Posted on 04/15/2003 4:46:52 PM PDT by mikeb704
Eva Narcissus Boyd was buried in North Carolina earlier this week. The name may not be familiar, but her music certainly is.
Under the name "Little Eva," she recorded "The Locomotion." The song was a giant hit in 1962.
Forty years is a very long time, even if Baby Boomers recall the era as though it were last week. I thought of Little Eva a few of months ago while driving. Her hit was playing on the radio and I wondered how many times I’d heard it over the decades. Surely hundreds of times. Maybe even thousands.
I began conjecturing if "The Locomotion" will still be listened to in yet another 40 years. Given how pervasive 60s music is today, I think there’s a possibility of that happening.
It’s not just on oldies stations. Turn on the TV and chances are you’ll hear 60s music in commercials.
Donovan, the Sunshine Superman, sings "Colours" in a Kohl’s commercial. A Gap ad uses his "Mellow Yellow." The same company features another commercial with The Troggs’ "Love Is All Around." What, you thought "Wild Thing" was their only groovy ditty?
Admittedly, some of the music in TV ads emanated from one hit wonders. Flowers.com runs a spot with "Concrete and Clay," a 1965 hit for the legendary Unit Four + Two. GMC’s Yukon included "Our Day Will Come." The first song released by Ruby and the Romantics, it was also the only one for which the group is remembered. Old Navy used "California Sun," a hit by the Rivieras. The band made the Golden State sound like heaven, which was quite an accomplishment for some Indiana boys who’d never personally been out there a’havin’ fun in that warm California sun.
It’s surprising to me that, given their sheer number and popularity, more Beatles tunes aren’t incorporated in advertising. Possibly it’s because of legal impediments. Michael Jackson has owned the rights to over 200 Beatles songs. Of course, Michael is always busy with either not getting plastic surgery or being named in multimillion-dollar lawsuits, so perhaps he just hasn’t had the time necessary to exploit his ownership.
Another consideration is that some Boomers consider Beatles music sacrosanct. These folks feel disgust with what’s perceived as tawdry commercialization of their heroes’ works. They must have not paid much attention when the group cranked out barkers like "Dig A Pony" just to fill up an album.
The mid-80s marked the first use of a Beatles song in an ad. Lincoln-Mercury had a sound-alike group singing "Help." A couple of years later, Nike featured "Revolution" performed by the Beatles and the company credited it with increased sales. Apple Records sued Nike, but until the case was settled kept employing it.
In the late 90s, Nortel Networks licensed "Come Together" for a new marketing campaign. H&R Block latched on to "Taxman" for commercials last year. Around the same time, an Allstate Insurance ad included "When I’m 64." Julian Lennon performed the tune, which added a nice touch of irony I thought.
Car companies especially look back to the golden age of rock. Steppenwolf does a heavily mixed version of "Magic Carpet Ride" for Dodge Viper. "Unchained Melody" was a 60s hit for the Righteous Brothers and Mercedes Benz incorporated it in a commercial last year. The Kinks’ "You Really Got Me" has been used in other ads for Mercedes Benz.
A song I’ve heard in several commercials is the great "Time Has Come Today" by the Chambers Brothers. It’s pitched beer, cars, and even an investment company.
One advertisement highlights "It’s A Beautiful Morning," a hit for the Young Rascals. The product being sold is Vioxx, an arthritis pill purchased by many Boomers, possibly even the not so young anymore Rascals.
When most of my generation finally leave this vale of tears – if they ever do – maybe then the 60s music will fade away. But what will take its place? The Insane Clown Posse, Eminem, Twisted Sister?
You know, The Locomotion keeps getting better with age.
What really scares me though is the thought classic rap will last forever.
But only 7 worth listening to. (I don't like In Through the Out Door). I saw Zep only once, in 1977 at the L.A. Forum on the Presence tour, and it still burns in my memory --- an amazing show.
Zep is excellent, I can never tire of their music.
Take 200 micrograms of acid and then read Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception and you'll find out immediately ;)
Given that they're shilling for Cadillac nowadays, I think you can make the case that advertisers are using music that they know strikes a chord with their target markets, rather than because it's necessarily timeless music - the folks who grew up with Zep are, let's face it, in their prime Cadillac-buying years.
We'll see how it goes in fifteen or twenty years, when Zep is shilling for Rascal-brand electric wheelchairs, or Depends, or whatever. Better yet, we'll see how it goes in 40 years, when all the people who fondly remember Zeppelin concerts are dead and gone - will their great-grandchildren still be listening to and enjoying Zeppelin? By way of analogy, how many of you boomers are big fans of Bix Biederbecke and Benny Goodman?
Thanks I'll get right on that!!
Tell me about it. In the mid-80's I thought rap would be a 3 to 4 year fad, at most. Unfortunately, it looks like it's here to stay.
The first classic I remember hearing on a commercial was Walk on the Wild Side, for a motorcycle, I think. Loved it then, love it now.
I think they were originally called the New Yardbirds. Now the Yardbirds - what a rave up.
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