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June 21, 2005
Slate on Sleaziest Uses of Classic Songs in Ads
The winner: Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life," a song about shooting up smack used in the current Royal Caribbean ads.
That's just sort of funny, though. The song probably subverts the ad more than the ad neutralizes the song. The real travesties are CCR's "Fortunate Son" being used to sell Wrangler jeans and Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" selling, well, you guessed it. In "Fortunate Son," they play that first line - "Some folks were born to wave the flag/Ooh that red white and blue" - then cut the rest of the lyrics, since the next line goes, "And when the band plays Hail to the Chief/They point the cannon at you." The whole song is about how patriotism is used as a cover for class exploitation and warmongering.
I wonder if Fogerty was hard up for cash, or if he lost control of his publishing rights as part of his general screwing by Fantasy Records. It seems hard to believe the former, since he was still playing "Fortunate Son" as a very appropriate anti-Bush song at Kerry rallies last fall.
What's the Worst Ad Song Ever? - The results are in. By Seth Stevenson
Posted by tedf at June 21, 2005 12:19 PM
Comments
When the Clash got used to sell cars, I knew there was no more hope...
If you want crass, the 1980s use of the Beatles' "Revolution" by Nike still rankles for me.
BMN
Posted by: BMN at June 22, 2005 04:14 PM
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