On some kind of wasted weekend
Pretty little girl
Expensive little world
Curiosity is peeking
Here today and gone by morning
Your ice cream cone is melting fast
Maybe Monday, maybe someday
Your lucky star won’t fly on past
-- Sheryl Crow

Ok, so I didn’t groove to The Clash this weekend, but it certainly was a wasted weekend. And guess what? I’m no better. I’m still stuck in a horrible funk that I just can’t shake. Oh well, this too shall pass. Besides, it was nice to pretend, even just for a little while, that I wasn’t a grown up with responsibilities and that The Dukes of Hazzard on Friday night would be followed by reruns of my also beloved Bewitched – just like it did on Fridays when I was small. “And remembers being small, playing under the table and dreaming.”

Anyway, I’ve also renewed my passion for “I Go Blind” by Hootie and the Blowfish – “In the morning, I get up and I try to feel alive but I can’t, something in me just won’t give me a chance.” Oh Darius, are you really broke enough to sing about the new chicken sandwich at BK? Now I’m doubly depressed –

Amy

That the fire in your heart is out
I’m sure you heard it all before but you never really had a doubt
I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now
And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would like to say to you but I don’t know how
-- Oasis

In the late 60s, during the LSD (Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds) movement, Dr. Timothy Leary instructed the youngsters to turn on, tune in and drop out; meanwhile, the Beatles dropped Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (see aforementioned Lucy note). Anyway, what does all of this have to do with anything? I remember learning in an American Studies class (can’t verify it because I don’t own a Beatles record) that the Fab 4 used the “turn on, tune in and drop out” quote in their album jacket for Sgt. Pepper’s. They encouraged putting headphones on and listening to the album from start to finish. This would cause the album to become an experience, instead of just background music.

My life has a running soundtrack – there’s always a song in my head, on my computer, on my radio, in my cd player, tape player and now permeating from my headphones for my IPod Shuffle.

To be continued...

dabbs

I did not recognize
The fire burning in your eyes
-- Maroon 5

I LOVE M5! I'm so excited they won the Grammy for Best New Artist! Now keep your ears listening to my next favorite picks -- Michael Tolcher, Gavin DeGraw, Jason Mraz, and Joss Stone.

Ames

Your favorite fruit is chocolate covered cherries
And seedless watermelon
Nothing from the ground is good enough
-- Gavin DeGraw

We have all lost touch. I think that I work too hard and dwell too much on things that don’t matter. Life is short, let’s enjoy it while we are here, ok? Right on? RIGHT ON!

Now, here’s what we’re going to do. I’d like for y’all to write up a rant using those lyrics. What (if anything) do they mean to you? Have we lost touch? What does losing touch really mean anyway?

Hit me –

dabbs

I’m talking about peace of mind
I’m going to take my time
I’m getting the good sign
--Tommy James

So what do y’all think about music in commercials? Does it make you a bit sad to hear a classic like “Tempted” in a Halls Fruit Breezers commercial? I’m torn on the topic. Being an ad girl myself, I used to dream up how I would use some of my favorite songs when I was up in New York working for a major agency, with major clients like Coke, Levi’s, etc. But we all know none of that happened. When I was in college we used a song by Crystal Method in our campaign for the Toyota Echo – I remember sitting around discussing how that would work in the real world – how licensing fees, etc. could devour your budget in a heartbeat. And the dangers of building a campaign around a song before you secure the rights to the song. Anyway, I threw out “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz as a possible song for the campaign and that got some buzz, and then our advisor said, “Wait, what about “Are You Gonna Go My Way” instead?” Anyway, we loved it, but, needless to say, we ended up with Crystal Method. I guess we had to be realistic.

I get happy when I see the car commercial with “Draggin’ the Line” in it. I LOVE that song and LOVE Tommy James and the Shondells. Interesting side note – Tommy was a mere 16 years young when he recorded the group’s first song “Hanky Panky.” Anyway, so I think there is definitely value in using popular songs in advertising. You take a risk, though, because what if your target hates, “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer? Then you have dissociated that potential customer from your product (wait, what product was it again? I always flip).

I understand that this use of song in commercials equals some kind of tragedy for some purist. I’m sure hard core Squeeze fans are screaming at their TVs about the boys “selling out” when they see the Halls commercial. I can identify with that – it’s usually only really bothers me, though, when they bastardize a song. Like any commercial that Applebee’s has ever had – “I like steak and chicken, that’s why I like Applebee’s” to the tune of “Bread and Butter.” Or the worst infringement on a great song is the screwing up of The Turtles’ “So Happy Together.” I don’t blame them; I’d sure Applebee’s, too. (Wonder if The Turtles know Clinique is using it to sell Happy perfume… at least they are using the original version.)

I think music in commercials is necessary and sometimes effective, whether or not it pisses me off. I believe that it’s the artist’s choice – maybe the guys in Squeeze need some extra cash. Besides, we love it when we hear great music on television shows and in the movies, so why not in commercials?