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All-Time Worst Use of a Classic Song in a TV Commercial

T

Tim from Springfield IL

My latest contribution to the Worst TV Commericals thread involving Stimulator's lousy rendition of Olivia Newton-John's "Magic" that used in the recent Macy's ad campaign (both radio and TV) has just prompted this spin-off thread. The Stimulator cover of Magic is on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCMLd8TNqA

I also nominate the 2008 "Saved By Zero" Toyota ads (after the 1983 Fixx follow-up to "One Thing Leads to Another") and how it was overplayed (per Wikipedia--yes, I know :) ) 40,000 times by October 26, 2008 as another poor use of a classic hit in commercials. Time magazine had an article that fall about the Saved By Zero campaign and how "it wouldn't stop."

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1860403,00.html

Wikipedia article on "Saved by Zero":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saved_By_Zero

A Facebook group against the "Saved By Zero" campaign also appeared during this time and is still live:

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=102181350444

Your nominations for the worst uses of classic songs in commercials in TV history?
 
Your nominations for the worst uses of classic songs in commercials in TV history?

[/quote]
"BABY COME BACK", on that dopey dry-mop TV commercial... "TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS", on a certain office supply shop commerical, another TV spot that just refused to go away... I might remember some more later... Great thread!
 
i hate all the uses of classic rock songs used in comercials.

i don`t like the songs that meant something all through my life becoming freakn jingles.
 
HH Gregg is currently using a knock-off version of the Beatles' "Help!" to sell TVs and appliances.

The wonderful old gospel tune "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" was used to sell cat litter a few years ago.

And Kohl's, a department store chain in some areas of the country, used "Turn Turn Turn" as a jingle for a "changing of the seasons" fall sale. Nothing like mining the words of the Bible to sell sheets and underwear.
 
anotherguy said:
A few years back there were Hoveround ads using the Beach Boys' I Get Around. That has to be the worst. :p
Click to expand...

Agreed, although if you think about it, the audience for the Beach Boys back then is now the audience for Hoveround. :-\
 
75 year old geezers singing The Everly Brothers "Bye Bye Love" for Sea-Bond! :D
 
But then you have my two teen girls (several years ago) hearing a classic jingle and, because they were raised in Europe didn't know those jingles were very popular songs. By listening to the jingles it opened a whole new world of music to them and caused me a lot of work to go download for them. ;D

I do notice there are not very many current/recent songs used for commercials. There has got to be a reason they use the Oldies.
 
The current commercial for Viagra where a middle-aged man in his sailboat prepares to set sail while "Smokestack Lightning" plays in the backgtround with Howlin' Wolf's vocals edited out only saving the instrumental track as a loop.

No connection with the 1950s blues classic whatsoever..no wonder the vocals were deleted. It was Mr Wolf pleading "...why don't you hear me cryin? oooh-wee-ooooh!..." wondering if his woman was having an affair.

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/lyrics_blues/hw_smoklightn.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAwjZLztd28
 
I find it interesting, and somewhat perplexing, that we can't hear these songs on the radio anymore because advertisers think those of us who are over 50 are not viable advertising targets, yet our music is what they savage for commercials, not the pop hits of the 80s or 90s.
 
Back when Microsloth introduced Windows 95, they used the 1981 Rolling Stones' hit, "Start Me Up". It was meant to imply that the new operating system was more stable than anything they'd offered before, i.e., didn't crash, but a following line of the song was more appropriate - at least during early days of Win95: "You make a grown man cry."
 
I can't find the specific ad on YouTube (but there are many from that campaign out there), but do you remember the MCI "5-Cent Sunday" ads in 1998 with the Looney Tunes gang (Bugs, Daffy, Tweety and Co.) and Michael Jordan? This was on the heels of "Space Jam." I remember one of those spots (which aired IIRC around summer '98) which had the Looney Tunes gang giving their own "cover" of "I Believe I can Fly" for that ad, which they called "I Believe I Can Call." Didn't come out too well IMO. Anyway, here's one of the sample MCI 5-Cent Sunday ads I could find, this one with MJ and Daffy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV0yQcOXc_Y
 
John-Summers said:
I find it interesting, and somewhat perplexing, that we can't hear these songs on the radio anymore because advertisers think those of us who are over 50 are not viable advertising targets, yet our music is what they savage for commercials, not the pop hits of the 80s or 90s.
Click to expand...

How true!
 
jfrancispastirchak said:
Your nominations for the worst uses of classic songs in commercials in TV history?
Click to expand...
"BABY COME BACK", on that dopey dry-mop TV commercial... "TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS", on a certain office supply shop commerical, another TV spot that just refused to go away... I might remember some more later... Great thread!
[/quote]

Funny you should mention Takin' Care of Business.. It illustrates why music publishers are happy to supply these songs for commercials. When I heard that office supply store commercial (can't remember which one it was - Staples?), I recalled that I really liked that song, and downloaded it.

So not only did the owner of the song make handsome royalties from the commercials, they also made money from people like me who bought the song because of the commercial.
 
Lkeller said:
jfrancispastirchak said:
Your nominations for the worst uses of classic songs in commercials in TV history?
Click to expand...
"BABY COME BACK", on that dopey dry-mop TV commercial... "TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS", on a certain office supply shop commerical, another TV spot that just refused to go away... I might remember some more later... Great thread!
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention Takin' Care of Business.. It illustrates why music publishers are happy to supply these songs for commercials. When I heard that office supply store commercial (can't remember which one it was - Staples?), I recalled that I really liked that song, and downloaded it.

So not only did the owner of the song make handsome royalties from the commercials, they also made money from people like me who bought the song because of the commercial.
[/quote]
Wow, talk about making lemonade from a lemon! Actually, l loved "TAKING CARE..." Just got tired of hearing it on that commercial!
 
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