"Dr. Pepper: what's the worst that could happen?"

But I have to mention 'possibly the worst radio jingle ever', made famous by Chris Tarrant: probably from the early 70s, but nobody is quite sure:

http://www.paulhomepage.co.uk/images/7ho%5B1%5D.mp3

Mark Mothersbaugh couldn't understand why they chose it, but noted that the lyrics cut off before their ironc intent becomes clear.

I also got put on hold once, to that song, for at least twenty minutes. But that's another story.

And, if you've ever driven the vehicles that use the "Like A Rock" theme, it's very appropriate.

Josh: Really? Looking at the (scant) lyrics, I never would have figured that. I could see it, looking at the lyrics again...

I saw it written and I saw it say
Pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get you all
It's a pink moon
It's a pink, pink, pink, pink, pink moon.

but I'd never figure it out without the artist saying so. I'd be completely unsurprised that the ad agency didn't know.

I thought the Volkswagon Cabriolet commercial was one of the most effective adverts I'd seen in ages. (For those who haven't seen it -- group of four, driving at night in the country, stars all around, while Mr. Drake's hypnotic tune plays. Finally, they arrive at thier destination -- a party. Bright lights, loud music, lots of people. They look at each other -- pull back out of the lot, and keep driving.)

My favorite? For Windows 95, Start Me Up. "You make a grown man cry...."

For those who know, the song is not. (I'll assume you all know, but we'll sum it up inadequately by calling it an anti-Vietnam song) I find it amusing that the people in the commercial are perfect draft fodder (if there was such a thing these days).

Personally, I find commercials are the best thing on TV. Some are very well made. And I love picking apart ones that are poorly thought out, such as the example I spent too much time going over.

"Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays 'Hail to the chief',
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,"

(At least, that's the first verse according to the first site google threw up which properly attributed it to CCR...)

In defense of the band, they don't control the rights to their own songs, and John Fogerty is pretty pissed off about the use of the song.

On the other hand, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull reported awhile back on the j-tull.com website that he's pretty happy with the car commercial that used the flute bits from "Thick As a Brick." They left out all the lyrics on that one, including, of course, "Your sperm's in the gutter, your love's in the sink."

Erik: I wouldn't be surprised if the ad agency didn't know, but more likely they just didn't care. It's going to make for a bit of cognitive dissonance for anyone who does know about the song already, but it's also (and perhaps more importantly) evocative. Same with Nike's use of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony".

The Volkswagen commercials, however, are quite fun. The one I like best is the one that's basically a video for ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky" that pretty much shows this guy with every humdrum day at the office until he realizes the sun is shining outside and it's a nice day.

Then for original jingles there's the Pepperidge Farms goldfish cracker lyrics "The snack that smiles back/Until you bite their heads off." I originally thought it was "and so you bite their heads off," but it is wonderfully perverse either way.

On the other hand, Cingular's use of the soaring synth riffs of Talk Talk's eponymous 80s hit cracks me up, because it's about a man sick of hearing his lover's lies and excuses.

(The article was long enough ago that I don't remember if the primary focus was on the Beach Boys or on music in commercials!)