Qrtr. pounders w/cheese "fill up my senses "!

In a part of a TV interview GL did after he recovered he was asked about whether he had been approached or would allow his songs to be used for commercials. He was basically unkeen on the idea. Why is this relevant?
Well here in Australia at the moment, McDonalds are using John Denver's voice singing one of his classics - "Annies Song" from the original release - you know the one - "you fill up my senses like a night in the forest ..." etc . And for what ? To sell bloody "quarter pounders with cheese" ! I pray this never happens to Gord's artistry. Personally I doubt Mr Denver would have been impressed himself.
The whole thing leaves a taste in my mouth not dissimilar to the pickles that we all studiously pick out of McDonalds hamburgers and throw away.

In a part of a TV interview GL did after he recovered he was asked about whether he had been approached or would allow his songs to be used for commercials. He was basically unkeen on the idea. Why is this relevant?
Well here in Australia at the moment, McDonalds are using John Denver's voice singing one of his classics - "Annies Song" from the original release - you know the one - "you fill up my senses like a night in the forest ..." etc . And for what ? To sell bloody "quarter pounders with cheese" ! I pray this never happens to Gord's artistry. Personally I doubt Mr Denver would have been impressed himself.
The whole thing leaves a taste in my mouth not dissimilar to the pickles that we all studiously pick out of McDonalds hamburgers and throw away.

[charlene]

hip hop and rap are on board for McDonalds in the U.S. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wab...hiphopads.html

[charlene]

hip hop and rap are on board for McDonalds in the U.S. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wab...hiphopads.html

[TheWatchman]

Not long after Johnny Cash died, I remember reading an article. A manufacturer of hemorrhoid creme announced that they were going to use Johnny and June's song "Ring Of Fire" in one of their upcoming commercials. The family was very angry and needless to say, that song will not be associated with hemorroids! Thank God.

I don't think Gord's works of art would help sell greasy meat patties. I haven't eaten that crap since September 6, 1999, the last time I got food poisoning from that crap.

[BILLW]

This is a practice that I suppose should bother me, but I just can't get worked up about. Remember when (if you're not too young)music videos first starting taking off. So many people said that it was wrong to do, because it wasn't right to dictate the images a song creates in our "mind's eye". That music videos were some sort of arbitrary way that we should interpret the song. I always thought it was just one way of seeing the message a particular song was conveying. I guess, for me, using a song for a commercial is similiar. Just like anything else, it can be done well or poorly. I thought using Carly Simon's "Anticipation" for Heinz ketchup was pretty clever. The Beatles' "Revolution" was used for some computer company, maybe Apple, was quite stylish and well done. As we baby boomers age, we carry many of these songs with us and hearing one particular song associated with a product just does not get me riled up. The "Ring of Fire" example is indeed going too far and getting into poor taste, but remember, an artist or his/her estate make the decisions as to how their songs are treated. Exceptions exist such as Michael Jackson owning much of the Beatles catalog. So, for example,if Robert Mondavi vineyards came up with a quality wine and decided to call it "Sundown" and Gord thought it was a quality product and gave a nod to use his song of the same name as part of the commercial, it wouldn't make me think less of Gord or that great classic song. Of couse with his past experience, Gord may not want to endorse a wine.
By the way, to me McDonald's pickles taste the same as store-bought ones!

[Rob1956]

This is a practice that I suppose should bother me, but I just can't get worked up about. Remember when (if you're not too young)music videos first starting taking off. So many people said that it was wrong to do, because it wasn't right to dictate the images a song creates in our "mind's eye". That music videos were some sort of arbitrary way that we should interpret the song. I always thought it was just one way of seeing the message a particular song was conveying. I guess, for me, using a song for a commercial is similiar. Just like anything else, it can be done well or poorly. I thought using Carly Simon's "Anticipation" for Heinz ketchup was pretty clever. The Beatles' "Revolution" was used for some computer company, maybe Apple, was quite stylish and well done. As we baby boomers age, we carry many of these songs with us and hearing one particular song associated with a product just does not get me riled up. The "Ring of Fire" example is indeed going too far and getting into poor taste, but remember, an artist or his/her estate make the decisions as to how their songs are treated. Exceptions exist such as Michael Jackson owning much of the Beatles catalog. So, for example,if Robert Mondavi vineyards came up with a quality wine and decided to call it "Sundown" and Gord thought it was a quality product and gave a nod to use his song of the same name as part of the commercial, it wouldn't make me think less of Gord or that great classic song. Of couse with his past experience, Gord may not want to endorse a wine.
By the way, to me McDonald's pickles taste the same as store-bought ones!

[Auburn Annie]

"Anticipation" was ruined for me - now I can never hear the song without thinking of ketchup (Heinz) or the old PPM "Lemon Tree" without thinking of Lemon Pledge furniture polish. On the other hand, Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" ad for the phone company was a great use of a song. The sound fit the message perfectly.

I also don't enjoy "sampling" key hooks or bars of well-known songs and inserting them here and there within other bits and calling the result a song.

[Auburn Annie]

"Anticipation" was ruined for me - now I can never hear the song without thinking of ketchup (Heinz) or the old PPM "Lemon Tree" without thinking of Lemon Pledge furniture polish. On the other hand, Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" ad for the phone company was a great use of a song. The sound fit the message perfectly.

I also don't enjoy "sampling" key hooks or bars of well-known songs and inserting them here and there within other bits and calling the result a song.