OK... I understand. You get older and the music of your youth becomes the soundtrack of commercials. I'm old enough now to have accepted this as a fact of life. However, it's ESPECIALLY annoying when they take a great song and some mundane jingle singer and butcher the song. No real attempt to hide that they're using the song... they obviously had to pay for the rights to use it... but I guess only wanted to pay for part of the rights so they ditched Cy Curnin's incredible vocals for Mr. Mundane.
I hate the Toyota commercial so much I have to turn down the volume or change the channel on the TV whenever it comes on. "Saved By Zero" by The Fixx (released in 1983) is supposed to bring back great memories of the end of high school and the start of college for me. Cruising around in my 1969 Ford Falcon Futura (soon to be traded for a 1967 Ford Mustang) with the stereo system that was worth more than the car blasting this song from the "Reach The Beach" album (of course played on cassette in the car back then). Windows down, not a care in the world, listening to Cy's sharp, clear cut voice belt out the meaningless lyrics of this now new wave classic. That's the memory this song is supposed to bring back. And it would, if the commercial used the original song. I might have actually LIKED the commercial. And I might have actually considered their "offer" of zero per cent financing on a new Toyota. But not with Mr. Mundane singing the flaccid jingle version.
Sorry Toyota, you missed the boat this time.
For those of you who would like to relive your own memory of "Saved By Zero" by The Fixx, click below. Me, I'm behind the wheel of my '69 Falcon on the way to my part-time job at Sears after finishing up college classes for the day... or maybe I blew 'em off to hang out with my friends... does it really matter as long as the music was blasting away and the road in front of me was clear?
The Fixx - Saved By Zero
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
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