cash’s version of NIN’s ‘Hurt’in a Nike add. It actually made the add look cool

Definitely the Geico commercial with Remind Me by Royksopp.

u2’s vertigo in ipod

Hello, Goodbye - the beatles

Target.

M.I.A.’s “Galang” being used in a Car Commercial. I forget which car.

Wilco for VW…ugh. Bad Jeff Tweedy, bad.

Rock and Roll by ZEP in the Cadillac ads.

Things are Getting Better by NERD in Heniken ads

Rock and Roll by ZEP in the Cadillac ads.

Things are Getting Better by NERD in Heniken ads

Rock and Roll by ZEP in the Cadillac ads.

Things are Getting Better by NERD in Heniken ads

oh yeah, one more,

ring of fire/ johnny cash/burger king.

funny/campy use of the song, i believe the first in a long campaign where burger would use older songs to sell their gross-tasting whoppers

My least favorite was when Aerosmith’s Dream On was selling Buicks.
Joe Perry’s playing still snorts the cocaine of the dashboard though.

gap/audrey hepburn/back in black

dah, dah, dah by some lame techno one hit wonders for a VW commercial

and it’s been said already in the OP, but I need to say again, Love Sick, bob dylan, victoria’s secret. creepily delicious!

I’m in Canada, so you may not have seen these ads:

Best Ad - Volkswagen Beetle - Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

Worst Ad - Jaguar - The Clash - “London Calling” (my heart sank the day i heard that, i think Joe would have killed that ad)

Best ad for cash - Microsoft windows 95 - Rolling Stones - “Start Me Up” (billionaires paying millionaires - nothing like helping the poor)

Worst Add for Cash - Swiffer - DEVO - “Whip It” - tag line “Swiffer Good!” - made me lose respect for DEVO, and thats too bad …

How did no one mention “Gravity Rides Everything” by Modest Mouse in that Nissan commercial. U2, Van Halen, Jet, Britney Spears? Those bands are expected to use their crap to sell produts. But Modest Mouse? That one was surprising. But a great song.

There are at least three commercials that are currently airing in Canada which use the song “Unwritten” by Natasha Beddingsfield. I’m already sick of that song.

I like the way The Gap used Madonna’s “Dress You Up” in their ads. The one whith all the bored looking models singing to the song.

Karen O’s song she did for adidas, i cant remember the name of the song

Let’s heat it for DAN DICKHEAD AND THE DEADLY DELTA DILDOS…crowd noise…haaaaah-haaaah-haaaah- haaaah-haaaah-haaaah-haaaah-ha aah-haaaah-haaaah haaaah-haaaah-haaah-haaaah-haa aah-haaaah-haaaah-haaah-haaaah -haaaah-(ad nauseum)… –Herman’s Hermit

Jack white wrote a jingle for a coke commercial, that was pretty good.

the 13th floor elevators’ “You’re Gonna Miss Me” is in a commercial that airs on CNN all the time. its probably for blackberrys or cars or something.

See I think if it is a commercial for a music product, then it’s okay to feature a song. any other commercial, however, are a problem.

The Fratelli’s ‘Flathead” iPod commercial

there was a commercial with tiger woods playing golf as a kid superimposed at st andrews in the british open (i think for nike) that had the faces “ooh la la” in it. that commercial was absolutely brilliant.

The Kinks - picture book for those computer commercials is a good one.

at least the images move to the beat of the song.

Jim Noir’s “Eanie Meany” in those Nike ads from the 06 World Cup.

All that stuff from Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky in the VW ads.

Suburban Kids With Biblical Names’ “Rent a Wreck” from the latest round of Prius ads.

I could swear I heard a muzak version of Limp Bizkit’s “Rearranged” in a commercial for something lately. (not that that’s a good example)

That aside, arguments about “selling out” notwithstanding, I think that anything that gives indie artists more exposure is a good thing. You can’t fault a band for wanting their song to be played in the last 5 minutes of Grey’s Anatomy, and I kinda see this the same way.

The Who’s “Bargain” on those Nissan commericals.
I mean, isn’t the song supposed to be a metaphor for prayer?
So does that mean that we should be praying to Nissan??????

Probably the only three that don’t bother me and seem to fit:

Van Halen’s Right Now in a Pepsi ad (they even stole the video idea, and like Ed said, they would have had a clone do it anyway)

Iggy’s Lust for Life in the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line spot (my wife and I are big RCI fans, and this song is tooooo perfect - hell, I play it onboard all the time!).

U2’s Vertigo in the iPod spot (even though I think the Zen’s a far better product). Best marketing for a new album I’ve ever seen, and with the work Bono and the band do outside the music industry, what are you gonna say?

AC/DC’s For those about to rock, we salute you

You gotta hand it to The Doors for not selling “Break on Through” to Cadillac.

rock and roll ain’t noise pollution on that Nike ad

I love They Might Be Giants doing the Dunkin Doughnuts commercials with their random songs. I also found it ironic that “I Can See for Miles” by the Who is used in car commericals (sorry for not knowing which car) since that song was on the Who’s “The Who Sell Out”.

The Lacoste commercial with the guy hopping posts is “Mushaboom” by Feist.

I am not even american, but I know about about a budweiser ad with “come out and play” by the offspring. Don’t know how I feel about that.

Well, whenever I hear Lust for Life in some carribean cruise add, I have to wonder what it has to do with Johnny and his liqour and drugs. Besides, he drives a GTO, not a boat!

I remember the jet video! they’re playing in a white room. (black and white vid) and they have some cool special effects similar to their album art.

i love jet

love dance by the minutemen, for a volvo commercial ?!?!?

Jack White’s down-under Coke Commercial….

“architecture in Helsinki” has a song on some commercial, I hate TV and therefore have no idea what the commercial is for.

There’s a commercial on tv now that has an “architecture in Helsinki” song on it that is pretty cool.

OOoo. I forgot. the best one ive seen is a song called “Classic” recorded for the aniversary of the Nike Air Force One. It had NAS, Kanye West, KRS ONE and Rakim.

Wow. Amazing

“Lust For Life” by Iggy Pop in that cruise ship commercial.

“Someday Baby” With Dylan himself performing on the Ipod comercials

The Stones’ can i get a witness on the mayonaisse ad

moby…

Does anyone know who does the song on the Lacoste commercial with the guy jumping from pole to pole??

ocean man, by ween. honda civic commercial

WHOA! What about that Summer’s Eve ad with Britney Spear’s Toxic. Remember that one!!!!

Hey I got an idea for a group. We’ve seen how big KISS is now. How about a rock band with people who look like pieces of LEGOS?

Totally agree with the Cat Power tune being included. I wish there was a way to get a full version of that beautiful song!

A couple of my faves that no one mentioned. There was a Diet Coke ad with “Callin’ Out” by Lyrics Born that I only saw a couple times. Always cool to hear a great lesser known artist on tv, even if only for a few secs. Also, just saw an ad for new tv show with Anthony Anderson that had “Electric Worry” by Clutch.

What about The Walkmen track “We’ve Been Had”? That was probably the best ad placement ever. It didn’t make me want to buy a Saturn, but I did look everywhere to find that song, and therefore the band.

Worst ad to me is Bargain by The Who. I can’t remember who it’s for, but every time I hear that part of the chorus, I want to cry.

On a related note, I would like everyone to call their congressman to perhaps enact some kind of law that would prevent the use of “Under Pressure” in any further ads, including movie trailers.

It’s up to us to enact change, people.

The Wilco songs in the VW ads. I have friends who don’t listen to Wilco’s music, ask me all the time who that is. It’s nice to introduce a favorite band that way.

I remember the Jet video.

the clash - shoud i stay or should i go for levis.
the romantics - for budweiser

ya bands like radiohead, fugazi, beastie boys total idiots you are so right

anybody who thinks using your band’s song on a commercial is a negative thing is stupid.

artistic integrity will never be a dated concept, like i said before, due to limited radio airplay for some bands (due to major labels making our radio playlists for us) and yes, illegal downloading, these bands probably aren’t making any money, times like these it makes it all the more important to stick to your guns, it means so much more now

Not made yet (fucking obviously), but I’d like to see The Bronx’s “Shitty Future” in an ad for HotJobs or Monster.

I kinda liked Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” in the Sony commercial. It fit the spot. And Franz wasn’t really a big band then so it’s hard to call it a sell-out. It helped the band and the label.

The black keys - 10am automatic.
Shaun White Amex (or visa) commercial.

of montreal’s “let’s pretend we don’t exist” now played as the outback steakhouse jingle.

selling out is a dated concept… musicians need money and there’s nothing embarrassing or shameful about having your music in a commercial.

When I hear The Jam’s Start on those Cadillac commercials, it just makes my skin crawl…Can’t wait to see Weller down here to ask him about it…

take any money i mean for u2, i can’t type well can i

I agree with the Nirvana comment. Why the HELL should Courtney Love be in charge of Nirvana’s music?!? Give those rights over to Dave Grohl and let him preserve the band’s name and original intents. Dang it! I hate that chick!

Also, I will never understand why Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” was used for a Cadillac commercial. I thought they were all about “not selling out”. There music used to be hard to come by, in movies and t.v., back in the day. Now it’s becoming more and more accessible. I guess we all cave at some point. Money talks.

For the record, I am not calling Led Zeppelin “sell outs”. No way. Overall, they have stayed true to the music and haven’t “sold out”.

its all crap when they do that, can’t hardly stand the cure anymore after they sold out (but old bob is desperately trying to be relevant again) wilco also sucks, everytime i hear them now i think of cruisin’ in vw bugs and being a trendy a**hole
well at least u2 didn’t take anymore, and i know the radiohead will never compromise their art
how sad that the state of the music industry (i blame the labels and the way the control the airwaves)is so low that “selling out” is acceptable

ps also forget, i about gag everytime i hear the who thanks to the csi crap

Guitar Hero playing Wolfmother’s “Woman”. Also, I think it was Powerade who did Rakim’s “Don’t Sweat the Technique”

Bit - it is for dell I think… or gateway maybe? one of the two computer commercials… I like it

I’m not saying Nirvana sold out but Screw Courtney Love for letting Lithium be on the baseball game commercials. Nirvana doesn’t belong in any advertising. Thanks Courtney. Just sell another one when you need to score again.

I heard the Lips “W.A.N.D.” in some commercial for something and immediately went and dug out my copy of that album to hear that song again. So it kind of works.

Love the Mary K. Blige song in the water commercial with the girl walking and imagining Jeter, Stamas, Taye Diggs, etc., staring at her! Love it.

eagles of deaht metal had a bunch recently

makes me wanna puke!

The New Pornographers’ “Bleeding Hearts Show” for University of Phoenix; The Magnetic Fields’ “I Think I Need A New Heart” for some pet commercial; and Tapes ‘n Tapes’ “Jakov’s Suite” for Nissan…all subtle

Welcome To The Jungle (GNR) used in the commercial for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Easy Lover (Phil Collins) used in the commercial for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Any commercial (there are a few) with a Kinks song in them.

Kings of Leon’s “molly’s chambers” in those sweet VW commercials was the coolest I can think of lately

Wilco- VW ads.

shame on rolling stone for using a play on TV On The Radio’s name while referring to sell-outs.

I realize that by no means is rolling stone calling them sell-outs, but just because the name is fitting for the topic doesn’t mean they should do it. I except a full retraction and apology on my desk shortly…

the worst song in a commercial is the use of Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” for Cadillacs. I love the song but now have a tough time hearing it without thinking of cars…why can’t I go back to thinking of IV when I hear that song?

flaming lips + skittles
“do you realize”

the killers + target
“mr. bright eyes”

U2’s use in the ipod commercial. Like they need another billion dollars. What was wrong with Jets’.

OASIS “All Around the World” for AT&T. I really used to like that song too…now I can’t listen to it without dreading the chorus.

Good: Crystal Method in Gap ad some years ago

Bad: Devo’s Whip It remade for Swiffer

I remember the video for “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”, and I’m not a big fan of the band. Didn’t Bob Seger do “Like a Rock” that they used to use in all the Chevy commercials? Are we going with likeable, or memorable, or what? Cuz I tie that song to Chevy, which to me, is effectiveness, which is what this list should consist of.

So, on that note, here’s my list:

1. Chevy: Bob Seger - Like a Rock
2. Apple: Paul McCartney - Dance Tonight
3. Choice Hotels: Johnny Cash - I’ve Been Everywhere
4. Vonage: The 5,6,7,8’s - Woo Hoo

Honestly, I can’t think of anymore. I was going to do a top 5, but to me, those are the most effective, in that when I hear that song, I think of that company.

All the Micheal Jackson owned Beatles songs.The new one for Adidas is pretty cool.

“The W.A.N.D” by the F-Lips is used in a Dell ad.
Of Montreal’s “Everyday Feels Like Sunday” was in a Nasdaq spot.

i like the Hello Goodbuy thing target does. only good commercial witha Beatles song. HP once misused Across the Universe

Any of the artists in the iPod ads in my opinion are using their music in ads to promote their music, not the medium. And if they promote the medium too, so what? All in the service of the tune.

I love all the VW commercials with Wilco songs in them. I think there are at least 5 that i have seen so far

The Message Of The Blues’ song LA was turned into Say Hey for BP. I know they’re not a big band but that song is awesome.

CMMON PEOPLE. U2 having Apple sell “Vertigo” pre-release was a massively overblown sellout, to an album that otherwise would’ve rocked the charts if the song had gone straight to radio.

Album of the year? I think not.

Sellout of the year? Absolutely.

Blister in the Sun by The Violent Femmes was used in a Wendy’s ad. That was just ridiculous in my opinion.

The Allmans’ Melissa was in a Cingular commercial recently. Why Gregg, why?!?

i just about shit a brick when i heard a fall song (blindness) used in a car commercial not too long ago.

Wow. You’re all wrong. Britney Spears and the Monkees giving up credibility they never had to sell shampoo and cars is one thing. Wilco and the Old 97’s and Of Montreal and Postal Service just shit the bed. Period.

Iron & Wine’s cover of the Postal Service “Such Great Heights” in the M & M commercial

The verve-Bittersweet symphony was used in a nike commercials i think.

Eagles of Death Metal had some great ones, “Flames Go Higher” in the Pontiac ad, and their remake of “Stuck in the Middle” in a Wendy’s ad.

Jeremy - money is money

Either Way- Wilco- VW comercial

Actually, one that would have been great, was the Pizza Hut commercial with Ween’s
“Where’d the cheese go?”

wasn’t “under pressure” in a commercial recently? i might be wrong…

I am a musician. Even though I’m not famous, and I don’t have a record deal, I would not let anybody put any of my songs in a commercial. I don’t want my songs to be telling peoople that “This dish soap works better than the leading brand.”

Oh, I see, it’s songs you like in commercials. In that case, none.

The Beatles’ “Revolution” in a Nike ad doesn’t make your list?

Wow.

Geico commercial with Remind Me - Röyksopp.