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The Sky Sports ad that has a version of the Knife’s “Heartbeats” by some lowlife called Jose Gonzalez. There should be a law against this sort of thing.
KFC using Disturbed's 'Down with the sickness'. although it's quite apt for the abortion of produce they call 'food'.
I prefer Jose's version although The Knife's video is better.
Mercedes Benz using the song of the same name by Janis Joplin to sell their cars. The irony......
https://open.spotify.com/track/7kggdH9oLFN1RVpYuBYGKK?si=9792498cc1bf4a05
my favourite version of heatbeats!
a version of the Knife’s “Heartbeats” by some lowlife called Jose Gonzalez
Was a big hit a few years back, wasn't it?
It does nothing for me, but I respect it as a cover version - changing the song to the cover artist's style. Most covers are abominations to my ears.
Must admit I heard the Gonzalez version first: When I heard the Knife’s version I thought, “my god they’ve butchered that one.
dp
The gonzalez version is used as the tennis ball thing is a direct rip off of a Sony advert that used said song accompanying a bunch of balls bouncing down a road.
And I quite like it
I heard Gonzalez’ version first, and really enjoyed it, which led to me tracking down The Knife’s version, which I also liked, because the versions are so distinct from each other.
It does nothing for me, but I respect it as a cover version – changing the song to the cover artist’s style. Most covers are abominations to my ears.
Hmmm, I do wonder how many songs that you know, that are in fact covers, but you just don’t know the original? Thing is, there are many artists who do appreciate covers, and have recorded albums of covers of others songs. Elvis Costello being one, with ‘All This Useless Beauty’ - what makes it just a bit different is the songs are all written by him, for other artists, who recorded them first; he then recorded them making them covers. Great album, too.
A great example is Johnny Cash’s version of ‘Hurt’ which is a masterful piece of work, that led to the writer saying “that’s no longer my song”.
Would you lay with me by David Allan Coe was covered by Johnny Cash. The song being a direct rip off of If I needed you by Townes Van Zandt. It has the same melody and lyrical structure.
I mean, there's so many these days.
Usually adverts. John Lewis is I think a particularly prominent example.
Take some great song from the past, full of character, energy and individualism.
Get it sung by a melting magnolia female vocalist, slowed down until it's barely ticking over, dripping with bland, devoid of anything that stands out, and there you have it.
Actually, the series Traitors is good for this I've noticed. Lots of great songs made unbearably magnolia.
Tina Turner covered Massive Attack’s Unfinished Sympathy. Possibly the worst thing ever recorded.
The Scissor Sisters version of Comfortably Numb should have seen all of them fired into the sun for crimes against music
Oh Binners, you had to go there didn't you? I'm now obliged to post this. I know it's been done dozens of times but no matter how bleak the world is, for some reason this lightens it. If nothing else, for the comments that prove that every rule has an exception - in this case you should go below the line.
My thoughts exactly kayak. Absolute dross.
The Scissor Sisters version of Comfortably Numb should have seen all of them fired into the sun for crimes against music
I actually love both versions, possibly favouring the Sisters.
Thing is, there are many artists who do appreciate covers, and have recorded albums of covers of others songs. Elvis Costello being one, with ‘All This Useless Beauty’
Laibach's cover of the whole Beatles' 'Let it Be' album. Not sure many of those covers will turn up on a John Lewis Christmas advert though. (Across the Universe would fit the bill though)
theotherjonv- that was a new level of bad. I made it to the guitar solo at which point “funny” became “painful”.
Take some great song from the past, full of character, energy and individualism.
Get it sung by a melting magnolia female vocalist, slowed down until it’s barely ticking over, dripping with bland, devoid of anything that stands out, and there you have it.
Actually, the series Traitors is good for this I’ve noticed. Lots of great songs made unbearably magnolia.
It'll be a licensing thing - there's multiple rights, costs and permissions tied up in a 'song' - the actual notes and words are one piece of IP, the perfomrance by the persons playing / singing is another. For a piece of film / TV / advertising you've both got to negotiate that usage with all the rights holders, but keep renegotiating. TV shows will get shown and reshown across different channels and streaming services over time and if they've got too much 'rights' baggage attached to them they become unmanageable and unmarketable. Just the publishing rights - the words and the notes on their own - is easier to deal with and you can pay the vanilla performer on a one-off basis and save all sorts of bother in future.
In an age where it feels like all media past and present is at our finger tips in fact a lot of stuff has vanished. There are certain Films and TV series that have vanished from the schedules and menus becuase bits of soundtrack are too problematic or expensive to license.
A friend of my partners made a feature length documentary about UK musician from the 80s / early 90s. Poured years of his life into making it - can no longer be screened or distributed anywhere - the cost of the licensing is extraordinary and like a lot of recording artists the musican doesnt own the rights to his own recordings. He has to pay to perform his own music if he gigs.
Three are really interesting example of that happening in reverse. Pepe Deluxe wangled that magical career-boost of getting a track featured on a Levi's ad. Their 'song' featured two key samples - one being of Nina Simone. But they had a rights agreement to use it - cool - job done.
Except - the rights agreement only pertained to using it in the advert. Turns out it didn't cover them releasing it for sale. So the advert version of the song is a mix of samples, the released single is a medley of cover versions.
Coldplay.
Nothing specific.
Hmmm, I do wonder how many songs that you know, that are in fact covers, but you just don’t know the original?
I wouldn't think about it too much tbh
The Scissor Sisters version of Comfortably Numb should have seen all of them fired into the sun for crimes against music
I actually love both versions, possibly favouring the Sisters.
I am a massive Pink Floyd fan but I have to agree – the Scissor Sisters version is also very good.
Coldplay.
Nothing specific.
I was expecting this thread to be 100% Coldplay…
Now there is a band that peaked very early – I really liked 'Yellow' but every single thing they have put out since has been progressively worse.
There are so many!
Anything by pink. Nothing specific.
Totally fake, unconvincing attitude, specifically created to rinse angsty teenage girls' pocket money.
Utterly awful.
Oh and +1 on Rex the Dog being the best version of heartbeats, though the original is also great.
That whole Rex the Dog album is superb actually.
Anything by pink. Nothing specific.
Totally fake, unconvincing attitude, specifically created to rinse angsty teenage girls’ pocket money.
Utterly awful.
I don't think her target audience is teenage girls - I doubt my two nearly 15 yr olds have even heard of her. And I quite like some of her stuff (in my 50s) and am hoping she gets a Glastonbury slot.
KFC using Disturbed’s ‘Down with the sickness’.
They were down with the 'sickness' before though. Lovely bit of music - unfortunately they released this ad in March 2020 - then almost immediately pulled it - I was going to post it in the early pages of the the corona virus thread but it was deleted from YouTube pretty much as I was cutting and pasting the URL. Lavish cinematography of people sticking their fingers in their mouths was suddenly really, really bad PR 🙂
There are so many!
That is a fact. I'm still disturbed by the time I was at a party and they'd put on Re W*ms "Swing" album. Holy crap, how he had the gall to put his whiney, tuneless vocals to those songs gawd only knows. Raked in the money for the little pissant though eh. Yeuch.
bits of soundtrack are too problematic or expensive to license.
I met a fella who owned the licencing rights to a couple of disco tunes (lots of Amii Stewarts output for those who remember, including Knock on Wood, which itself is a cover) and at the time I met him, was negotiating for that song to be used in a film, I think either opening or closing credits, can't remember and the bidding had started at £250K, of course neither Amii or Eddie Floyd (who wrote the song) were going to see a penny of that.
I quite like some of her stuff (in my 50s) and am hoping she gets a Glastonbury slot.
Each to their own....I suppose....
🤨
Johnv - I wasn't sure whether to play that video again or report you.
These guys deserve praise for seeing the song through. The shared looks were gold. [gritted teeth] "we are so shit."
Johnv – I wasn’t sure whether to play that video again or report you.
There's a brilliant comment on the YouTube site: "If this band ain't playing my funeral I ain't dyin' "
Anything by Drake
In fact any exponent of half arsed slow beat mumble rap about girls/clubs/crystal
Whoever mashed up Prodigy’s Smack my b***h up Enya’s Orinoco Flow should have their fingers cut off.
Too many to mention - but 100% of Disturbed’s output.
I heard the Gonzalez version first. Have always liked it -
I won't link any videos in case anyone accidentally presses play, but can I remind you the Cocteau Twins put out a Christmas EP with Frostie the Snowman and Winter Wonderland!
Anything by Drake
What? Even his house album?
TIL that Sony advert song was a cover of The Knife.
Original waaaaaay better IMO, but I do love their musical aesthetic. Really liked that album and the first Crystal Castles. Similar electro-goth thing.
Back to the question at hand. I'm still boggled that this actually exists:
Back to the question at hand. I’m still boggled that this actually exists:
OH MY GOD
Before opening the thread and realising this was related to adverts, my immediate thought was this perennial "favourite".
I’m still boggled that this actually exists:
In my world that whole album is just a figment of someone else's sick imagination. Otherwise I'd sit in a corner shaking 24/7.
See also Mark Ronson covering Radiohe.. I can't finish that sentence.