Commercial Music.

For my second post I'll break my first new year resolutions.

[UPDATE: I've added a few anwsers to blanks in my memory and a correction. Most are courtesy of Emma Hamilton and her database of 503+ commercial spots. Mike Castelletti also wrote in to correct me that its was Daft Punk and not Groove Armada that does One More Time. I knew that. I really did.]

[UPDATE 2: I've hyperlinked all cited recordings for your Amazon shopping pleasure. If this post answered a nagging commercial question it would be really cool of you to buy through my links.]

Until reading Mena Trott's post on "Press and Discovery" that linked to an entry on her personal weblog, I never realized that there was such interest in music used by commercials.

My family (and some friends) think I listen to odd, obscure and otherwise "weird" music. I don't really agree with that characterization at all. That's why I get a chuckle when I hear music by generally obscure artists that I've been listening to makes it into a commercial. They are listening to it in commercials and don't even know it!

Since it would seem by the long running comments thread on Mena's site that there isn't enough of this info out there. I thought I'd share some of my knowledge. These are some that come to mind in no particular order for those who may have been trying to figure out "that track" for themselves.

Dockers "Dinner Party" - Les Baxter "Tropicando"

Guy walks into a high society dinner party with a couple of women staring seductively at him. Once dinner starts we see them start brushing their stocking feet on his leg making him feel uncomfortable until much to his surprise he learns one of the gents at the table is doing it too.

Dockers "The Basketball Star's Pants" - Thievery Corporation "Coming From The Top"

A crowd going nuts welcomes a basketball star (presumably) getting out of a limo. He stops to sign a basketball for some kids and then stops at some screaming women. His coach sees it and points him to the locker room. As he walks away the coach notices the women are screaming about his pants. (Of course.) The action cuts to our star trotting out with his team in uniform before cutting back to the locker room where coach is sneaking back into the locker room and trys on the players pants.

Incidentally these two tracks used by Dockers appear on the same compilation album DJ Kicks a continuous mix by the Thievery Corporation -- its an excellent album I'm still listening to years later. Since the 2 commercials where released around the same time for the same product, I have to assume the producers of the commercials where listening to this same album when they selected that music.

Lexus "Intersection" - Dave Brubeck "Take 5"

4 Lexus cars come to an intersection with Jonathan Pryce walking city streets and providing the overdub. Shot in black and white. Someone on Mena's site was looking for a jazzy piano track to a car commercial -- this may be it. When I listen to "Take 5" I think of Paul Desmond's sax more then piano, but I believe they edited it for the commercial in such a way that the Brubeck's piano is more prominent.

Acura "Palm Springs vacation" - Nicola Conte "Bossa Per Due"

This commercial features a pair of 30 something hipster speeding through the California desert and frolicking around a Palm Springs spa hotel room.

Kmart/Joe Boxer "Happy guy dancing in his underwear" - Nicola Conte "Jet Sounds"

This commercial made me laugh when I first say it. Now this guy is everywhere and its getting a bit old. I saw him dancing on stage in his underwear during Fox's New Year's Eve show *outside* in Vegas. I hope they're paying him a lot.

Apple iPod - Propellerheads "Take California"

When the iPod came out Apple released a commercial with some dude loading up music from his Mac onto his iPod. The music is tinny and quite as the music builds. He unplugs it just as the music pauses, he freezes and then the music kicks in load and with plenty of bass as he does a I-also-play-Air-Guitar dance out the door.

Unknown Car CommercialNissan -- Ursula 1000 "Continental Break Fast"

I've actually heard it more on radio ads because I was driving so much with the holidays, but I know its being used on TV commercials. I'll have to pay attention to what company/car its for when I hear it again.

Unknown Car CommercialJaguar (S-Type) - Propellerheads "History Repeating"

Features vocals by Shirley Bassey of James Bond soundtrack (Goldfinger/Diamonds Are Forever/Moonraker) fame. I can't remember which car or company it was for. The car is just sitting there as the camera takes you on an up close tour alternating through fast and slow motion movements.

Victoria Secret - Groove ArmadaDaft Punk "One More Time"

All I remember is that is was in Black and White and featured the super models dancing around in, all of things, their underwear. Groove Armada's "I See You Baby" was also used in a commercial, but I can't remember who it was for. (Update: Emma says also check out Mirwais' "Disco Science" in the body by Vic spot.)

Mitsubishi Eclipse "Freaky Popping Raver Chick" - Dirty Vegas "Days Go By"

This commercial is just 3 people driving through tunnels and past oil refiners as the woman in the passenger seat goes nuts practicing some former of ancient breakdancing in her seat. She weirds me out.

Mitsubishi - Telepopmusik "Breathe"

This more recent commercial features a man driving his car down what looks like Fremont Street in Vegas as the passengers change from friends, girlfriend, girlfriend pregnant, kids costume party. The whispy female vocals are singing "touch me." I'm not sure where Breathe comes out of that.

K2 Movie Trailer - Front 242 "Tragedy For You"

Plenty of music gets used in movie trailer commercials, however this one is noteworthy because they used a track that did not appear in the movie's soundtrack. I have no interest in mountain climbing, but I was actually excited to go see this movie after watching the commercial with this track. That is, until my friend Jason discovered before I went to see it that Front 242's track is nowhere to be found in the movie and the commercial was 10 times better anyway.

Unknown Car Commercial Volvo V70 Turbo Wagon - Mr. Scruff "Get A Move On"

Dad scrambling between daughters soccer match and son's swim meet. The commercial has started airing with another track now. Mr. Scruff's tune works much better though. This track was also used in another commercial recently, but its not coming to me what it was for. (Update: Emma says it was Lincoln Navigator. A Jazz band is (supposedly) practicing and the driver opens his sunroof to hear. Update2: Lincoln is using this track a lot more, but the latest commercials are re-recorded by band for the commercial. I like the original more.)

NFL 2001 Playoffs "Show Me Something" -- St. Germain "Rose Rogue"

These commercials features footage of NFL stars going through drills for the camera with a "BMF" Samuel L. Jackson exclaiming things like "Its playoff time! Time to show me something!" Filmed by Spike Lee.

Nike - Stooges "Search and Destroy"

A fast moving montage of dirty sweaty athletes "playing hard" across a whole range of sports. The track really worked nicely with visuals.

Gap "Rollerblading Khakis" - The Crystal Method "Busy Child"

This commercial features lots of Gap models doing lots of rollerblading tricks and synchronized formations.

Volkswagon has made a cottage industry out of the use of generally obscure hip music tracks in their commercials. So much so that they've releases a compilation CD of music used in their commercials. (For $10 I'm tempted to buy it.) Some of my personal favorites include:

VW Passat(?) "Springing Grandpa to go to Vegas" - Charles Mingus "II BS"

Old gents is seen sneaky around a nursing home in his Blue Brothers-esgue black suit and out the door. He hops into a car with his grandson and they are seen speeding off to Vegas with the sun roof open.

VW Cabrolet(?) "Milky Way" - Nick Drake, "Pink Moon"

4 friends driving to an evening party on the coast and changing their mind and starting driving somewhere else. I read an article where a bunch of Nick Drake elitist where annoyed that after years of obscurity people started getting into the singer/songwriter because of a commercial.

VW Jetta(?) "Burbon Street Synchronity" - Master Cylinder "Jung at Heart"

This commercial featured a couple driving down Burbon street where everything they look at (boy dribbling a basketball, men unloading boxes) is in time with their car's windshield wipers.

VW Beetle "UFO" - Fluke "Absurd"

Features a spinning beetle on a white screen that hovers and zips around like a UFO with the heavy-handed beat and sampled "ooohh" and "ahhhhs" of Fluke's track.

VW Beetle "Kaleidoscope" - Sterolab "Parsec"

The camera descends on a changing kaleidoscope pattern made up of brightly colored Beetles as Sterolab's music fades in. I rather disappointed VW doesn't include this on the above-mentioned disc. I own the Stereolab disc (Dots and Loops) its on though.

VW EuroVan "Road Trip" - Bent "Invisible Pedestrian"

Some middle-aged married couple (presumably) picking up slacker hitchhikers heading to points all over the states. This is another one I was disappointed was not on VW's disc.

Speaking of cottage industry, numerous tracks from Moby's Play was featured in commercials for American Express, Reebok, Motorola, Adidas and Audi 500. Its really hard to remember them all. If they weren't in a commercial they where in a movie soundtrack. The use of "Porcelain" for Nordstroms was my personal favorite where a mostly off camera woman opens the door for her boyfriend standing in the rain with umbrella filmed in black and white and shot in extreme slow motion. With the release of his new album 18 Moby said he was going to chill on the licensing, but I think I heard "We Are Made of Stars" used in an Gap ad straight away.

I know Fat Boy Slim's "Praise You" was used in a Nike Air Jordan commercial. I also know Oldsmobile used "Right Here, Right Now" in a commercial also.

I also recall Chemical Brothers, Superchunk and My Bloody Valentine having tracks featured in commercials but I can't remember which ones.

I know I'm leaving out dozens (perhaps hundreds) more. I find it fascinating how commercials in recent years are becoming the modern day radio hit or MTV video. Commercials are becoming a serious source of income and potential startum for previously obscure artists like Nick Drake in addition to upcoming and independent artists like Telepopmusik or Dirty Vegas. Even well established commercial artists are benefiting. It was reported that there was a spike in Sting's Brand New Day sales when "Desert Rose" was running in a Jaguar commercial.

With product placements in movies and commercials as short-film features, perhaps this could be the future.