Et tu, Mr. Earle?
I don’t know quite what to think. In the midst of the MLB All Star Game last night, I hear the bad-ass sounds of Steve Earle permeating the airwaves… IN A CHEVY COMMERCIAL. Yes, “The Revolution Starts Now” has gone from the battlecry of those not entirely please with the current administration to the trumpeting of the new Chevy truck revolution or whatever. I – as I said, not quite sure how to feel here. Sure tons of artists have contributed music to commercials, and who’s to say I wouldn’t for that sweet almighty U.S. dollar? So who am I to really judge? But it just feels weird to think Steve Earle took a song so near and dear to his heart like that, and gave it to Chevy. BUT, by the same token, it is possible to discover cool music through commericals. Like Richard Buckner‘s “Ariel Ramirez”.
Richard Buckner: Ariel Ramirez from Since
2 Comments
Jeffrey Siegel
Call it as you see it, pal! I’m still sick that the Clash (“the only band that matters”) let their tunes be used to sell products!
John
The difference, of course, is that Earle made a stink about the fact that his song was for a cause. Buckner sold the instrumental part of a song that, while it surely means something to him and listeners, isn’t a battle cry in a political war. As I weigh in on my own blog, this is akin to Wrangler using CCR’s “Fortunate Son” to sell jeans.