Familiar Music in Superbowl 2017 Product Ads

YouTube playlist for this article,
playlist compilation article

What an exciting start and finish to this year's Superbowl—New England Patriots over Atlanta Falcons, 34 to 28 in overtime! For me, one song emerges for games with a lot of emotional stake: the Eagles' "Gonna Be a Heartache Tonight".

This article is similar to my previous article about songs in product ads "Familiar Music in Product Ads and Product Jingles that Became Hit Songs". This time, I focus on Sunday's 2017 Superbowl advertisements, skipping discussing jingles that might become song hits. In viewing commercials multiple times, I was intrigued by some subtle, unfamiliar musical notes, and, with some songs, was psychologically transported to different eras.

Some songs have been standards forever—"America the Beautiful" (Coca Cola), "Amazing Grace" (upcoming Logan movie). Some songs are as old as 50 years or as recent as within this decade. My journey in hunting up music that ads used was distractingly enjoyable for trips down memory lane (Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild") as well as discovering songs new to me (Sia's "Move Your Body").

The following list of products and their associated music are in the approximate order that the ads aired during the game. Except for "standards" that I mentioned earlier, secondary links go to original-artist versions of known songs.

Coca Cola

• 2014 / 2017 - Coca Cola - America the Beautiful - Super Bowl Ad / Anuncio Comercial
• John Legend Sings America The Beautiful @ NFL Super Bowl XLIX 2015

Ford

• 2017 Ford Go Further | Ford
• Nina Simone - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (audio)

Google Home

• Google Home | 2017 Super Bowl Commercial
• John Denver - Take Me Home Country Roads.mp

Michelin Tires

• Michelin - I Need You (Big Game Commercial Extended Cut)
• José González - Stay Alive

LifeWTR

• LIFEWTR Premium Bottled Water - ‘Inspiration Drops’ - Super Bowl Commercial
• John Legend - Love Me Now (Live on the Honda Stage at iHeartRadio Theater LA)

GoDaddy

• The Internet Wants You | GoDaddy Big Game Commercial
• Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up

Logan (movie)

• Logan | "Grace" #SB51 Commercial | 20th Century Fox
• The Best of Scottish Pipes & Drums Reflections 10 Amazing Grace

Bai Antioxidant Infusions

• 2017 Big Game Ad - Starring Justin Timberlake & Christopher Walken
• *NSYNC - Bye Bye Bye

Michelob ULTRA

• Super Bowl Commercial 2017: Our Bar | Michelob ULTRA
• Cheers full theme song (from 200th show)

Lexus LC

• 2017 Lexus LC Commercial: “Man and Machine” – Extended Cut
• Sia - Move Your Body (Official Music Video)

Wendy’s

• Wendy’s 2017 Fresh Beef Commercial “Cold Storage”
• Foreigner - Cold As Ice

National Geographic’s Genius Series

• Watch Einstein Play Lady Gaga On the Violin | ‘Genius’ SB51 Commercial With Geoffrey Rush
• Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

Kia Niro

• 2017 Kia Niro | “Hero’s Journey” Starring Melissa McCarthy
• Holding Out for a Hero Bonnie Tyler Footloose
  Footloose clip
• Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out For A Hero

Amazon Echo

• Amazon Alexa Moments: My Girl (Amazon Echo Commercial)
• The Temptations - My Girl (Shindig)

Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster

• Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster Commercial "Easy Driver" – Directed by The Coen Brothers
• Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
  Easy Rider clip
• Steppenwolf - Born to be wild 1969

Nintendo Switch

• Nintendo Switch Super Bowl LI Commercial
• Imagine Dragons - Believer

Familiar Music in Product Ads and Product Jingles that Became Hit Songs

YouTube playlist for this article,
playlist compilation article

Some products have used known songs, and some products' jingles have expanded into song hits. The first category has a lot more instances than the second one. Maybe it's more common to have songs inspire ads than for ad-specific music to morph into recorded music that people want to buy.

The music I cite range from about 50 years to well over 100 years old. If newer music has integrated into products, I probably am less aware. Technology that wasn't available a few decades ago has made it convenient to skip commercials. For Superbowl 51, I'll consider being on the lookout for products with familiar music.

Hmm, I'd like to see the NFL switch from the unwieldy Roman numerals to the more compact Arabic numerals. Think about the Superbowl number two years ago. BTW, if you want to quickly convert a Roman numeral to Arabic or vice versa, visit "Roman Numerals Converter". Enter a numeral, then click Convert It!

Products that Incorporated Known Music

Tropicana Orange Juice

• Tropicana Pure Premium Puts The 'Good' In Morning
• Singing in the Rain - Good Morning !! (Features the late Debbie Reynolds.)

Crispy Critters Cereal

• Original animated CRISPY CRITTERS Cereal Commercial
• The Nutcracker, Act 2 Tableau III: Part III.Divertissement: Trepak (Russian Dance)

Subway Sandwiches

• Subway Commercial 1812 Overture
• Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture (Finale)

Doritos Chips

• Doritos_A_Night_At_The_Opera
• Pavarotti La Donna e Mobile Moscow 1964
• Mussorgsky - Night On Bald Mountain
• Night on Bald Mountain 'A Disney Halloween' (Has reference to Fantasia movie.)

Beef

• Beef Council "It's What's For Dinner"
• Aaron Copland - Hoedown

United Airlines

• United Airlines commercial
• George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue - Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic (1976)

Noxzema Shaving Cream

• Take It Off, Take It All Off - 1967- Noxzema
• David Rose & His Orchestra - The Stripper (1962) HQ

Marlboro Cigarettes

• Marlboro Cigarette Commercial from the 1950s or 1960s, no 1
• The Magnificent Seven Theme • Elmer Bernstein

Product Ad Jingles that Expanded and Became Hit Songs

Benson & Hedges Cigarettes

• BENSON HEDGES DIS ADVANTAGES Copy
• The Brass Ring The Dis Advantages Of You 1967

Alka Seltzer

• Famous Alka-Seltzer "No Matter What Shape" TV Commercial - from 1966!
• T-Bones - No Matter What Shape .....

Crocker Bank

• Classic Commercial - "The Crocker Bank" - 1970
• carpenters -We've Only Just Begun

Coca Cola

• Coca Cola Commercial - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) - 1971
• NEW SEEKERS I'D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING