I’m a big fan of the Ramones, and I cannot help but notice that while their music is commonly used in ads these days, it’s almost always one song: “Blitzkrieg Bop”, and nothing else. I’ve seen one ad where: “California Sun” was used (a song that was written by Henry Glover that the Ramones played as a cover), but that’s the only other song I can think of played by the Ramones I’ve seen in a TV spot. Maybe there should be more of their songs in ads, perhaps with plays on their lyrics to send a specific message relating to the product or service being advertised?
Here’s a possible reworking of the Ramones song: “We’re a Happy Family”, with the lyrics altered to reflect the current and common issue of everyone using their cell phones constantly, even when eating meals together at home. (My teenage niece says she sometimes has to confiscate her parents’ iPhones at the breakfast table or during dinner.)
Sitting all alone,
Playing with our phones,
Reading lots & lotsa tweets,
Life is really, really sweet.
We got no real friends,
Just messages to send,
No parties to attend,
Nowhere we’ve been.
While this song is playing, we’d see a family of four: mother, father, son and daughter, and they’re sitting at the dinner table, and rather than having conversations or visiting with each other, they’re all on their smartphones just looking at messages or watching videos or playing video games, etc. And then the announcer says maybe we should consider putting down our smartphones and actually living in the real world and going on a trip somewhere.
Here is the Ramones’ song: “We’re a Happy Family” I am referring to here:
