Lately I’m drawn to the TV whenever I
hear the sweet, clear voice of a young Michael Jackson singing “I’ll Be There”:
You and I must make a pact.
We must bring salvation back.
Where there is love, I’ll be there.
This song was part of the fabric of my childhood, and every time I hear it I’m transported to that far away time called “the 70s.” For just a moment I’m in my bedroom, sitting on my purple and yellow-striped bedspread, writing a story or doing my homework. There’s no computer, no TV, no phone, no video game system. But there is a record player, and a stack of 45s I’d bought at Woolworth’s with my babysitting money.
I’ll reach out my hand to you.
I’ll have faith in all you do.
Whenever you need me, I’ll be there.
So imagine how it feels to realize that in 2009, the very year of Michael Jackson’s untimely death, this sweet and tender love song is on my TV because it's being used in a commercial for State Farm insurance. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth, tainting the way I feel about that song and that very personal memory from my childhood.
I realize that Madison Avenue has been co-opting popular music for a long time. I remember an old song called “Button Up Your Overcoat” being drafted for an Alka-Seltzer commercial (“you belong to me!”). The lyrics of a standard called “Tangerine” were twisted into a pitch for diet bars called Figurines (“it’s the diet lunch you love to crunch out loud!”). It turns out that the Pledge jingle from the 70s (“Lemon Pledge, very pretty, and the lemon smells so sweet…”) is really a folk song called “Lemon Tree.” Even Sinatra wasn’t safe—his classic “Strangers in the Night” was used in a spot for Anheuser Busch beer, featuring animated penguins.
Then there are the songs that seem tailor-made for marketing. You knew Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” was destined to be a phone commercial the first time you heard it. “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” from South Pacific made a perfect theme song for Clairol—they just substituted "gray" for "man." And you could make a case that Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care of Business" was a pretty good fit for Office Depot.
There are even songs that are better known for their use in commercials than for their original release. I’d never heard of The Hilltop Singers’ “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” before Coca-Cola changed the words and made it famous in their iconic 1971 commercial. Carly Simon had a decent-sized hit with “Anticipation,” but that song got huge after Heinz used it to sell ketchup.
But somehow, when it’s my songs being
So imagine how it feels to realize that in 2009, the very year of Michael Jackson’s untimely death, this sweet and tender love song is on my TV because it's being used in a commercial for State Farm insurance. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth, tainting the way I feel about that song and that very personal memory from my childhood.I realize that Madison Avenue has been co-opting popular music for a long time. I remember an old song called “Button Up Your Overcoat” being drafted for an Alka-Seltzer commercial (“you belong to me!”). The lyrics of a standard called “Tangerine” were twisted into a pitch for diet bars called Figurines (“it’s the diet lunch you love to crunch out loud!”). It turns out that the Pledge jingle from the 70s (“Lemon Pledge, very pretty, and the lemon smells so sweet…”) is really a folk song called “Lemon Tree.” Even Sinatra wasn’t safe—his classic “Strangers in the Night” was used in a spot for Anheuser Busch beer, featuring animated penguins.
Then there are the songs that seem tailor-made for marketing. You knew Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” was destined to be a phone commercial the first time you heard it. “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” from South Pacific made a perfect theme song for Clairol—they just substituted "gray" for "man." And you could make a case that Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care of Business" was a pretty good fit for Office Depot.
There are even songs that are better known for their use in commercials than for their original release. I’d never heard of The Hilltop Singers’ “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” before Coca-Cola changed the words and made it famous in their iconic 1971 commercial. Carly Simon had a decent-sized hit with “Anticipation,” but that song got huge after Heinz used it to sell ketchup.
But somehow, when it’s my songs being
ripped off, the commercialization seems like a personal affront. Imagine my horror on hearing my beloved Partridge Family singing their mega-hit “I Think I Love You”… on a commercial for Cheerios! Or the dreamy Davy Jones asking the musical question, “Oh what can it mean?”… and finding out it means that “Daydream Believer” is now being used to hawk eBay.
The ad companies may think that using recognizable songs to push their products helps endear us to those products, but I disagree. For me, at least, there’s an element of “Thanks for ruining my song, guys” that makes me want to boycott them completely. One of the worst offenders currently on the air uses the Etta James version of “At Last.” Those beautiful violins, that gorgeous voice, those romantic lyrics… to sell Hoover vacuum cleaners?! Or how about the Moody Blues harmonizing to perfection on “Tuesday Afternoon,” from the smash 70s album Days of Future Passed? Yeah, it’s now a commercial for Visa, in which parents are encouraged to go into debt lavishing things on their children, since heaven knows the little darlings will be growing up soon and you may not have many more chances to spoil them.
To round out my rant, let’s go with a song that my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I used to like when we were dating: Todd Rundgren’s classic “Hello, It’s Me.”
It's important to me that you know you are free
To round out my rant, let’s go with a song that my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I used to like when we were dating: Todd Rundgren’s classic “Hello, It’s Me.”
It's important to me that you know you are free
'Cause I never want to make you change for me.
Think of me, you know that I'd be with you if I could…
It’s a song that perfectly reflects the era (spell that ERA, as in Equal Rights Amendment) in which it was written—a love song that also acknowledges the importance of personal independence within a relationship. After all these years, Rundgren finally sold the rights, and “Hello, It’s Me” is now being used to sell…Tums. Seriously. The lyrics are actually sung to food, the kind that once may have upset your stomach but which you will be able to eat again by simply popping a few antacid tablets. I can’t even watch the thing—it gives me a whole other kind of heartburn.
It’s a song that perfectly reflects the era (spell that ERA, as in Equal Rights Amendment) in which it was written—a love song that also acknowledges the importance of personal independence within a relationship. After all these years, Rundgren finally sold the rights, and “Hello, It’s Me” is now being used to sell…Tums. Seriously. The lyrics are actually sung to food, the kind that once may have upset your stomach but which you will be able to eat again by simply popping a few antacid tablets. I can’t even watch the thing—it gives me a whole other kind of heartburn.
I know, I know—there are worse problems in the world. And it’s surely another step on the path toward curmudgeonly-ness to be lamenting changes from “the good old days.” But it just feels like one more little piece of my childhood that's been sold to the highest bidder—now even the soundtrack to my memories has been co-opted by the marketing machine..
For all you youngsters reading this, I'm sure you've noticed that lots of songs from the 80s and 90s have also been commercialized, including all those used in the initially-clever-but-increasingly-irritating Swiffer ads (“Swiff it! Swiff it good!”). I did a little searching and came up with some you may recognize. See if you can match the song to the product. You’ll be able to guess some, but for others, a logical link between the two is completely non-existent. Answers appear at the bottom—let me know how you do!
1. “I’ve Been Everywhere” (Johnny Cash)
2. “Dust in the Wind” (Kansas)
3. “Love Train” (The O’Jays)
1. “I’ve Been Everywhere” (Johnny Cash)
2. “Dust in the Wind” (Kansas)
3. “Love Train” (The O’Jays)
4. "Revolution" (The Beatles)
5. “U Can’t Touch This” (M.C. Hammer)
6. “A Kiss to Build a Dream on” (Louis Armstrong)
7. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (The Who)
8. “Just What I Needed” (The Cars)
9. “Free Ride” (Edgar Winter)
10. “Do You Believe in Magic” (Lovin’ Spoonful)
11. “Simply Irresistible” (Robert Palmer)
12. “Top of the World” (Carpenters)
13. “I Feel the Earth Move” (Carole King)
14. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (Bonnie Tyler)
15. “Feels Like the First Time” (Foreigner)
16. “Love is in the Air” (Paul Young)
17. “All By Myself” (Eric Carmen)
18. “Take it on the Run” (REO Speedwagon)
19. “Like a Rock” (Bob Seger)
5. “U Can’t Touch This” (M.C. Hammer)
6. “A Kiss to Build a Dream on” (Louis Armstrong)
7. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (The Who)
8. “Just What I Needed” (The Cars)
9. “Free Ride” (Edgar Winter)
10. “Do You Believe in Magic” (Lovin’ Spoonful)
11. “Simply Irresistible” (Robert Palmer)
12. “Top of the World” (Carpenters)
13. “I Feel the Earth Move” (Carole King)
14. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (Bonnie Tyler)
15. “Feels Like the First Time” (Foreigner)
16. “Love is in the Air” (Paul Young)
17. “All By Myself” (Eric Carmen)
18. “Take it on the Run” (REO Speedwagon)
19. “Like a Rock” (Bob Seger)
20. "Don't You Want Me?" (Human League)
A. Folger's
B. GM
C. Subaru
D. Chips Ahoy
E. Choice Hotels
F. Citgo
G. Kohls
H. Holiday Inn
I. Applebees
J. Coors
K. Glade
L. Nike
M. PetsMart
N. Visa
O. Aquafina
P. Chevy
Q. Nissan
R. Avis
S. Circuit City
T. Purell
_________________________________________
Answers: 1-E, 2-C, 3-J, 4-L, 5-T, 6-N, 7-T, 8-S, 9-F, 10-G, 11-I, 12-O, 13-M, 14-R, 15-A, 16-K, 17-B, 18-H, 19-P, 20-D
