Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
There’s this song out there that I’ve been listening to kind of regularly lately. So I was surprised to hear it in a commercial because… it’s old! What do you think about the song in the new Pandora commercial:
The Song. To be clear, this version of the song “To Love Somebody” isn’t old at all. It’s by sister singers Chloe and Halle Bailey who go by the name Chloe x Halle. But go back a few decades for this version from Michael Bolton in the mid-1990s.
Well guess what? We can go back even further than that. Here’s the original from The Bee Gees in the 1960s.
Lyrics Matter, Though. Chloe and Halle can sing. No question! I remember their performance of “America, The Beautiful” a few years back and it’s beautiful. This Pandora commercial is for Valentine’s Day, which we all know, but I’m really miffed that they’d pick a song of which they’d need to change the lyrics to make it fit the ad. No. Just no. Notice how the lyrics were changed in a key way…
From: “You don’t know what it’s like to love somebody the way I love you.”
To: “You must know what it’s like to love somebody the way I love you.”
Changing one word changes the entire tone of the song and unfortunately, the bleeding heart in the early versions is lost in the new version. It’s replaced by lyrics that just don’t draw out any detectable emotions. Pretty visuals, fine idea, but just needed a different song choice. They aren’t doing justice to a song that evokes so much heartache, hope, and love.
This commercial is kind of like the shredded wheat cereal I ate for breakfast. It’s OK at first but the more I eat it, the less I like it. On the surface, this ad is fine. The message is one most people will agree with. But the more I see it, the worse it gets.
Lots At Stake. The wide receiver missed one pass and you’re going to pin all his life choices on it? Even Travis Kelce misses a pass now and then and he’s elite (but can he do two things at once??). I have serious doubts that vaping is what caused the kid to miss the catch. It’s more likely that he just sucks. OK, that was harsh, but he missed an easy pass. His dad must be the coach… “It’s gotta be the vaping because my kid is an athlete.” No. No sir… your son should not be on the team.
Ring, Ring. The ad reminds me a lot of this Public Service Announcement from “Saved by the Bell.” Anyone remember this serious episode where a movie star is on the Bayside campus to shoot an anti-drug commercial but he turns out to be a drug user? Hollywood, man, full of drugged up actors.
… and now I have SO many “Saved by the Bell” questions but I don’t know if they could ever be answered. Like, how did Slater time travel from the future to be a camera operator in this episode?
Will “There’s no vape in team” be the new “This is your brain on drugs” or “I learned it by watching you” or “There’s no hope with dope”? I can see all of that happening and hopefully in 2050, anyone searching for the first person to write about it will land on this post! Then everyone can say… I learned it by watching (reading) you (my post).
This commercial definitely won’t make you grin. Actually, a better way to say it is that this commercial won’t make you JUST grin. It’ll make you laugh out loud. It’s the Paramount+ Super Bowl commercial! Side note: They’re allowed to use the trademarked name “Super Bowl” because parent company Viacom paid the NFL. If a company isn’t cleared to use it, they come up with other names like “The Big Game” or “Football Championship,” etc. like this Kawasaki Mullet Commercial. I’ve run the play clock all the way down, haven’t I? Here’s the hilariously absurd commercial, then scroll down for more…
The Music. I laughed the loudest not when Creed first started playing in the background, but the shot of them on the mountainside jamming. I just about lost it. Here’s Creed from 1999 with “Higher” (which will be in a future post about my favorite guitar riffs).
The absurdity of the commercial is probably my favorite part. Throwing a child who just so happens to have a football shaped head, the guy from “Reno 911!” and of course Patrick Stewart rudely telling Drew Barrymore to shut her face. I can’t leave out the dig at Tua, too, who apparently isn’t built for the moment (*ahem* NFL playoffs). Other subtle moments: the leather arm band with just one play “Throw the child” and the Reno officer saying “Dang, he’s cool!” To hike the ball, Patrick Stewart says “pip, pip, hike!” Arnold subtly trading his snow cap for a football helmet. Safety first and all that. Another side note: I wonder if #ThrowTheChild will trend on Super Bowl Sunday?
For what it’s worth, here’s the fine print from the ad.
It’s going to be really hard for a Super Bowl commercial to outdo this one. Plus, Creed being part of it… OK, never mind– good luck to all the other companies spending millions. Second place will welcome you… with arms wide open.
In a new ad featuring a side by side (a 4-wheeler that seats two and has a truck-bed-type situation going on in the back), Kawasaki embraces the mullet (hair but like, a long-hair-type situation going on in the back). You’ve heard of “business up front, party in the back” and that’s the idea behind the commercial. Even bald man Steve Austin gets in on the party.
The Song. Playing as the soundtrack for this commercial is a song called “O YA” (pronounced “Oh Yeah,” like do you like peanut butter? “Oh yeah.”) by Colony House. At first listen, I’m getting a mix of Beastie Boy vibes and hints of Family Force Five. Take a listen and let me know your opinion in the comments…
Colony House is a rock band (if you couldn’t tell from “O YA” (which sounds like– Do you love Taylor Swift? “Oh yeah.” -Every Chiefs fan)) from Tennessee and even though you won’t find it in their bio, two of the band members are descendants of a music legend… Steven Curtis Chapman. With their un-SCC style, though, and quite a bit of success, they are clearly their own entity, much like a little brother stepping out of the shadow of his big brother. I love that for them so be a gem by following Colony House on Instagram: @ColonyHouse and checking out a show near you.
Instead of riding them, Bethany Hamilton is making waves again after a video splashed onto the scene from surf company Rip Curl Women. Bethany responded in a Twitter post that reads, “Male-bodied athletes should not be competing in female sports. Period.” This comes 11 months after she said she will not be competing in the World Surf league since they are allowing men to compete in the women’s division.
In a nut (no pun intended) shell, the Rip Curl video was a montage of highlights of a surfer who was a man but is now a woman. In the rip current (see what I did there?) aftermath of the video, Rip Curl stated that they aren’t partnering with this surfer, she (he) is not sponsored by the brand, and basically has no ties whatsoever with Rip Curl. I haven’t seen an anything go backwards that fast since Michael Jackson. Hee hee! (or shee shee if we’re being politically correct)
Gosh, some poeple just love to be offended, don’t they? Did they even catch the part about creating a new division? Yeah, Bethany suggested (and others have, as well) creating a separate category for trans athletes to showcase their passion and skill in the sport they love. I can’t see how that would be a bad thing, except that that group of offended people won’t have anything to argue about. Side rant: Does anyone else get the vibe that this group is using the trans athlete drama to exercise their desire for control? It appears that they want everyone to believe exactly the same things they do and if you don’t, you’re a bigot or a racist or a sexist or a misogynist or a you’re just not enlightened.
The water is gotten a little choppy from Bethany Hamilton’s, and Riley Gaines for that matter, stance on trans inclusion. But it’s much ado about nothing. Just make a new division, problem solved. If this offended group would stop and think about it for a second, I sincerely hope they’d realize that it would be a huge step for trans athletes. Not only can they compete without controversy, but these pioneers of sport (because trans in sports is kind of a new thing) will be heralded in history as trailblazers. In every sport, they’ll be able to say, “(person’s name) is the first trans woman (or man) to win the (sport) championship!” Think about the honor and prestige that comes with that. Hey, it’s better than being born a man or woman and sucking at their sport of choice. They can switch genders and dominate and get all the awards. Isn’t that the end goal, recognition as a real athlete?
Until then, hop over to Missouri where Bethany Hamilton is joining Riley Gaines for a story time at a local library in the Springfield area today, February 2nd. They’ll be reading from their books, both which encourage bravery. Pay no mind to the protesters who plan to be there, who are mostly women. They’re not truly thinking about the best interests of the trans athletes, they just enjoy opposing people who aren’t exactly like them, which is pretty ironic.
All of you living in the Show-Me State, show up and show support for Bethany and Riley! Also, follow them on Instagram… @BethanyHamilton and @RileyGBarker
Out of the Wilderness 