“The Sound of Music”

c. 2007 Rod Ice
All rights reserved
(1-07)





“The hills are alive with the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears”

- Julie Andrews in 1965, as Austrian singer Maria Von Trapp.

Thanks to the iPod, Internet technology, and cell phones, music is a
valuable commodity of The Information Age. Tuneful entertainment may be found literally everywhere! Enjoying familiar melodies can be accomplished without the bulky equipment of yesteryear. MP3 players now occupy nearly microscopic bits of space. Have room for a keychain? Then you can have i-tunes on board!
This ease of being constantly ‘plugged in’ has influenced pop culture with undeniable force. NIKE had already opened the door to commercial use of rock music by paying to feature The Beatles song ‘Revolution’ in an ad from 1987. At the time, many were shocked by this move to derive naked profit from rock history. Yet it was only the beginning…
Now, advertisers grab catchy, recognizable songs for their commercials without hesitation. Chevrolet Truck spots featuring the Bob Seger composition ‘Like A Rock’ are numerous. Cadillac continues to enjoy similar success from bygone promotions that used the classic Led Zeppelin track ‘Rock and Roll.’
Today, the simple act of watching family television can be a musical adventure. Commercials for a myriad of products feature cutting-edge recordings by many out-of-the-mainstream artists. Being confronted with sales pitches for aluminum foil, laundry soap, soft drinks, and personal care items can actually be… musically educational!
The following list provides a few familiar examples from prime time TV:

THE RAMONES / “BLITZKRIEG BOP” – Cingular really accelerated the trend toward cool music in commercials by using this vintage track to promote their ‘Go Phone.’ Veterans of the ‘punk’ era were shocked to hear an obscure nugget of New York rebellion in such a context. But a new generation was drawn to learn about the music itself. The end result – posthumous exposure for a heroic, yet still unknown band.

DIRTY VEGAS / “DAYS GO BY” – One of several fashion-friendly spots for Mitsubishi, from 2003. This one featured a woman passenger doing some sort of bodysurfing, hand jive dance while in her seat. Coupled with off-focus, urban backgrounds and racy glimpses of the Eclipse, it was unforgettable. The ad continues to be a favorite post on YouTube.

TELEPOPMUSIK / “JUST BREATHE” – Another Mitsubishi commercial that features hip, moody melodies. Rather than attempting to sell a motorcar, their focus is on the company as a lifestyle partner. The ad seems to promote membership in a fast-paced social strata. A perfect counterpart for video images of trendy folk enjoying their vehicles in an urban environment.

DEE / “MILES AND MILES” – This rousing bit of techno-pop serves as the backdrop for ads depicting the Ford ‘Edge’ Crossover Vehicle. Is it a minivan? Or an SUV? You decide. Regardless of whatever category is appropriate for the car, the tune works well to promote its viability and hipness.

BODYROCKERS / “I LIKE THE WAY” - The music for a Diet Coke spot. Lots of dancing around an inner city loft apartment. Hearing this tune while standing still is impossible. Surrender to the beat!

ROYKSOPP / “REMIND ME” – One of the humorous GEICO commercials. A billboard for the company uses the famous slogan: ‘So Easy A Caveman Can Do It!’ Passing by on an airport moving sidewalk is an offended Neanderthal. He shakes his head in disbelief…not another one of those ads!

THE TEDDY BEARS WITH IGGY POP / “PUNKROCKER” – A brief, stop-motion history of Cadillac, shot on a desert highway. The interplay of empty vehicles parading in jerky succession over the highway is surreal and infectious. It continues the recent Caddy trend toward marketing to an upscale, yet younger, crowd.

DIAMOND NIGHTS / “THE GIRL’S ATTRACTIVE” – A classy tune for Jaguar automobiles of Great Britain. The rhythm pairs easily with flashes of sports car and a leggy fashion model. Included is an added Bonus for those caught up in 80’s nostalgia - the tune eerily reflects a bit of Billy Idol doing ‘White Wedding.’

THE FALL / “BLINDNESS” – An ad for the Mitsubishi ‘Outlander.’ Futuristic and stark, very metallic and plodding. Intended no doubt to sell the product as an urban assault vehicle for those with modern sensibilities.

THE ROLLING STONES / “I’M FREE” REMIX – This song was originally released in 1965. But it was reborn in this ad for the Chase Freedom Credit Card. A bit of tweaking makes it strangely appropriate for the commercial. Like Chevrolet and Cadillac, Chase has successfully co-opted a piece of Baby Boom culture.

ANJALI / “STINGING SITARS” – An impressive promo for the Cingular ‘Blackjack.’ The hand manipulation sequence is stunning. When viewed in sync with the rocked-out sitar track, it is literally spellbinding. This music takes surf, psychobilly, and post-hippie experimentation on an uncontrolled thrill ride!

Perhaps most the most outrageous ads in this category are from Volkswagen. In a pairing with First Act, a series of their commercials boasts that buyers will receive a limited edition guitar with each V-Dub purchased. Featured are noted performers like Slash, and John Mayer. Also included is the fictional Nigel Tufnel, from Spinal Tap.

Julie Andrews might be overwhelmed with the explosion of music-as-capitalism in modern times. But a different performer seemed to herald such things, twenty years ago. In his quirky anthem ‘The Sound of Musik’ Austrian singer Falco spoke of pop melodies as a sort of superhighway for cross-cultural communication between generations, countries, and continents:

“The sound of musik
It’s Lennon - McCartney, Cole Porter too
They’re dancin’ with my babe, babe - ba - ba - ba - babe - blue
Hey daddy – don’t you bother me - its gonna be my
Rock and roll day - give the children what they want
Hear the universal choir pray”

- From the 1986 album ‘Emotional’

Rock is now advertising, and advertising is a reliable conduit for delivering art to
the masses. Televisions, music players, cell phones, and personal computers are about to become one versatile unit. With a single destination for everything, knowing the difference between culture and commerce may be less relevant than choosing the technology through which we listen.

FROM THE GEAUGA COUNTY MAPLE LEAF, CHARDON, OHIO