After a week of that confounded "1, 2, 3, 4" Feist song ringing in my head, I’ve got to say something. I know it’s now commonplace for indie bands to shop their catchy singles to corporate advertisers, but I just can’t take it anymore. You’ve probably been bobbing your head to the same tune since Apple’s new iPod Nano commercial (below) recently began its heavy TV rotation.
If I wasn’t already familiar with Leslie Feist and her "Mushaboom" fame, I might’ve mistaken the smooth-tenor vox for Chan Marshall (Cat Power), who seems to be the indie queen of commercial crossover this year. Marshall has helped sell diamonds by covering Cat Stevens’ "How Can I Tell You" and lent Cingular her cover of Blondie’s "Hanging On The Telephone," which oddly enough is actually a cover of a cover because Blondie ripped it from the Nerves.
But Marshall and Feist are not trailblazers. Since the advent of Pump Audio,which acts as a digital agent connecting thousands of indie bands withmainstream media, under-the-radar songs have been popping up on TV at arapid rate. I remember when I was jamming to Spoon’s "I Turn My CameraOn," only to have a friend say, "Hey, that’s the song from the newJaguar commercial." Or when Of Montreal rewrote its lyrics forOutback Steakhouse. Or when, earlier this year, Volkswagen licensed Wilco’s enitrealbum, Sky Blue Sky, (apparently an advertising first) for its 2007 ad campaign. PopWatch’s own Greg Kirschling blogged aboutthe phenomenon back in July, saying that watching the ubiquitous VW ads over and over caused him to reevaluate Sky Blue Sky: "I started tolike the new Wilco album a whole lot more than I thought I did." Gregwondered if maybe hearing an old song in a new pop-culture context isn’ta good thing.
I myself prefer creating my own sense-memories for a song:what the season was, what year I heard it, what was going on in my lifeat the time, whether I was in a car or on the subway or at afront-porch house party. I don’t like the idea of songs evoking cars or cell phones or baby back ribs. Do you?
As much as I’d love to hear Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” and not see the video in my head, on the converse, I’d much rather have more opportunities for people to discover what a fantastic talent Feist is and be inspired to go buy her album.
If memory serves, Moby’s “Play” was the first album in history to have every track (and I there are 18 or so) licensed in some way. Many tracks were licensed MORE than once. I was torn in the biggest way: do I hate the licensing because such an amazing, brilliant work is being relegated to selling stuff, or do I love it because he’s getting the exposure he deserved in the first place? Such is the pain of my pop-culture addiction…
I like the music in Apple ads. I don’t understand why independent artists aren’t allowed to make money off of their quality music without being harrassed by entertainment writers.
Hearing a familiar song on an ad shouldn’t REPLACE your sense memory of it. (Or, if it does, then it wasn’t much of a memory, was it?) If anything, it conjures it up anew.
Face the facts: most of the best musicians today (with Feist and Wilco being prime examples) can’t get their music played on the radio as much as Daughtry or Hinder or whatever other garbage corporate radio is trying to cram down our throats at the moment. Sadly they need the paycheck from the corporate ads sometimes, and more power to them if they do. I’m more disgusted by companies raping a dead rock star’s ghost, like they are now using Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy” in some new crappy ad.
Sadly most of the new young talent in the rock world need the corporate endorsements, since their albums are also constantly downloaded illegally as well. Cut them some slack…
Well, at least iPod’s cooler and more relevant than some. I hope Stephin Merritt pocketed a lotta dough to let Cesar use a Magnetic Fields tune to peddle dog food.
How can you possibly bemoan indie artists getting mainstream exposure by any means necessary with the horrendous state radio is in right now? We live with radio stations that have a playlist of 15 songs max at a time! In my opinion, commercials and TV show soundtracks are a phenomenal way to discover indie artists. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been introduced to an artist/group I love by hearing it playing in the background while someone’s trying to sell me something. Hey, it may not be the most authentic and chic way to become a relevant and hip music listener, but go with what works!
I agree with almost everyone else: You go Feist! Please, let someone like her have her crumbs. Have you even listened to her first amazing album? Leisure Suite is the best cool-jazzy deliciousness that I have ever heard. I’m glad she gets any exposure when all the mainstream media seems to want to talk about is a talented poptart who can’t do anything but sell tabloid magazines and pop out brain damaged offspring. I wish Tracey Thorn, Feist, Cat Powers and all the rest of the really talented and often ignored talents take over television ads and soften the pop permafrost on our high fructose-coated brains. And my Friday rant is over.
Feist rocks. So does Cat Power but with all due respect they are completely different artists. Confusing them just because they both are brunette’s is a little lame
We live in a new age where it’s harder than ever for indie music to get airplay, so commercials have become an accepted way for such acts to get their music noticed and, as well, actually make a living from their art. The “sell out” argument is both dated and pretentious.
I agree with Brandon. But I guess the cool thing to do is still play the “I knew them before they were big and famous” card.
Look up Feist on Wikipedia or YouTube…she’s in approximately 3 million different ad campaigns.
Or like, five, but still….
You guys still watch commercials?
I agree with most of the posts here–actual GOOD artists need to take whatever avenue to exposure they can get these days, because radio won’t play them. Sad but true.
If it bothers you to hear these songs in commercials, watch less TV.
So now I finally know who does that awful faux naive version of “How Can I Tell You”! Ugh. What is it with female singers who sound like they’re on the verge of a teenage-angst nervous breakdown? Bring on Chrissie Hynde or another tough female with some vocal chops and, yes, balls.