Top 5 Best and Worst Songs in Commercials
A new Billboard Magazine ranking of the five all-time best and five all-time worst songs used in commericals rated Volkswagen’s 2000 Cabriolet ad featuring Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” #1 on the “best” list for its creative use of memorable, undiscovered music and its connection with the target demographic.
The list of best song-commerical pairings also contained several older songs that were paired with iconic brands and proved to be very effective, Billboard said.
At the other end of the spectrum, judges found Bob Dylan’s “Love Sick” to be incongruously juxtaposed with the Victoria’s Secret brand, especially because Dylan himself appeared in the video.
Regarding the decision to rate Dylan’s work the #1 “worst” song in a commercial: “Someone believed there’s no better way to promote a lingerie brand than having an old dude hanging out in the panty aisle,” Billboard quipped.
The Five Worst Songs in Commercials:
5. AARP: “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” - Buzzcocks
4. Swiffer: “Whip It” - Devo
3. Wendy’s: “Blister in the Sun” - Violent Femmes
2. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: “Lust for Life” - Iggy Pop
1. Victoria’s Secret: “Love Sick” - Bob Dylan
The Five Best Songs in Commercials:
5. McDonald’s: “A Minha Menina”- Os Mutantes
4. Apple: “Jerk It Out” - Caesers
3. Nike: “Revolution”- The Beatles
2. Coca Cola: “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” - The Seekers
1. Volkswagen: “Pink Moon” - Nick Drake
About the rankings: To compile its list, Billboard consulted with a six-person panel of experts in advertising and branding to determine its list of the best five songs in commercials - and five that made viewers reach for the off buttons on their remotes.
Nike/Beatles’ Revolution at #3? You’ve got to be kidding? How can a perverse prostituting of an anti-commercialism song be lauded for its creativity and connection with its audience? For that matter, where is the Pepsi “My Generation” pairing. By Billboard’s standards, it should be on the 5 Best list. By mine, the 5 Worst.