A short while ago I was flipping around the channels and came across a segment on the CBS Morning Show about affordable and "green-friendly" interior design, where the designer mostly suggested replacing most of the appliances and the flooring and the counters, etc. This struck me as an ambitious suggestion given the present state of the economy, but hey, what do I know?
Well, what I do know is this: The music playing softly under the segment. It was the guitar riff from the Smiths' "Headmaster Ritual" (looped). That is a very good arpeggio riff, so I'm not surprised it was co-opted for this purpose, but knowing what the song is about (cruelty in schools), it did take my attention away from what spending a bunch of money on energy-efficient appliances (which, apparently, includes flat-screen TVs).
Eh, the song does feature the line "I want to go home" so I suppose one could apply that to the topic of redesigning one's home. At least, as long as one overlooks lines like the opener: "Belligerent ghouls run Manchester schools," and the one I've quoted for the title of this post.
Ignorance continues to be blissful, and undoubtedly is what manufacturers of products that consumers may no longer be able to afford are counting on.
Hey, people are supposed to groove on the catchy tune, not pay attention to the lyrics. Even if the words said "Blow up the government and eat the rich," the ad men would overlook that just to get a catchy jingle.
ReplyDeleteCase in point: "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. An ad company for Preparation H wanted to use it in its commercials. "Burn, burn, burn..." But apparently that plan was dropped after the death threats came in.
What I like is hippie, anti-corporate bands who have no problem letting letting a corporation use one of its catchy songs for a commercial. Remember Jefferson Starship? One of their songs ranted on about big corporations hiding in the background, controlling everything. ("Show yourselves... AT&T...") But its song about "We built this city on rock and roll" ended up being used in a major phone company TV ad.
Ray