What is the deal with music in commercials these days? It's pretty common practice for advertisers to invoke some old standard, or some song that you kinda remember but never thought about how easily it could be tailored to a message of commercialism. That's the thing, though, the music was "pre-used," let's say. Whatever the song, it had its day, however long or brief, it retired to obscurity (or not) then got to make its ignoble comeback in a 30-second spot about blenders. Or more likely cars.
I'm not writing this with the assumption that it will be a revelation to anyone. More I'm just hoping for an ... open dialogue? Something to alleviate my confusion? I don't know. Something.
More and more, I am hearing music on commercials that I've never heard before. WHAT'S MORE, it's music that I would not be averse to hearing again.
Seriously, what is the deal with this? Is it really the case that advertisement has suddenly become a venue for musical discovery? I don't even listen to the radio. If I discover new music, it's because I found it through the internet, or a tiny publication, or on a friend's recommendation, or because I saw them in person. I'm not trying to puff myself up like this is cool or anything, but ... oh, come on guys, it totally is. If this isn't cool then there's no such thing. This is the way the snobs get their music, isn't it?
Meanwhile, television commercials are the epitome of all that I, as a young, self-aware, socially-conscious, filthy pinko must despise, aren't they?
It's okay, calm down. I actually don't care at all in the way I'm pretending to. All I really care about is that I found some music that I like. Whatever I may claim from time to time, I'll listen to music if I like it. It doesn't have to meet any standard; it doesn't even have to be good. I mean, within this very year, I have listened to Debbie Gibson's Out Of The Blue, and I am completely comfortable with telling you that.
But I would be lying if I claimed that this weren't fucking with my Weltanschauung just a bit. It's ... it's freaking my establishment, people.
There are levels to this. It is multi-tiered. There's that terrible song by Vanessa Carlton with the treacly piano that's everywhere, and that's okay, I don't care about that. That song was out for a while prior, and she's in the dominion of pop anyway. Then, and this is true, I was in the waiting room at a doctor's office when I heard from the background television noise what I'm pretty sure was "Banking On A Myth." True story. I actually looked up and muttered, "Seriously?" before I could stop myself. (When I'm in public I usually try to pretend that I don't have any emotions.) Then, of course, there's my central problem: the songs that I've never heard before. The ones that make me look up and say, "Hey, this song's not bad. I have no idea what it is, but it's not bad." Are these people sell-outs? And ... don't I have to know who you are before you can sell out? I mean, really. There must be a before-career before there can be an after-career. But wait. Does that mean that I am a mass-market consumer?? HOLY SHIT!
This entry was spurred by the fact that this evening I made a playlist on my iPod entitled "Music I Heard On Commercials." I've acquired enough that I felt I needed to make a statement about it. A pitfall of many successful gimmicks, though, even though I latched onto the songs pretty well, I can't for the life of me remember what they were advertising. Although, of course, if I said "iPods," I'd probably be right at least half the time. Oh well, it's another thing I can blame Steve Jobs for, I guess.
Some samples from that list:
"Dance With Me" by The Sounds
"1234" by Feist
"Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg (he basically sounds just like Rufus Wainwright - I don't know if that makes me like him less, or more)
"All That I Want" by The Weepies
Monday
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5 comments:
I KNOW!!! I am so down with this post. I tend to like Target and J.C.Penney songs. And I think the deal is basically that the ad companies figured out how to utilize people like you to find their music for them. I'm pretty sure that's about the gist of it. Sweden. Harper. This post is gold.
I'd just like to say that I own the Feist album, and it's really good, and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, I owned it BEFORE I ever saw the Ipod ad. B/c I'm just that cool.
Also, dude, I just read an article on this very subject. Yo:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/24/MN4STFDOS.DTL&hw=Ipod+Apple+Music+Feist&sn=001&sc=1000
Just so you know, I'm not going to organize my thoughts in any coherent manner here.
On Debbie Gibson: back in the late '80s I worked in a semi-hip record store (I have to throw the "semi" in there because, come on, it was in a strip mall in Piscataway) and I would regularly annoy my oh-so-semi-hip co-workers by playing Her Gibness, along with Tiffany, Exposé, et al. I didn't do it to be annoying, though. It's good, fun pop music.
On the Sounds: I didn't know they were on a commercial, but I bought their record last year just because the cover gave me a warm sensation in my bikini area.
On the Weepies: I shit you not, I just this morning went to the JC Penney website to find out what that song was that I haven't been able to get out of my head. And since you like that song, I want you to go find Laura Gibson (no relation to Debbie--I think)'s MySpace and listen to "Hands In Pockets", which I discovered through, yes, a commercial (for the Oregon Humane Society).
On this subject in general: I know, right? Fact is, advertising has become a major avenue for new artists to get noticed (Fatboy Slim would not have a career without commercials--seriously), and you know what? I'm okay with it. The important thing is, the music gets heard. And while I love Target for selling clothes I can actually afford, I love them even more for putting a few bucks in Mary Lou Lord's pocket (when they used "Speeding Motorcycle" a few years ago). She fucking deserved it.
This has NOTHING to do with your post.
Your blog is the last in a folder in my bookmarks, so I close the tabs of the other blogs until I get to yours, leaving it alone in the window. Every single time, I try to click the x on the tab and wind up flagging your blog as having inappropriate content. I always unflag it right away, but I find it totally hilarious that I can't seem to keep myself from doing that.
In other news, I love Andrew Bird! As you know.
This also has nothing to do with your post.
BUT.
Happy birthday. [heart]
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