How did the songs I liked as a teenager suddenly become “oldies”? Or advertisements? It didn’t help when “Rock and Roll” became the theme song for Cadillac. Led Zeppelin’s acquiescence opened the floodgates (or, should I say,
broke the levee). Hey, if one of the greatest rock bands of all time was selling out to corporate America, why not follow suit?
Nowadays, it is typical for a Rolling Stone’s jam to open an NBA game, Queen to serenade the Chess Team champs, or Black Sabbath to thunder out riffs for Nissan trucks. Just how many good songs have been ruined by commercials? (Shall we start a list?) Artists who once gave the system the finger, are finally conceding the old adage: If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
So I wasn’t much surprised to see The Eagles — owners of the best- selling album in American history — sign what’s being called “a long-term strategic partnership” with Walmart. Other than visiting the original Hotel California when we were in Cabo, I’m not a big Eagles guy. I can, however, hum a few bars of “She Talks to Angels.” (Oh wait, that’s not The Eagles, it’s The Black Crowes.) Apparently, Wal-Mart — whom many anti-capitalists view as the Great Satan — has 
signed an exclusive deal as sole distributor of the next Eagles’ album. Strange bedfellows, indeed!
In a post entitled Hitting a Sour Note, (also one of the most viewed posts on Decompose), I wondered aloud at the rampant liberalism in today’s popular music. Anti-war, anti-Bush, anti-American sentiments are becoming (yawn) status-quo for musicians. Which makes the Eagle-Mart pact even more surprising.
The fact that such rebels, icons of inde- pendent thought, torch- bearers for aging hippies, and rabid opponents of corporate greed, are now signing on with the very constituencies they once renounced, says worlds.
Of course, Don Henley was quick to point out that, despite his alliance with the Big Nasty, his message won’t change. What a relief. Now he can rail against us ignorant, waste-generating, forest-leveling, carbon-emitting, flag-waving morons and still take our money. Only in America. Hey, as long as the art is true, who cares about the logo on the bus.
Here’s to the oldies, baby. And the greedy corporations that keep our rocker’s guitars — and pocketbooks — well-oiled.
Let’s see. . . good songs ruined by commercials. Where do I start? Way back in ’87 (when I was still a lad), I recall Nike using the Beatles’ “Revolution” to sell shoes. How ’bout U2’s “Vertigo” teaming with Apple computers. Way to take the high road, Bono. Not wanting to be outdone, The Stones allowed Kahlua and Pepsi to use “Brown Sugar” for an ad. Sly and the Family Stone sold “Everyday People” for some car commercials. Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up the Sun” (not that it’s a good song) went to Best Buy. Last night, I heard Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” playing in the background of a KFC commercial. Okay, I’m sure more will come to me later. . .
One of my coworkers said to me yesterday that you know you’re getting old when the songs you grew up with become elevator music. I could add, when they start being used in commercials.
I know!
here here
Great post, Mike.
Johnny Cash – “I’ve Been Everywhere Man”… Choice Hotels… the comforting thing is that the man in black can’t be blamed for signing off on that one, Willie Nelson – “Always On My Mind”… for Levi’s… c’mon Willie.
I’m going to see Willie in a couple months… I’m greatly anticipating when he plays “Always On My Mind” and someone near me says to their buddy, “I can’t believe he’s covering that Levi’s song…” I might slap him.
Well, I guess royalty checks, like Applebee’s BBQ, is “Simply Irresistible”
peace.
Matty, that’s comedy. But maybe we’re missing something here. Perhaps Madison Avenue is producing a whole new generation of listener. . . the kind that can’t distinguish the song from the product it’s selling. Barfaroni anyone?
I agree with the premise that those who rail against “the man” are, at best, being two-faced in then accepting mega bucks for endorsements.
But hearing songs I love on commercials, in general, does not bother me. I don’t see how it “spoils” them.
I understand that we feel we “own” these songs, in some manner, because they’ve become such a part of our lives. But, really, it’s just a song. And with the artists we love, many times, unable to get played on radio anymore, except the oldies stations, I figure, why not? It’s a paycheck.
I don’t write ads and brochures and presentations because of the “art” — I write them for the paycheck. I write my novels and short stories for the art… I guess I see the songs the same. It’s the job.
Great points, Mike. The art industry is two different things — there’s the ART and the INDUSTRY. Musicians, actors, authors have long struggled with the divide. Do we let our art become an industry, fuel an industry and, ultimately, be exploited by an industry? Maybe it’s a line each artist must decide for themselves. But, since you write novels and short stories: Would you allow one of your novels to be used to promote a product? Chopped Carrots or Cruise Lines or Jeans or Laundry Detergent? That’s the question.
My beef here (more like a snarky bite-back), is with the snobbish, pompous, self-anointed pop saints who rail about the loss of moral high ground, and then sign a deal with Big Brother. So much for “artistic integrity.”