We've all heard the Buzzcocks doing the whiny teenager "What do I Get" for Toyota, Iggy Pop doing the cold-turkey "Lust for Life" for a cruise line, the Orb's epic duggy masterpiece "Little Fluffy Clouds" in VW ad, Janis Joplin used unironically to hawk Benzes...but today I heard a song that takes the cake:

a muzak version of Joy Division's "Dead Souls" in a Harley Davidson ad.

OK, that's just bizarre. This is a song about suicidal depression, about dead souls that "keep calling me". It's one of the most intense, stripped-bare songs ever recorded and here it is selling V-Rods and Fat Boys.

What the hell? Do advertizing creatives just have a very subversive sense of humor, hoping that some people get the joke while the turn in their work to oblivious bosses?

I dig the Target commercial with Donna C. playing the drums and cowbell.

I enjoyed DEVO's "Beautiful World" in a Target ad for two reasons. One - the song is ironic...it's really about how it is NOT a beautiful world. Two - using DEVO's brilliant music to one-day sell towels falls totally in line with the theory of de-evolution as laid out by the members.

I think it all boils down to the fact that today's ad executives were the children of the '80s and are simply incorporating their musical tastes into the commercials.

Blind Melon's "No Rain" in a Pepsi ad. Anyone else think the girl in the hot dog suit is the Bee Girl?


Edit: Holy poop! I'm a member now!

GM using Prince's "Little Red Corvette" on some billboard. They obviously didn't understand the metaphorical implications of that song.

Bob Dylan's Lovesick in the Victoria's Secret spot...
Just wrong on so many levels

I think that hearing the Velvet Underground's "Heroin" in a Nissan commercial was one of the more surreal moments of my life.

Definitely. I've only seen it once (and didn't even remember the car-maker). And no one I've told about it has seen it. I think it was short-lived.

Another odd one, not odd in context of the commercial but really unexpected, was hearing Ween's Ocean Man in a car (Honda perhaps?) commercial. The setting was seaside so it was fitting, but man did my head turn when I heard Gene and Dean coming from my TV.

You've got to be kidding me....I haven't heard that one.

That is my new favorite commercial. I think it captures the fun-ness of the origial Blind Melon video. for me.

I'm tired of hearing Zeppelin hocking Cadillac's.

Can't stand that remake of Right Here, Right Now (originally by Jesus Jones) on the K-Mart commercials either.

No, they really used it. Just the opening chords, none of the lyrics. It took a second for it to register after I saw the commercial. "What the F***!?!? Was that 'Heroin?'"

The Beatles song Revolution with its powerful message being used to peddle Nike tennis shoes is still the biggest travesty for me.

THe Lords of Acid (forget what song, but they're all dirty as hell) for Disney's Dinosaur flick. Just the music part, none of the dirty lyrics, but still, odd choice for a kids animated feature.

iggy pop's "lust for life" is an interesting choice for an inspirational cruise ship commercial. they do, however, conveniently leave out the parts of the song about brain bashing, drug using, liquor consumption, etc.

also, this may be a stretch, but i just saw a camera commercial using the cure song "pictures of you"... seems like an appropriate title for the subject of the advert, but i always considered all the songs from disintegration as being incredibly moody and depressing, if not about suicidal thoughts....

I know some people were upset with the Vans commercial featuring American Nightmare by the Misfits, but I think this is a perfect match. The kids that wear Vans are the same ones that listen to the Misfits, it would not work with any other product.

I love it, as mentioned in earlier post, when the meaning of the song is totally lost on the uninformed. What do you think the backlash would be if Harley owners knew a song about suicide was used to push their hog? How long before some journalist does a big story on this?

As I'm not watching much TV these days, I've yet to see/hear the use of either "Dead Souls" or "Heroin". The risk of doing so is too high. I think I'll just give up all TV as a precautionary measure...

That exact thought went through my head last night: "Is that the famous bee girl?". Funny commercial, though.

Actually, I like that ad (if you can actually like an ad...). The visuals are pretty cool and the song is definitely arresting. It is a depressing song, but Robert Smith's whole schtick is teenage angst, not real suffering, so it fits perfectly.

Nissan or Honda used a Modest Mouse tune this past season.

Let's not forget Lene Lovich and New Toy for Target

I always dug Lene.....

That same song was used in an MGD commercial over a year ago.

I seem to remember seeing that once, and then it being yanked because they hadn't properly licenced it?


The one that got me the same way Joplin's Mercedes Benz one was CCR's Fortunate son to sell jeans. That's so not right.

That's like some presidential campaign using "Born in the USA" as a patriotic anthem.... wait a minute...

I'm waiting for a car company to use an instrumental version of Jim Carroll's "people who died". Just wait. It's coming.

That was my reaction too!