Using Music In Commercials
I think the rationale is that it's easier to "brand" the product if the song is already associated with a time, place, era, etc... Repetition, would then, in theory, associate presumably pleasant memories of the song with the product, ultimately creating a good feeling about the product. I don't think it matters if we remember what song was used for what product. I think the song is merely a conduit to the emotions.
Creating a jingle is probably more difficult. In the long run, however, it seems like if the jingles are effective, they remain attached to the products for years. Consider the Oscar Meyer jingle for instance.
Personally, I don't like the practice of using well known songs to sell a product. There isn't an ethical argument to be made. I just don't like it. The writers and performers enter into the business of selling music. It's a business. I think part of the rub for some of us is that there is a type of "myth-making" that goes on in rock music that gives us the sense that certain music or songs are sacrosanct. Of course, the "myth" aspect usually impacts us as teenagers. Years later, when "Bargain" shows up in a television commercial, the juxtaposition can be either jarring or deflating for those Who fans that really lived and died by Townshend, the Who, the supposed meaning of that song, etc...
The music business is a business that does it's best to not appear to be a business, as if somehow all those records were made for the sake of art alone. When we're kids, we see all those little words at the bottom of our records and cds, but they don't mean anything to us. Our focus is on the graphics and music. But those little words are the reason all of it exists at all. When the myth meets commerce it can hurt. There isn't a Santa Clause either. |
Dhani Harrison is George Harrison's 30 year old son. He seems to be getting his music career started. It's staggering to think how much George has already done by the age of 30. That's beside the point though. Dhani looks a lot like George, and sounds a lot like him as well. I'd say he is at least as similar to his father as Julian Lennon was/is to his father. When Dhani overdubs his vocals the mix sounds just like George's vocal mix. I'm not sure what Dhani is going for exactly. I hear a lot of George (of course) and other 90s britpop influences. I like what I hear, but I don't want to like his music because of who he is. I suppose, if I like it then I like it though. 
Ever since Neil Young put out "Chrome Dreams II" I have resisted removing "Ordinary People" from the running order. This was purely out of principle. "Ordinary People" is one of Neil's best songs. It was a legendary unreleased song since 1988 when he first played it live. Initially, everyone heralded the release of "Ordinary People". The problem was that Neil chose to use a recording from 1988. It sounded out of place on "Chrome Dreams II". Plus, it's 18 minutes long. Eventually I realized that I wasn't listening to "Chrome Dreams II" because of "Ordinary People". I couldn't skip it out of principle. So I would have to listen to all eighteen minutes before getting to the rest of the album. That proved to be a reason to choose to listen to something else. Well, I finally decided that I would move "Ordinary People" to the end of 1989's "Freedom" which is where it belonged in the first place. Lo and behold, "Chrome Dreams II" is now an entirely different album, and much better. I'm sure Neil had his reasons for putting it where he did, but I think the only way to listen to "Chrome Dreams II" is without "Ordinary People". What an irony.