Unexpected music appearing on TV

Post by **runcible** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:22 am

I remember the surprise of hearing Spiritualized's 'If I Were With Her Now' in a Toffee Crisp advert many years ago. I also recall Luna's 'California (All The Way)' used to advertise American Express a while back. An inspired use of the closing section of The Black Crowes ' Descending' against a dusk scene of kangaroos milling about on a wildlife programme was effective. Clinic had 'The Second Line' in a Levi's ad too.

Last night I heard, to my amazement, Clinic's fantastic Velvets-orientated 'D.P.' in a Weetabix advert. Blimey - Clinic again? What gives?

I'm sure there are plenty of other strange appearances for beloved tunes on telly. Anyone?

Laz69 · Post by **Laz69** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:27 am

Heard Mazzy Star being used recently advertising some new TV show and frequently hear Mogwai in one shap or form too.

I think this is something The Heads should try to exploit

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:49 pm

Clinic's "IPC Sub-editors Dictate Our Youth" is used on an ad for Coors Light here in Ireland.

Post by **runcible** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:12 pm

What is it with Clinic? A band you can't even look up the lyrics for, yet they are advert muzak junkies!

I've heard Spiritualized elsewhere - a wildlife doc I think - but I can't quite remember where.

redcloud · Post by **redcloud** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 2:14 pm

In a different thread I've already mentioned Brian Jonestown Massacre's 'Got My Eye On You' showing up on a Target commercial and The Black Angels 'Young Men Dead' the background for the Washington state lottery.

But, there is currently a Chrysler ad, which I am almost 100% certain is using The Pretty Things tune 'Street Girl'. Every time it comes on I strain my ear (the voiceover is loud) and the more I hear it the more I am convinced it is it, or at the very least, it's the same riff. This is very odd not just because it is a random, obscure choice of song for a major corporation (it's from their rare 'Electric Banana' releases) but it's also a song about a prostitute.

niamhm · Post by **niamhm** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:46 pm

Death In Vegas-Your Acid ,My Loft ,noticed it being used on an advert for ladies hair dye products a couple of times this past week or so,

jadams501 · Post by **jadams501** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 6:42 pm

I used to work for a commercial radio station that often played some pretty bad music, but most of us employees had far more refined tastes than the Nickelback and Fall Out Boy we had to play on air. We jumped at any chance we had to play or utilize the stuff we actually liked. Sometimes that meant sneaking in unauthorized "deep cuts" at night, and more often we would use obscure gems as the background in commercials or PSAs. Spiritualized and Radiohead b-sides got a lot of play, as well as some classic library music from the 60s.

nickh · Post by **nickh** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 11:02 am

The Seedâ€™s Canâ€™t Seem to Make You Mine was used in an for Lynx (deodorant/shower gel/shaving foam)

Dreamweapon · Post by **Dreamweapon** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:26 pm

Spotted this today - made me smile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIwIdzTedts

Dreamweapon · Post by **Dreamweapon** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:28 pm

Can't find it yet but there was another Cadbury's advert for Chocolate Digestives with Edwin Hawkins Singers doing Oh Happy Day!!

Post by **runcible** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:40 pm

Just saw the new Bond movie this evening. Great fun and well thought out I must - highly recommended if you like that sort of thing.

Anyway, there was a Ford ad at the beginning accompanied by, to my amazement, Hawkwind's 'Master of the Universe' - the original version. It worked rather well and the ad was quite good. I guess Mr. Brock needs a few extra pennies now that he's... fuck, he's 71! Topping up his pension? My God rock 'n' roll is 'an old man's game'...

(Lemmy is a mere 66 by comparison - bit of a pipsqueak)

Laz69 · Post by **Laz69** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:12 pm

Same ad is showing on tv too Runci... i also stopped mis sentence when i heard the start of it! Instantly recognisable!

angelsighs · Post by **angelsighs** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:51 am

went to the cinema last night- trailer for the new Tom Cruise film was soundtracked by none other than the Black Angels 'Young Men Dead'

Post by **runcible** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:30 pm

angelsighs wrote:went to the cinema last night- trailer for the new Tom Cruise film was soundtracked by none other than the Black Angels 'Young Men Dead'

Is that 'Jack Reacher'? I am a huge fan of Lee Child's books but, like many, regard this as the most inept and ridiculous piece of miscasting in cinema history. Plus Cruise can't act to save his life.

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:13 pm

runcible wrote:Plus Cruise can't act to save his life.

I'm in no way a Tom Cruise fan, and was further alienated by his relationship with the delightful Katie Holmes, who's noteworthy portrayal of Joey Potter in 'Dawson's Creek' kept alive my teenage sensibilities after I was far too old to be the target audience for that show.

As for Tom Cruise himself, he played a key character in Aaron Sorkin's brilliant film adaptation of 'A Few Good Men', and played it well. In addition he made a seminal appearance in Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Magnolia' where he may have played more true to type, but nevertheless was an integral part of the ensemble cast that contributed to that film's cinematographic magnificence.

While he may embody the essence of Hollywood-Scientology type arseholes, I do not agree with the blanket statement that he can't act.

Post by **runcible** » Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:30 pm

mojo filters wrote:While he may embody the essence of Hollywood-Scientology type arseholes, I do not agree with the blanket statement that he can't act.

Sorry - he was vaguely acceptable in Risky Business actually so I take it back.

In everything else I've seen him in he's been absolutely shocking to the point of embarrassment. I didn't even mention his personality - which is a far bigger subject than his lack of acting ability - so I think I've done rather well in my detailed critique of his career.

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:12 am

runcible wrote:
mojo filters wrote:While he may embody the essence of Hollywood-Scientology type arseholes, I do not agree with the blanket statement that he can't act.
Sorry - he was vaguely acceptable in Risky Business actually so I take it back.

In everything else I've seen him in he's been absolutely shocking to the point of embarrassment. I didn't even mention his personality - which is a far bigger subject than his lack of acting ability - so I think I've done rather well in my detailed critique of his career.

I concede I've not seen him in many films - I'm not really a fan of 'blockbusters' or mainstream Hollywood in general. Off the top of my head I can only recall seeing him in 'Top Gun' and the 'Mission Impossible' series (apart from the aforementioned). Films where I did not per se find him objectionable, so much as I disliked the movies themselves.

However he is an actor by profession, and I feel obtuse blanket statements such as that which you made, do not accurately reflect my experience of some of Tom Cruise's big screen performances (as outlined above).

Unlike, for example, Ronald Reagan, he has not run for public office, nor put himself forward as a representative of any cause or organisation, Scientology excepted (a 'faith' embraced by many Hollywood names from Kirstie Alley to John Travolta). Thus he has not presented himself as answerable for anything other than his performances as an actor.

Whatever shit he gets up to in his spare time, surely it is secondary to his primary role (and that which made him famous), and thus is by nature of secondary importance. Furthermore it is not strictly relevant to your supposed 'critique'.

Post by **runcible** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 6:27 pm

You are of course entitled to your opinion, as am I, but I thought Top Gun was not only rubbish but he was hilariously camp in it to the point where I started to feel the film was actually a comedy.

Take the film where everyone said he'd arrived as a mature actor and delivered an amazing performance - Born On The Fourth Of July. I thought he was hopeless in that. The scenes with him punching the air from his wheel chair in protest were cringeworthy for the wooden performance by the guy.

But you know what? I saw Risky Business in the cinema when it came out (yup - I am that old) and thought it very enjoyable. Probably wouldn't now but I did then. My partner at the time wanted to see Top Gun on release and so I went along thinking I would enjoy it, but I sat there in amazement at how bad it was. Easily one of the poorest films I have ever seen, made poorer by TC's angst-ridden expressions and attempts at masculinity.

What TC 'gets up to in his spare time' has no influence on my opinion of his acting - I haven't even referred to it.

Blanket statements are easy to make if you particularly find something or someone rubbish. Ask me about Primal Scream or the Manic Street Preachers. But ask others about bands I like - Green Pajamas took a pasting from some here, Bardo Pond got absolutely slated a few years ago... Does it bother me? No. Opinions opinions...

burningwheel · Post by **burningwheel** » Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:48 pm

top gun is a good cheesy watch

walking_civil_war · Post by **walking_civil_war** » Sat Dec 08, 2012 1:29 pm

I was at a cinema last week and the trailer for Life of Pi came on, the start of which is backed by SÃ¦glÃ³pur my favourite Sigur RÃ³s track. It was a pleasant surprise, which was more than I can say for the track played during the second half of the trailer; the ubiquitous Coldplay song, "Paradise". Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Danny Rabbit · Post by **Danny Rabbit** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:48 am

We get some very stereotypically weird stuff on TV here in Japan, there's an advert for an energy drink that uses the Great Escape theme tune, another advert for what I think is an insurance company uses Derek and the Domino's Layla(piano exit) the same music that was famously used on the end of Goodfellas.
Right now every shopping arcade is playing various strange versions of the usual Christmas classics. For some reason today my local arcade was also playing a rather jaunty version of The Red Flag, I got a little bit homesick for the Tooting Popular Front!

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:42 pm

Danny Rabbit wrote:<snip>
an insurance company uses Derek and the Domino's Layla(piano exit) the same music that was famously used on the end of Goodfellas.
<snip>

Good call! Even before Scorsese used it to brilliant effect in the scene where the wig bloke and wife are shown dead in the car, it was my favourite part of that song ... the well known guitar-driven first part having become so overly-familiar to the point of being a hackneyed musical reference point

Laz69 · Post by **Laz69** » Wed Feb 13, 2013 10:18 am

Heard Tame Impala's "Elephant" playing last night on, i think, a Blackberry advert...

Nice little earner i'd imagine...

nickh · Post by **nickh** » Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:04 pm

I heard Hey Jane in the background of the Queen Vic on Eastenders last week

Dreamweapon · Post by **Dreamweapon** » Fri Feb 22, 2013 8:06 pm

Foals - Inhaler was playing in The Woolpack on Emmerdale last night!

Post by **runcible** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 12:56 pm

I'm sure I heard The Aliens 'Bobby's Song' in the background of a link on BBC1 today.

jack white · Post by **jack white** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:12 pm

Cat Powers Cherokee was on that BBC show Waterloo Road during the week past.

(ftr i want it noted i don't watch waterloo road. shamefully my parents do & was round there house the other night & heard it. really. honestly.)

Dreamweapon · Post by **Dreamweapon** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:19 pm

Finally got around to watching the Top Gear Africa Special - nice snippet of My Bloody Valentine - Soon in it!

Post by **runcible** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:58 am

New Order's 'Dreams Never End' appeared in the background of The One Show the other night. Quite an odd choice although one of my favourite NO songs.

Shinesalight · Post by **Shinesalight** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:46 am

runcible wrote:New Order's 'Dreams Never End' appeared in the background of The One Show the other night. Quite an odd choice although one of my favourite NO songs.

Love that song and its always surprised me that Hooky didn't take vocal duties on more of their stuff. Still, he's fuelling his lead man fantasies with his new project now I guess.

nickh · Post by **nickh** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:13 am

That horrible Soon remix was on Top Gear last week.

PopeJez · Post by **PopeJez** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 6:39 am

Lord Let It Rain was used by the BBC for the start of its (rain delayed) Formula 1 qualifying coverage this morning...

clewsr · Post by **clewsr** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 2:11 pm

Just heard You know its True on a trailer on radio 4. For a comedy program about boredom with Tim Key, so it had lots of yawns in the background.

Dreamweapon · Post by **Dreamweapon** » Wed Apr 02, 2014 9:28 pm

runcible wrote:I also recall Luna's 'California (All The Way)' used to advertise American Express a while back.

Found this on youtube this evening!

James T · Post by **James T** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 5:12 pm

Seems Luna did another AMEX ad too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQltp3AbhgI

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Sat Feb 14, 2015 4:38 pm

Klaus Johann Grobe on Football Focus today.

semisynthetic · Post by **semisynthetic** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 3:42 am

Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" on the Weather Channel while we freeze over (most) of North America.
I liked the Irony!

Post by **runcible** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:39 pm

Blimey...

Hookworms Radio Tokyo appearing as the lead intro music on Hollyoaks tonight. Even Mrs. Runcible spotted it.

Very unexpected!

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:58 pm

Runcible!

I dunno what's worse, Hookworms selling their souls to Hollyoaks - or you admitting on a public forum you watch that sheer awfulness...

Post by **runcible** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:14 am

Ha ha! Hollyoaks is deranged! Never ceases to amaze me the story lines they stick in - hilarious!

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 1:20 pm

runcible wrote:Blimey...

Hookworms Radio Tokyo appearing as the lead intro music on Hollyoaks tonight. Even Mrs. Runcible spotted it.

Very unexpected!

I've heard odd bits of Hookworms on TV a few times since the new album was announced. I expect they're quite pleased as sync rights can be very lucrative. In an age where record sales alone rarely provide a reasonable income for artists, I don't think it's fair or justified to characterize licensing music to commercial interests where there is otherwise no artistic synergy as selling out - even something as awful as Hollyoaks!

Post by **BzaInSpace** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:54 pm

Yeah yeah yeah....

There are other ways to earn a living through musical enterprise than whoring yourself out to fucking Hollyoaks though.

That kind of "synergy" is all messed up: or rather metaphysically fallacious through an absence of principled righteousness...

And shit.

Post by **runcible** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:10 pm

Hollyoaks is one of the funniest programmes I have ever seen. We love it for the totally insane way they drastically change people's characters, memories, relationships. Call it a guilty pleasure.... We've all got 'em!

olan · Post by **olan** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:44 pm

runcible wrote:Hollyoaks is one of the funniest programmes I have ever seen. We love it for the totally insane way they drastically change people's characters, memories, relationships. Call it a guilty pleasure.... We've all got 'em!

So Hollyoaks is 2015's guilty pleasure

after 2014's Cliff Richard gig experience.....

Post by **runcible** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 6:11 pm

olan wrote:So Hollyoaks is 2015's guilty pleasure after 2014's Cliff Richard gig experience.....

Oh, no. Hollyoaks dates back a lot longer than this year...

olan · Post by **olan** » Thu Feb 26, 2015 6:35 pm

runcible wrote:
olan wrote:So Hollyoaks is 2015's guilty pleasure after 2014's Cliff Richard gig experience.....
Oh, no. Hollyoaks dates back a lot longer than this year...

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Fri Feb 27, 2015 3:42 am

Anyone else spot I'm a Cookoo on Charlie Brooker tonight?

Dreamweapon · Post by **Dreamweapon** » Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:35 am

Beck - Sexx Laws for the Reanault Twingo ad in the UK.

Reminded me of The Fall having Touch Sensitive to advertise Vauxhall.

semisynthetic · Post by **semisynthetic** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:00 am

The 1969 Comedy film "Don't Drink the Water" was playing on a movie Channel, and the voice singing the "title track" seemed so familiar; but so happy.....it turned out to be Jake Holmes! which was a real surprise; I am still trying to think of another genuinely happy Jake Holmes track.

I have been collecting and enjoying his music for decades, and Today I learn something new. From 1969.

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 7:38 pm

Forget to post that a fairly sizable and loud portion of B&S's "The Party Line" was playing in the café in Eastenders either last week or the week before.

Have to admit I was really enjoying the album recording of that track when it popped up so prominently and unexpectedly - a lot more than I previously have when playing the new album!

Post by **runcible** » Sun Jun 14, 2015 11:54 am

I was watching a documentary on the history of British wrestling - which I always remember hogging the TV on a Saturday afternoon in the 70s - when Fire's Father's Name Is Dad' appeared. Not what I was expecting although the soundtrack was actually pretty good for most of the programme. I love that song!

Post by **MODLAB** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 11:46 am

The closing scene and tittles of The Rack Pack on BBC. Spiritualized: Soul On Fire.

I found it quite suitable for someone that was once a great snooker player but had serious pain inside. So many looked up to The Hurricane.

clewsr · Post by **clewsr** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 9:27 am

I rarely watch any TV these days, so imagine my suprise when I flicked over to Newsnight on Monday. The presenter was visting somewhere in Scotland talking to people about Europe and ther music playing gently in the background was Spacemen's Three's Walking with Jesus!

Even more impressive was that if I'm not very much mistaken it might have been a version from Forged Prescriptions! Someone on their team has good taste.

From about twenty minutes in if you are keen -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... t-13062016

Post by **runcible** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:09 am

WTF? Bizarre!

Post by **MODLAB** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:26 am

The Last Days of Legal Highs: Spiritualized — Drive (Instrumental)

green-field · Post by **green-field** » Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:03 pm

There was this local tv show once upon a time about making your home better. Nothing too serious like "Extreme Makeover", more of a small budget/good ideas/changing room design thing. Anyway, each time they would go shopping or showing the before/after differences, they would play this:

I also remember one episode (also shown only in my country, local thing), I think it was of a serious nature, telling stories about social problems and stuff like that and then this was played:

So, yeah, I was surprised both times, but that happens. Some good stuff is played. Rarely, but it sure does happen. Probably depends from people who are working there and suggesting music for background.

semisynthetic · Post by **semisynthetic** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:14 pm

When a religion channels "old movies on late" went off air due to a satellite problem, Syd Barrett's "Word Song" must have kept the audience confused for the couple or three minutes it took to get the film back on.

semisynthetic · Post by **semisynthetic** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:26 pm

During some commercial where water and soap are flooding out of a washing machine, I was very pleased to hear at least a piece of Black Randy's "At the Laundrymat (That's Where it at - in Kingston)".
I didn't even see who was selling what!

Do you ever see commercials where you really are not sure just what they ARE trying to sell?

Spiby · Post by **Spiby** » Fri Mar 02, 2018 2:44 pm

Ok, so it's radio rather than TV, but good to hear "Feel Like Goin' Home" being used for the Radio 4 trail of "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" this morning. Interestingly the first episode is "Hexagonal Phase". I wonder if there was some unconscious link to "Pure Pase" going on there.

This track was used for years at the end of some R2 programme every day - was it Steve Wright in the afternoon?

P

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Fri Jul 06, 2018 11:15 pm

Just watched "Love Means Zero", a documentary about the tennis coach Nick Bollettieri. It featured Broken Heart and Good Times (Pure Phase version).

KevW · Post by **KevW** » Thu Aug 23, 2018 1:17 am

Surely this has to be one of the biggest surprises, although I'm not actually sure it works! https://youtu.be/tjVdLSPE7qo

KevW · Post by **KevW** » Thu Aug 23, 2018 1:43 am

KevW wrote: ↑Thu Aug 23, 2018 1:17 am Surely this has to be one of the biggest surprises, although I'm not actually sure it works! https://youtu.be/tjVdLSPE7qo

OK, just found there was a thread about this a while ago, so apologies for the repetition, but I'll leave it here in case anyone missed it the first time around.

heisenberg · Post by **heisenberg** » Sat Dec 15, 2018 12:46 pm

Spiritualized's music appeared on a Cliff Richard documentary (!!) on ITV this week. Instrumental from Out of Sight was used. An instrumental of Richard Ashcroft's song Break the Night with Colour was also used too.

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Sat Dec 15, 2018 6:45 pm

heisenberg wrote: ↑Sat Dec 15, 2018 12:46 pm Spiritualized's music appeared on a Cliff Richard documentary (!!) on ITV this week.

So Runci's in the tv game these days.

nghst · Post by **nghst** » Thu Jul 04, 2019 12:21 am

Just heard Come Together at the end of Season 5 Episode 1 of Luther.

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Mon Aug 12, 2019 8:25 pm

Electricity on 'Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow', BBC4.