I’d Like to Teach the World to Buy Edition Part 2

Summary

Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia
Episode: I’d Like to Teach the World to Buy Edition Part 2
Host: Chris Melanphy
Release Date: December 27, 2024

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Melanphy delves into the intricate relationship between advertising and music chart success. Building upon the previous installment, Chris explores how strategic licensing of songs in commercials has historically propelled tracks—both classic and contemporary—to the top of the charts. Through detailed storytelling and insightful analysis, the episode underscores the pivotal role that advertisements play in shaping musical trends and artist careers.

Advertising’s Historical Influence: Levi’s Campaigns

[00:50 – 06:15]

Chris begins by examining one of the earliest and most influential ad campaigns: Levi’s jeans advertisements in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These ads were groundbreaking in their strategic use of popular and classic songs to enhance brand appeal.

• Reviving Classics: Levi’s first major success came with a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” in 1986, which climbed to number two on the UK charts. The following year, a rendition of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” reached number one, marking the first time the classic topped the UK charts.

  "The ad sent Cook's original version of Wonderful World back up the UK charts in 1986, where it peaked at number two."
  — Chris Melanphy [02:14]

• Sustained Success: This trend continued with hits like Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker” reaching number one in 1990, and The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” topping the UK charts in 1991. The strategy demonstrated Levi’s ability to breathe new life into older songs, making them relevant for a contemporary audience.

  "Should I Stay or Should I Go? Soon other advertisers hopped on this bring back bandwagon."
  — Chris Melanphy [04:25]

The Apple iPod Silhouette Campaign

[19:05 – 30:31]

Transitioning to the early 2000s, Chris shifts focus to Apple’s iconic iPod silhouette advertisements. Launched in 2001, these ads became a cultural phenomenon, significantly impacting the music industry by introducing and propelling new artists and revitalizing established ones.

• Breaking New Artists: The iPod ads were instrumental in launching the careers of bands like Jet and Gorillaz. For instance, Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” gained substantial traction after being featured in an iPod Shuffle ad, leading to their album Get Born achieving platinum status.

  "Jet's album Get Born had been out for several months before an iPod ad featuring their 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl?' Dropped."
  — Chris Melanphy [22:02]

• Boosting Established Acts: Veteran artists like Bob Dylan also benefited from Apple’s campaigns. Dylan’s Modern Times album became his first number one album in 30 years after being featured in an iPod ad, showcasing how advertisements could rejuvenate seasoned musicians’ careers.

  "Bob Dylan appeared in an iPod ad and was rewarded with his first number one album in 30 years."
  — Chris Melanphy [25:26]

• Silhouette Strategy: The silhouette ads, characterized by shadowy figures against colorful backgrounds, not only highlighted the iPod’s sleek design but also spotlighted the music. Initially featuring well-known acts, the campaign eventually embraced emerging artists, fostering a diverse musical landscape.

  "In these commercials, the Silhouettes were of the band members themselves, with just enough light on their faces so you could see the famous person singing."
  — Chris Melanphy [25:17]

The Transition into the Streaming Era

[30:24 – 37:45]

As the music industry evolved with the advent of streaming, the influence of advertising on chart success continued to adapt. Chris discusses the nuanced shift where licensing songs to advertisements became a mainstream strategy without the stigma of “selling out.”

• Chris Brown and Wrigley’s Stealth Ad: A notable example is Wrigley’s collaboration with Chris Brown in 2008. By embedding the Doublemint gum slogan into his song “Forever,” Brown’s track ascended to number two on the Hot 100, illustrating the seamless integration of advertising and music.

  "Wrigley had commissioned Chris Brown and his production team to write 'Forever' with the gum slogan embedded in the song."
  — Chris Melanfy [35:12]

• Public Backlash and Acceptance: Initially, this move sparked outrage among purists who viewed it as a commercial intrusion into music. However, the song’s popularity eventually overshadowed the controversy, leading to widespread acceptance of such collaborations.

  "The so called boycott didn't amount to much. By August, 'Forever' had climbed all the way to number two on the Hot 100."
  — Chris Melanphy [36:12]

• Modern Collaborations: Today, collaborations between artists and brands like Chevrolet’s “We Are Young” by fun., Jeep's Ex Ambassadors, and Travis Scott with McDonald's exemplify how advertising continues to be a powerful vehicle for musical success. These partnerships often result in chart-topping hits that remain integral to the artists’ legacies.

  "Or rapper Travis Scott, who has never been shy about mixing commerce with his art... the single debuted at number one on the Hot 100."
  — Chris Melanphy [38:00]

Conclusion and Reflections on Advertising and Music

[37:45 – End]

Chris wraps up the episode by reflecting on the enduring symbiosis between advertising and music. He posits that while the methods and platforms have evolved, the fundamental impact remains profound—advertisements continue to shape musical tastes, revive classic tracks, and launch new artists into the mainstream.

• Cultural Impact: The ability of ads to influence music consumption has transitioned from reviving old hits to making them integral parts of popular culture. This trend underscores the evolving dynamics of music marketing in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.

  "Advertising could now turn cult music into popular culture."
  — Chris Melanphy [13:02]

• The Good Song Theory: Ultimately, Chris emphasizes that regardless of their commercial origins, good songs resonate with audiences and leave lasting impressions. Whether born from a classic revival or a modern ad campaign, the quality of the music ensures its enduring legacy.

  "A good song is a good song, like, for example, the bank jingle that songwriter Paul Williams bequeathed to the Carpenters back in 1970."
  — Chris Melanphy [41:57]

Notable Quotes

• Chris Melanphy

  "Levi's kicked off the series with an ad featuring a cover of the Sam Cooke classic 'Wonderful World' playing over footage of a hunky shirtless male model shrinking his Levi's 501 jeans by wearing them in a full bathtub."
  — [02:14]

  "The ads helped Apple sell millions of iPods, but as with Levi's UK ads from a decade earlier, the breakout star of the commercials arguably wasn't the dancing silhouettes or even the shiny iPods. It was the songs."
  — [20:31]

  "Advertising could now turn cult music into popular culture."
  — [13:02]

  "A good song is a good song, like, for example, the bank jingle that songwriter Paul Williams bequeathed to the Carpenters back in 1970."
  — [41:57]

• Kevin Bendis

  "In the spring of 2008, just as Apple was winding down its Silhouette ad campaign, a new Chris Brown single debuted on the Hot 100."
  — [33:36]

Final Thoughts

In I’d Like to Teach the World to Buy Edition Part 2, Chris Melanphy masterfully illustrates the profound impact of advertising on the music industry. By tracing the lineage from Levi’s classic campaigns to Apple’s innovative iPod ads and beyond, the episode highlights how strategic song licensing can ignite chart success and redefine artist trajectories. This exploration not only underscores the commercial power behind hit songs but also celebrates the enduring magic of music in shaping cultural landscapes.

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For more insightful episodes and music history deep dives, subscribe to Hit Parade wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

[Jack]

If you need three new reasons to love Jack wraps at Jack in the Box even more. Here they are. Chicken Fajita, Chicken Caesar and delicious starting at $3. Coincidentally, those are the same three reasons you should come to Jack in the Box right now at Jack. Every bite's a big deal.

[Chris Melanfy]

Welcome back to Hit Parade, a podcast of pop chart history from Slate magazine about the hits from coast to coast. I'm Chris Melanfy, chart analyst, pop critic and writer of Slate's why Is this Song Number One?

[Kevin Bendis]

Series.

[Chris Melanfy]

On our last episode, we talked about the history of advertising and the charts. How certain songs went from jingles to full length radio hits from Coca Cola's I'd like like to Teach the World to Sing to a Bread commercial that led to C.W. mcCall's novelty hit Convoy to Michelob beer ads that generated 80s hits for Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood. We are now approaching the 21st century, and while the media is debating the ethics of rock veterans selling out to Madison Avenue, a jeans company and later a computer company are about to supercharge How Catchy Ads Can Boost Pop Star Careers One of the most interesting experiments in music forward advertising happened on the other side of the Atlantic. Starting in the late 80s, Levi's jeans began producing ads in England that licensed prominent pop songs. At first, the campaign leaned on old rock and R B songs about history.

[Guest Speaker]

Don'T know much biology, don't know much about a science book.

[Chris Melanfy]

Levi's kicked off the series with an ad featuring a cover of the Sam Cooke classic Wonderful World playing over footage of a hunky shirtless male model shrinking his Levi's 501 jeans by wearing them in a full bathtub. The ad sent Cook's original version of Wonderful World back up the UK charts in 1986, where it peaked at number two. One year later, another Levi's Jeans advert featuring Stand By Me sent that Ben E. King classic all the way to number one in the UK for the first time.

[Guest Speaker]

So darling, darling Stand by me ho Stand by Me.

[Chris Melanfy]

This kicked off a half decade of number one bring back hits in the UK spawned by Levi's adverts. British TV viewers actually began looking forward to the ads, which featured cheeky plots and handsome models. In Levi's, a motorcycle riding hunk disrupts an office with his chopper, for example, or a dude in a billiards hall bets an old pool shark he can win a game or one of them has to remove his pants. And the classic songs featured in the ads routinely scaled the UK charts. Among the oldies that topped the official British chart for the first time thanks to Levi's were the Steve Miller bands The Joker, a 1973 recording that went to number one UK in 1990.

[Guest Speaker]

I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight joker I sure don't want to hurt no one.

[Chris Melanfy]

And Should I Stay or Should I Go? A 1982 track by the Clash that topped the UK chart in 1991. So you got to let me know Should I stay or should I go? Soon other advertisers hopped on this bring back bandwagon. In 1989, a Miller Lite beer ad sent the Hollies 1969 single He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother to number one in England for the first time.

[Guest Speaker]

He ain't heavy, he's my brother so on we go.

[Chris Melanfy]

And a 1993 ad for the Volkswagen Golf licensed the Bluebell's 1984 version of Young at Heart, sending that song to number one. Gradually, the licensed songs were moving closer to the present day. Eventually, the Levi's ad campaign started licensing songs by contemporary artists and still having the same chart success. In 1994, the Denim Company licensed a grunge song by the largely unknown band Stiltskin, called Inside. The Scottish group had never had a hit, but the Levi's ad sent inside to number one in the UK in May of 94.

[Guest Speaker]

I hear your face start to call and if you think that I've been losing my way that's because I'm scared.

[Chris Melanfy]

Stiltskin had trouble capitalizing on their success, never coming close to the top of the charts again. But a year later, dancehall artist Orville Burrell, better known to the world as Shaggy, solidified his career thanks to a Levi's advert. Shaggy licensed his regified pop song Boombastic for a comical animated Levi's ad in which a claymation hunk saves a woman from a burning building. Through the power of his genes, she call me Mr. Boombastic, put me on my box. Boombastic not only topped the charts around the world in countries that broadcast the Levi's ad, it established Shaggy as a regular hit maker. He even even started scoring hits in America. The decade long Levi's campaign showed not only that advertisements were a powerful means for reviving songs, they could redefine an artist in the public imagination. In America in the 90s, advertisers were just starting to pick up on the idea of reviving golden oldies. One of the most celebrated commercials of the Decade appeared in 1998 advertising a line of khakis for retail chain the Gap. Picking up on the swing dancing revival that had been growing as a pop Fad since the 1996 movie Swingers, the ad featured a troupe of young dancers in khakis dancing athletically with leaping and high kicking steps. The eye catching ad used a then new camera technique to freeze the dancers in midair and pivot around them. This was a full year before the movie the Matrix would make Bullet Time famous. And most alluringly, the dancers were swinging to a classic jump blues song from Louis Prim called Jump Jive and Wail. Prima's jam had never charted in its original incarnation, but the 98 Gap ad had an unusual chart effect, a cultural bank shot that benefited an artist who had nothing to do with either the ad or the original song. Brian setzer, formerly of 80s rockabilly band the Stray Cats, we're gonna rock this.

[Guest Speaker]

Town rock it inside out we're gonna rock this town make em scream at you.

[Chris Melanfy]

Had switched to swing music in the 90s, just ahead of the swing fad. Talk about right place, right time. His 1998 album, credited to the Brian Setzer Orchestra, called the Dirty Boogie, released just weeks after the Gap ad dropped, included a cover of Jump, Jive and Wail. By the fall of 98, the CD broke into the top 10 and went double platinum. And the Setzer Orchestra's rocking and swinging version of the Louis Prima song reached the top 30 on Billboard's Hot 100 airplay chart. The Setzer cover and the Gap ad were mutually commercially benefiting each other.

[Guest Speaker]

Baby, baby looks like it's gonna help you better come inside let me teach you how to jiving well oh you.

[Chris Melanfy]

Gotta jump jar when but perhaps the most potent TV commercial at the turn of the millennium from a musical standpoint came in 1999, when German carmaker Volkswagen revived a truly obscure British folk pop artist from the early 70s. Really, the word revive doesn't even capture it to most listeners. This artist might as well have been new, and he'd been gone for over a quarter century.

[Guest Speaker]

I could have been a sailor could have been a cook A real life lover could have been a book by.

[Chris Melanfy]

The time Nick Drake died in 1974 at age 26 from an overdose of antidepressants, he regarded his career as a failure. None of his albums he recorded, only three in his brief lifetime had charted anywhere either in America or in his native England. Painfully shy, Drake had a pathological fear of performing live, and he suffered from crippling depression. But he was a unique guitarist with a jazzy, long fingered playing style and a sterling songwriter whose hushed, rustic music anticipated later waves of indie rock. The exquisitely beautiful LPs Nick Drake produced between 1969 and 1972 were treasured by a devoted cult audience, most especially his final album, 1972's stark, melancholy Pink Moon.

[Guest Speaker]

Day Finger Moon Is on His Way.

[Chris Melanfy]

Among the cult of Nick Drake fans was a team of young creative directors at a Boston ad agency. In the late 1990s, they drafted a treatment for an ad for their client Volkswagen for the car makers Cabriolet Convertible. The ad took place at night and depicted a group of friends riding in the car with the top down after dark, wordlessly gazing at the stars. This was unusual. Convertible car ads typically took place in bright sunshine. When they originally conceived of the dreamy moonlit ad, the Boston team pictured it being soundtracked by Australian band the Church's 1988 top 30 hit under the Milky Way. Hence they titled the VW ad Milky Way. But under the Milky Way had already been a hit. The Boston team was aiming the ad at a millennial audience, buying their first car and discovering their own music. So they landed instead on the title track of Nick Drake's Pink Moon lp. The Drake family had never approved the use of Nick's music in an ad before, but Nick's sister Gabrielle Drake, was charmed by the Milky Way ad's quiet atmosphere of hushed wonder. When the commercial debuted on TV in the closing weeks of 1999, thousands of Americans suddenly discovered Nick Drake. According to critic Amanda Petrusich, who wrote a book for the 33 and a third Drake's Pink Moon album, sales of Drake's LP grew by nearly 500% in the weeks immediately after the ads debuted. By the end of the year 2000, Pink Moon was selling more than 70,000 copies a year, a staggering sum for a previously cult level artist. Eventually, when the LP was reissued on vinyl in 2013, Pink Moon finally made a Billboard chart, peaking at number seven on the vinyl albums chart. In a retrospective 2016 Boston Globe article on the creation of the Milky Way admiration, a member of the advertising team says the choice of Nick Drake, quote, helped to shift television commercials into an era of tastemaking through advertising. The trend of spending millions on Michael Jackson songs began taking a backseat to commercials featuring lesser known artists. Unquote. In other words, advertising could now turn cult music into popular culture. We'll be back momentarily. Here's a little tip for all the music fans out there. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard right, 99%. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back, which means you could earn rewards for those almost front row seats, rideshares to the venue, even that concert merch you've had your eye on since it dropped. If all of that sounds like music to your ears, remember, it pays to Discover based on the February 2024 Nielsen report. Learn more at discover.com credit card this.

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[Chris Melanfy]

In 2001, the next phase of music marketing took hold when app launched its ipod music player. The must have gadget of the aughts.

[Guest Speaker]

Ipod a thousand songs in your pocket.

[Chris Melanfy]

It is difficult to overstate what a cultural watershed this palm sized click wheel music player was. The ipod converted Apple, which was making a comeback under returned CEO Steve Jobs from a computer company to an all around electronics and lifestyle company. It introduced mobile technologies that later in the decade would blossom in the even more transformative iPhone. And it branded Apple as the nexus of cool that was most visible during the aughts in the series of TV commercials Apple produced for the ipod the iconic silhouette ad campaign Buy it, Use.

[Jack]

It, Break it, Fix it, Trash it, Change it, mail, Upgrade it, Charge it, Point it, Zoom it, Press it, Snap it, Work it, quickly, raise it.

[Chris Melanfy]

The ads featured shadowy figures against primary colored backgrounds jamming to their favorite tunes with contrasting bright white ipods in their hands and white wired earbuds in their ears, and each commercial was built around a different single song. The ads helped Apple sell millions of ipods, but as with Levi's UK ads from a decade earlier, the breakout star of the commercials arguably wasn't the dancing silhouettes or even the shiny ipods. It was the songs. In the early days of the ipod campaign, many of the ads featured songs by relatively well known musical acts like Daft Punk or Nerd Pharrell Williams Rock band Side Project but the real indicator of the impact the ads were having was how they broke baby bands, acts that had never had an American chart hit before.

[Guest Speaker]

Watch Me Go.

[Chris Melanfy]

Caesars, for example, a Swedish rock foursome, scored their first and only top 40 alternative radio chart hit in 2005 after their song Jerk it out was featured in an ipod shuffle ad. An even more remarkable example was the Australian rock band Jet.

[Jack]

1, 2, 3, take my hand and come with me because you look so fine that I really, I really wanna make you mine let's so fine that I really wanna make you mine.

[Chris Melanfy]

Jet's album Get Born had been out for several months before an iPod ad featuring their Are youe Gonna Be My Girl? Dropped. That's when the song crossed over to the Hot 100. At a time when few rock bands were breaking on pop radio, both the song and the album cracked the top 30 and get born went platinum, rode the album chart for nearly two years, and spun off two more hits. Apple's showcase of Jet had broken the band in America. Gorillaz Blur frontman Damon Albarn's pop hip hop side project was also boosted by an Apple ad. The quirky group had never cracked the American top 40 before. Gorillaz song Feel Good Inc. Was used in an especially memorable ipod ad featuring roller skating silhouettes that boosted the track with vocals by veteran rappers De La Soul into the top 40, where it reached number 14. Eventually, the silhouette ads began embracing veteran acts alongside the newbies, a sure sign of the campaign's cultural penetration. In these commercials, the Silhouettes were of the band members themselves, with just enough light on their faces so you could see the famous person singing. As we discussed a couple of months ago in our U2 edition of Hit Parade, after the stalwart Irish rockers licensed their single vertigo for an iPod ad, the band saw its biggest sales week ever. The how to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb album opened to a staggering 800 album in sales. Two years later, even more remarkably, no less a figure than Bob Dylan appeared in an iPod ad.

[Guest Speaker]

Someday baby, you ain't gonna work for me anymore.

[Chris Melanfy]

And the folk rock legend was rewarded with his first number one album in 30 years. Dylan's 2006 disc Modern Times rolled 192,000 in sales in its debut, his best sales week ever, and became Dylan's first album to reach the chart throne since his desire LP in 1976. Longtime Dylan fan Steve Jobs was reportedly very happy at having helped his hero.

[Guest Speaker]

Someday Baby, you ain't gonna work for me anymore.

[Chris Melanfy]

When I was young two years later, an Apple ad delivered a number one on the Hot 100 Songs chart. For the first time, Coldplay were not exactly hurting on the charts. By 2008, their previous album, X and Y, had gone to number one and sold 3 million copies in the U.S. but Coldplay had never scored an American number one single. That changed after Viva La Vida, a single available exclusively for download at Apple's iTunes, sold a quarter million downloads and climbed all the way to the top of the Hot 100. By the time of Coldplay's victory, Apple's prowess on the charts was no longer dependent on the Silhouette campaign. Apple could basically advertise anything prominently, feature a song in the ad, and see it fly up the charts. In 2007, indie pop singer Feist saw her career utterly rebooted when Apple featured her folky diddy 1234 in an ad for the ipod Nano. A product ad showing off the Nano's new video feature played Feist's chipper music video on the tiny screen. Indie acts like Feist normally went nowhere on the Hot 100, but the week after the iPod Nano AV launch launched 1, 2, 3 4, shot into the pop top 40, then vaulted into the top 10, driven mostly by download sales at iTunes. Feist's hit peaked at number eight. A few months later, in an even quirkier move, Apple launched its ultralight MacBook Air laptop line with an ad that featured Israeli singer Yael Naim's stark piano ballad New Soul. The indie pop Feist had at least had some meager prior Billboard chart history. Naim recorded for a French label and had never touched the American charts before. But the anointing by Apple caused New Soul to debut on the Hot 100 all the way up at number nine, an instant top 10 hit spurred entirely by Steve Jobs minions. The impact of Apple's song showcasing ads finally started to wane toward the end of the aughts. A 2008 iPod silhouette ad featuring British rock duo the Tingtings only got their song Shut up and Let Me Go as high as number 55 on the Hot 134 on the Alternative rock chart.

[Progressive Insurance Ad]

It'S me the odds to be moving on your nuts and dirt I want something unignoble I ain't squeaking, I ain't.

[Chris Melanfy]

Faking but no ad campaign had ever made more hits on the US Charts than Apple's had, from grizzled veterans to young indie acts and total unknowns. And that was before most Americans even owned a smartphone. We'll be right back. This episode is brought to you by Defender for those who embrace the impossible, the Defender 110 is ready for the adventure. This vehicle has been reimagined with modern design for a new generation of Explorers. With a striking exterior that boasts compelling proportions and precise detailing, the Defender 110 masterfully combines style with capability. The Defender is built with a durable, lightweight monocoque architecture to provide extra strength for your next great adventure. And its tough, rigid body design exudes confidence. So when you're behind the wheel, you will too. Engineered to meet challenges head on and test to the extreme, the Defender empowers you to explore with confidence and embrace the impossible, whether you're off road or on. Ready for a wide range of adventures. The Defender family also features the two door Defender 90, the Defender 110 and the Defender 130, which seats up to eight. A vehicle made to go further, the Defender 100. Learn more at LandRoverUSA.com Defender this podcast is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies, the process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

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[Kevin Bendis]

In the spring of 2008, just as Apple was winding down its Silhouette ad campaign, a new Chris Brown single debuted on the Hot 100. It was called Forever, and it sounded like a quintessential Chris Brown R B inflected dance pop song. Because Brown was at the peak of his hit making popularity. This, by the way, was a year before he pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend, Rihanna. The song began scaling the Hot 100 as Forever blanketed the radio. Fans couldn't help but notice that the chorus of the song included an oddly familiar line from the world of advertising. It was an illusion to a slogan the Wrigley company had coined decades before for their flagship gum brand, Doublemint. Wrigley had used this tagline in doublemint ads as far back as the 1960s.

[Guest Speaker]

Double your pleasure, double your fun with double good, double good, double mint gum.

[Kevin Bendis]

By mid July, the Chris Brown song had reached number four on the Hot 100. That's when the Wrigley Company made an announcement that stunned the media and pop fans. The song was an ad. Wrigley had commissioned Chris Brown and his production team to write Forever with the gum slogan embedded in the song, and they planned to start airing a shorter version. In a series of TV adverts, Wrigley and Brown had infiltrated the charts with a stealth commercial. The blogosphere was outraged. A Gawker headline headline screamed, quote, boycott Wrigley if you ever want to hear real music again, unquote. One betrayed writer who blogged about the media industry wrote, quote, I'd join the boycotters myself if I were a Wrigley gum consumer in the first place. You can bet I don't plan on becoming one anytime soon. For now, I'll just avoid a song I once really, really liked, unquote. The so called boycott didn't amount to much. By August, Forever had climbed all the way to number two on the Hot 100, becoming one of Chris Brown's biggest hits.

[Chris Melanfy]

One year later, a YouTube video went.

[Kevin Bendis]

Viral of a wedding party performing an intricately choreographed dance up the aisle to Chris Brown's Forever. The viral video became such a popular meme a few months later, the dance up the aisle to Forever was lovingly recreated on the Jim and Pam wedding episode of NBC's hit sitcom the Office.

[Progressive Insurance Ad]

I know you specifically put this song on your do not playlist. Yes, I did. I'm sorry.

[Chris Melanfy]

Go ahead.

[Slate Podcast Host]

I think it's your turn. Wait, what happened?

[Progressive Insurance Ad]

You okay with this?

[Slate Podcast Host]

Yeah, I'm okay.

[Progressive Insurance Ad]

Okay then.

[Chris Melanfy]

Did you see this?

[Progressive Insurance Ad]

It was on YouTube. Saw it.

[Kevin Bendis]

In short, any lingering bad taste from the song's commercial origins, to say nothing of Chris Brown's tarnished reputation by 2009 had been wiped away like we've only just begun or any number of other jingles turned hits Forever was now enjoyed uncynically as a love song and a meme. This seems to be the fate of any song popularized by advertising, especially as the streaming era has made profiting from recordings ever more challenging. Fewer artists seem to view licensing a song to an advertisement as selling out, whether it's the Grammy winning band fun, led by Nate Roos and Jack Antonoff, whose 2012 breakthrough hit We Are Young was made famous by a Chevrolet ad that aired prominently during that year's Super Bowl. Just weeks after the ad debuted, We Are young topped the hot 100. Or the alt rock band Ex Ambassadors, whose Renegades was licensed for a commercial for the Jeep Renegade suv. The vehicle and the song name were supposedly coincidental. In 2015, the advertising sync made Renegades the New York foursome's biggest hit, number 17 on the Hot 100 and number one on the Alternative rock chart. Or rapper Travis Scott, who has never been shy about mixing commerce with his art. In 2020, he partnered with McDonald's for a promotion by creating his own limited time Travis Scott meal combo. With a wink. He then titled his next single franchise A Team up with fellow rappers Young Thug and MIA. The single debuted at number one on the Hot 100 that fall. In all cases, these hits have gone down in chart history as highlights of the respective artists catalog, unsullied by their affiliation with Madison Avenue Avenue. Mind you, there remains some stigma against mixing commerce into the art. Not since The Chris Brown Wrigley's gambit of 2008 has a stealth ad jingle scaled the charts with quite that level of subterfuge. That taint is probably a good thing, but as long as there have been hits, certain songs have started out selling products before they sold themselves. A good song is a good song, like, for example, the bank jingle that songwriter Paul Williams bequeathed to the carpenters back in 1970 we've only just begun. Paul Williams still performs this song in concert and talks about how it changed his life. Here he is a decade ago at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. That song has improved a lot of lives since 1970, even if some of those folks first discovered it during a station break.

[Guest Speaker]

And before the rising sun we fly.

[Chris Melanfy]

I hope you enjoyed this episode of Hit Parade. Our show was written, edited and narrated by Chris Melanfy. That's me. My producer is Kevin Bendis. Kevin also produced the latest instrument installment of our monthly Hit Parade, the Bridge shows, which are available exclusively to Slate plus members. In our latest Bridge episode, we've rounded up a special panel of music critics Carl Wilson, Ann Powers, Julianne Escobedo shepherd and me to talk about the year in Music after a poptastic 2024. To sign up for Slate plus and hear not only the Bridge but all our shows the day they drop, visit slate.com hitparadeplus Derek John is executive producer of Narrative Podcasts and we had help from Joel Meyer. Alicia Montgomery is VP of Audio for Slate Podcasts. Check out their roster of [e-mail] podcasts. You can subscribe to Hit Parade wherever you get your podcasts, in addition to finding it in the Slate Culture your feed. If you're subscribing on Apple Podcasts, please rate and review us while you're there. It helps other listeners find the show. Thanks for listening and I look forward to leading the Hit Parade back your way. Until then, happy holidays and keep on marching on the one. I'm Chris Melanfi.

[Guest Speaker]

Yes, we love the Only Just Begun.

[Slate Podcast Host]

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[Carvel]

Hi, it's Carvel from Slate's how to Podcast. Are you ready for a fresh start? In 2025, to celebrate the new year, Slate is offering an extended free trial of Slate plus exclusively on Apple Podcasts. As a Slate plus member, you'll get ad free listening on every Slate show. Solve life's toughest problems on how to get advice you actually want to follow on Dear Prudence. Keep your pulse on the zeitgeist with culture gabfest and navigate the big questions of life with death, sex, and money all uninterrupted. Plus, starting this month, how to is releasing bi weekly bonus episodes exclusively for Slate plus members. That means more advice, more experts, and more stories to help you tackle life's challenges head on. Don't miss out. Try Slate plus for free now on Apple Podcasts or visit slate.com howtoplus to get access wherever you listen.