Talkin Music – The TV Commercials

TALKIN MUSIC
Have You Listened To The TV Commercials Lately
It’s Like Going To A Concert Every Night
Well This Note’s For You
By Jack Coll 9-28-18

Coll’s Custom Framing closes at 5:30 through the week, (except on Thursdays when we close at 7:00.) Following a well cooked dinner I head for my third floor office on most nights before retiring to the couch to spend time with Donna and catch a television show or two.

While watching television night after night I couldn’t help but notice that it seemed like every commercial had a pop song or some type of hit song, from all different era’s crossing Country, Rock, Hip-Hop, Soft-Rock and plain old Rock & Roll.
After noticing this night after night I asked Donna to grab a pen and paper and start documenting the songs we noticed playing during the many different commercials. Once we started to notice each and every commercial it was like going to a concert every single night headlining many different performers.

The use of music in advertising goes back many many years when advertisers counted on the background music to help make the ad memorable. Let’s face it if you were a Frank Sinatra fan and his music was fronting a product that you had a need for chances were very good that the Sinatra fan would purchase your brand.

The advertising background music goes back before television was invented with catchy little radio jungles. Radio broadcast was born in 1921, the first paid radio commercial was aired on August 28, 1922 in South Carolina. It advertised West Star Mortgage, the ad didn’t feature any music and was just a woman narrating the ad.

In 1926 the first commercial that featured a short jingle was aired, it contained lyrics specifically to advertise the product that was aired. The product was Wheaties and the ad aired on Christmas Eve. From the very first jingle 92 years ago they became very successful in selling products through advertising. The jingles were successful due to the fact that it would make listeners remember the product and even gets them to sing along so it would be stuck in their mind.

By 1941 the very first television advertisement was broadcast in America on July 1st. The advertisement was for Bulova watches, the ad lasted for 10 seconds and cost a whopping $9.00. The ad had no music but a picture of the Bulova watch-head centered on a picture of the map of the United States with the voice saying the brand’s slogan, “America runs on Bulova time.”
In 1944 the Chiquita Banana jingle was broadcast, which is rated by Times Magazine as the no. 1 jingle. The jingle was very catchy and set the standard for music jingles to follow. It was a very catchy advertisement advising consumers on various ways they can eat bananas. The ad got very heavy play at movie theatres throughout the country.

In the early 1980’s children became a target audience for advertisers; advertising children’s toys during cartoons. By 1985 advertisement developed more into full-fledged songs, this period in advertising was known as the death of the jingle.
As we rolled into the 21st Century Jingles made a comeback as well as Rock & Roll, Country, Hip-Hop and Soft Rock songs filling in as background music in an effort to help sell a product.

So let me spill the list of songs and advertisers Donna and I recorded over a two week period during the first two weeks of July, you might have to stretch the memory to remember a few of these but here goes:

Song, Artist and Product

“Show Me The Way” Peter Frampton Uncle Bens Rice
“Sunny” Bobby Herb Indeed
(Sha-Boom Sha-Boom) “Life is but a Dream” The Harptones Nex Guard Dog Collar
“A Few Of My Favorite Things” Volvo
“How Do You Like Me Now” Toby Keith Applebees
“Going Up The Country” Canned Heat Geico
“Come And Get Your Love” Canned Heat J. C. Penney’s
“Going To The Chapel” All State Insurance
“She’s A Rainbow” Rolling Stones Acura Automobiles
“Crazy On A Sunday Night” Uncle Kracker Cold Stone Creamery
“Simply Irresistible” Chase Mobile Apt Bank
“Ring My Bell” Walmart
“Wonderful World” Camy Toyota
Symphany For The Devil” Acura
“She’s Got The Look” Roxette Camry
“Werewolves of London” Raisin Brand Kellogg’s
“Stripper Song” Coke
Everybodys Heard About the /Bird Is The Word Heineken Beer
“I Got A Name” Jim Croce Goodyear Tires
“Hold On, I’m Comin’” Sam & Dave Lincoln Cars
“Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy” Car Commercial
“All Night Long” Lionel Ritchie America Trade
“Can’t Take MY Eyes Off You” Frankie Valli Applebees
“Go Your Own Way” Fleetwood Mac Anora
“Surfin Bird” The Trashmen (A-well-a, everybody’s heard about the bird)
“Beep Beep Beep” Bobby Day Kia Sorento
(The song “Beep Beep Beep” never charted, Day is known for his hit “Rockin Robin”

A FEW OTHER OLDIES SONGS USED IN TV COMMERCIALS IN RECENT YEARS
7-UP “Sunshine” The Partridge Family
ALLSTATE “Never My Love” The Association
AMERIPRISE “Gimme Some Lovin” The Spencer Davis Group
BUICK “Dream On” Aerosmith
AMERIQUEST “I’ll Be Around” The Spinners
BURGER KING “I Am Woman” Helen Reddy
ANDROID “Saint Elmo’s Fire” John Parr—Also “Oo-De-Lally”—Roger Miller

APPLE HAS USED MORE THAN THREE DOZEN SONGS AND ARTISTS TO PROMOTE THEIR PRODUCT OVER THE YEARS, A NUMBER OF THE ARTISTS INCLUDE:
AC/DC
SAM SMITH
THE SHACKS
BIG BOI
JIM CROCE
ALABAMA SHAKES
STEVIE WONDER
THE PIXIES
THE SUBMARINES
COLD PALY
U2
JET

A few other advertisers and songs used over the years include:

APPLEBEES It’s Tricky” RUN DMC
AT&T “Perfect Day” Lou Reed
AT&T “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights” Meatloaf
AUDI “Search And Destroy” The Stooges
AUDI “The Ugly Duckling” Danny Kaye
AUTO TRADER “Godzilla” Blue Oyster Cult
AXE “The Wash” Brenda & The Tabulations—
(Guy tries to trick girls on the beach into removing their bikini tops)

BLACKBERRY “Brass in Pocket” The Pretneders
BLACKBERRY “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” U2
BMW “So Alive” The Goo Goo Dolls
BUBBLE WITCH 3 “Real Wild Child” Iggy Pop
CARNIVAL CRUISES “You’re My Best Friend” Queen
CHASE “The Way You Look Tonight” Frank Sinatra
CHASE “Secret Agent Man” Johnny Rivers
CHEVY “Our Country” John Mellencamp
CHEVY TRUCKS ”Like A Rock” Bob Seger
CIROC “Come Fly With Me” Frank Sinatra
DELL “Watch Us Work It” Devo
DISNEY INFINITY “Walk This Way” Aerosmith
DOUBLETREE “Relax Man” Dinah Washington
ESTEE LAUDER/MACY’S “Just The Way You Are” Bruno Mars
FIBER ONE “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” Bonnie Tyler
FORD “Red Morning Light” Kings of Leon
FORD “When The Streets Have No Name” U2
GE “If I Only Had A Brain” Song from the Wizard of Oz
GE “Catch The Wind” Donovan
GEICO “Ride Away” Roy Orbison
GEICO “Let Me Be Myself” 3 Doors Down
GOPRO “Stop” Jane’s Addiction
HEWLET PACKARD “Do You Wanna Touch” Joan Jett
HEWLET PACKARD “Picture Book” The Kinks
HONDA “Crazy Train” Ozzy Osbourne
HONDA “The Hellion” Judas Priest
HONDA “Barracuda” Heart
HYUNDAI “Sweet Caroline” Neil Diamond
HYUNDAI “POL” Smashing Pumpkins
JC PENNY “Let’s Dance” Chris Montez
JEEP “If You Want To Sing Out” Cat Stevens
JAGUAR “The Shock Of Lightning” Oasis
JOSE CUERVO “Miss You” Rolling Stones
KIA “Holding Out For A Hero” Bonnie Tyler
KFC “Time To Get Down” The O’Jays
KOHL’S “I’ve Got The Music In Me” Jennifer Lopez
LEXUS “Have Love, Will Travel” The Black Keys
MACY’S/ESTEE LAUDER “Just The Way You Are” Bruno Mars
MAZDA “Back In Baby’s Arms” Patsy Cline
M&M “Hungry Eyes” Eric Carmen
MSC CRUISES “In The Summertime” Mungo Jerry
NIKE “Funny How Time Slips Away” Willie Nelson
NIKE “Jealous” Beyonce
NIKE “The Star Spangled Banner” Marvin Gaye
NIKE “The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA” Donna Fargo
NISSAN “Devil In Disguise” Elvis Presley
OLD NAVY “I Want Candy” Bow Wow Wow
PENNZOIL “Got Me Under Pressure” ZZ Top
PENNZOIL “Moving In Stereo” The Cars
PEPSI “You’re Cheatin’ Heart” Jennifer Nettles
PEPSI “Why Can’t We be Friends” War
PEPSI “Forever Young” Bob Dylan
SAMSUNG “Just Another Day” Lady Gaga
SAMSUNG “Rocket Man” Elton John
SAMSUNG “Whistle While You Work” Louis Armstrong
SLEEP NUMBER BED “Bend Me Shape Me” American Breed
SPRINT “Lullaby” The Cure
STARBUCKS “This Will Be Our Year” The Zombies
SWIFFER “That Lady” Isley Brothers
SWIFFER “Baby Come Back” Player
TARGET “Early Bird” Shirley Temple
TARGET “Free To Be You And Me” The New Seekers
VALERO “Life Is A Highway” Rascal Flatts
VISA “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” Dropkick Murphy’s
VISA “Tuesday Afternoon” Moody blues
VOLKSWAGEN “The Birds and The Bees” Dean Martin
VOLKSWAGEN “On The Road Again” Willie Nelson
VOLKSWAGEN “Driving My Life Away” Eddie Rabbit
VOLKSWAGEN “Dreams” Beck
WAL-MART “Here I Go Again” Whitesnake
WAL-MART “We Will Rock You” Queen
WRANGLER “Bad To The Bone” George Thorogood

I’m sure you might remember more than a few of the commercials and perhaps many more of the songs. Above I listed a very small number of the hundreds of recognizable songs used in an effort to help sell products on television.
There was a time when artists were considered “Selling Out” if they used their music to endorse a product but that shield slowly came down as the years passed.

Some years ago Neil Young wrote a song about “Selling Out,” called “This Note’s For You.” Neil was one of the few artists whose songs weren’t up for sale to the commercial industry. Neil and Bruce Springsteen among other artists refused to sell their songs believing it cheapens their artistic integrity.

This Note’s For You
Written and performed by Neil Young

Ain’t singing for Pepsi
Ain’t singing for Coke
I don’t sing for nobody
Makes me look like a joke
This note’s for you

Not singing for Miller
Don’t sing for Bud
I won’t sing for politicians
Ain’t singing for Spuds
This note’s for you

Don’t want no cash
Don’t need no money
Ain’t got no stash
This note’s for you

I’ve got the real thing
I got the real thing, baby
I got the real thing
Yeah, alright

A number of the early Rock & Roll artists like The Rolling Stones and The Who were quick to sell their music for commercial purposes, for one thing they were getting some pretty big pay-days out of it but they sold the music primarily for the exposure of their music.
Some fans loved hearing their favorite songs in a commercial while others despised the fact that their favorite band sold-out.
In my opinion, I believe that an artist who wrote and performed the song has every right to sell or protect their words and music. After all this is how they make their living, so who am I, or who are we to tell a particular artist NO, you can sell your work.
I was wondering how you might feel about hearing one of your favorite songs helping to push the sale of automobiles or some other product.