Man, Morgan Freeman’s voice. It can lend dignity to anything! Anything but the Smashing Pumpkins, who have none, and are not interested in getting any back. Still when I first heard this Visa commercial during American Idol a few nights ago (I was just flipping through, promise kids), I had the momentarily shocked face. But by the time I saw it again, on 30 Rock last night, it sort of made sense. Because lately he’s been acting like the songs of his past no longer mean anything to him, and it matches with the terms and conditions he laid out for selling out back in 2004:
Via Newsweek:
[Being offered to commercialize a song is] a fundamentally difficult position to be in. At this point, it’s just free money. Song’s already been played. It’s been exploited. The record company’s literally begging me: go ahead and take these commercials. At this point in my life, I don’t feel comfortable. Those songs are the reason I’m alive. If your music is not sacred to the point where it’s a really, really, really heavy decision about whether or not you would allow somebody else to exploit it, then what’s not for sale?
And on “Today” in particular:
I’m not romantic about the notion of “selling out.” People who are not in your position deciding what is and isn’t selling out I always thought was a crock of s—. The song I wrote, “Today,” which ended up being a pretty big song–that song literally saved my life. I was completely suicidal, and I wrote that song in a cold bedroom on a day where it was like, “I’m either going to kill myself today, or I’m going to live because I’m sick of thinking about this.” When I played it, it was an intense, extreme feeling. Last year, I was offered heavy, heavy money to license that song. I actually turned down two huge, huge, seven-figure-plus deals last year for two songs.
It is no longer an intense and heavy feeling, I guess. Here’s Billy’s Visa commercial:
Previously in Smashing Pumpkins commercials. While Billy’s cashing checks, Iha’s performing cred rehabilitation. That dude drives Corgan out of his mind.
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Saw it …fail…it’s a game of inches you dweebs! Pul out a fucking Eno card!!!
I wish I could tell you that Andy fought the good fight, and the Sisters let him be. I wish I could tell you that – but prison is no fairy-tale world. He never said who did it, but we all knew.
Is allowing a company to use your song in a commercial really selling out? Remember the New Pornographer’s “The Bleeding Heart Show” that was used (hundreds of times) in that University of Phoenix commercial? Last time I checked, they haven’t hired Timbaland to produce their next record.
fucking sellout, but it was a decent commercial
as commercials go
Well, it’s better than their Hyundai commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. I know, that’s not saying much…
Well that sucks.
nature kids, they don’t have no function
Does anybody really care about anything billy corgan does anymore? I mean, call me when they make Siamese Dream II, but otherwise, everything the guy does is like he’s in a contest against himself for World’s Biggest Douche. And he’s winning.
preach it moose – you fucking know it
“I was completely suicidal, and I wrote that song in a cold bedroom on a day where it was like, ‘I’m either going to kill myself today, or I’m going to live because I’m sick of thinking about this.”
How unique you guys!!
Your link to Cred Rehabilitation has an extra quotation mark at the end, FYI.
Is there a new guitar part there to cover up some of the song edits?
@Anonymoose
That’s just it. If Billy wants to make new crappy music, flit from project to project for no reason, and start writing commercial jingles, that’s fine. But he shouldn’t do this.
1) Siamese Dream (and Today specifically) has A LOT of positive associations for A LOT of people, and its a large part of what has allowed Billy to accumulate enough capital to make albums like TheFutureEmbrace that cater wholly to his most self-indulgence tendencies. 2) He’s made a number of pronouncements like the quotes above about how he wouldn’t commercialize this song specifically, on account of the poigniant personal significance that it (presumably still) has for him.
when will licensing music for commercials stop having anything to do with “selling out”?
please let it be soon.
Several artists I like and respect–Ratatat, Andrew Bird, M83, The Decemberists–have had their music in commercials. Not all our artists should be starving.
You are a wanker. Why don’t you post incredibly negative and hostile comments for every other band that has ever had their song in a commercial.
It’s not a big deal. Get over it.
LEAVE BILLY ALONE!!!!
“selling out” is so 80s. Good for Billy… I hope he made a pretty penny.
Why is that news? This song was used back in de 90s by Audi in one A4 commercial. Didn’t they asked permission?
I don’t like this stuff. Whenever I hear that Of Montreal song I think of Outback. It takes away a personal element. That saud, its not my choice to make and Today is an old song.
I’m understand/accept the fact that music is just gonna become more and more disposable as people have easier access to it and spend less time with individual albums, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna like it. You won’t ever hear me cry “SELL OUT!!!” about this stuff, but its still hurts the music IMO.
The Corgan-hating jumped the shark long ago. Yeah, he’s a self-indulgent diva. Of course he is. Yeah, after 20 years, his creative output has gotten sad. Not unprecedented. The bottom line is we’ve still got some great records from the ’90′s that for many of us, are a time capsule of what our lives were like at that time. Those records are still great, and a damn commercial won’t change that. These are our songs, not Visa’s, not even Billy’s. Those who spew the hate at the new Pumpkins are completely missing the point.
George Lucas can’t rape your childhood. A crappy remake of a film you love doesn’t mean the original doesn’t exist. And Billy Corgan can’t make Siamese Dream suck.
I used to care, but now I don’t. It just means that more and more bands who don’t have huge exposure are getting snippets of their songs out there in the public domain – a much wider audience that wouldn’t normally hear them – and getting paid for it. Hey, they need to eat and pay rent, too. A lot of these bands getting their music used in commercials aren’t top tier, high-grossing bands. Most of them scratch and claw their way between every record, touring tirelessly to raise money to make their next album.
But, if this commercial money allows them to make albums more easily, I say license the shit out of your music and enjoy the ride. (This isn’t directed towards Billy Pumpkins.)
Billy Corgan could license his entire discography and I wouldn’t care, unless I had to listen to it.
Releasing music to the public in any form is selling out, primarily because the goal is selling. Is this disappointing? Maybe, but it’s nothing to get up in arms about. Eventually, your thoughts will be intellectual property and sold back to you for a profit, so what’s the worry about some song?
who cares? billy lost his mind when he was 5 and has only grown to be more of doucher with each passing year
remember that psycho blog he kept? where he divulged all his sad childhood memories – who the fuck read that?
regardless, i think we can all agree that Zwan was hilarious
amen.
Cash in Billy. That song was terrible the day you wrote it and if someone wants to give you a million bucks to associate themselves with your shitty song, than fuck it.
People, if a bear with no street cred admits that he likes the last Jet album in the woods, is it really news?
DON’T SELL OUT OR ELSE THE BLOGGERS WILL GET YOU!!! EEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO BILLY!!!! I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!
JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE, HE’S MESSED UP ENOUGH AS IT IS – FOR CHRIST’S SAKE DID YOU HEAR THE LAST ALBUM?!!??
you monster.
oh, quit it. he’s becoming more and more irrelevant as the years go by. he’s not all THAT okay?
okay
“Tonight, Tonight” has been used for the MLB playoffs on Fox for like 10 years. I think this discussion of Billy licensing songs is a little late. “Today” is a great song, too, though. Keeping associations with it “pure” does still count for something, I think.
Who cares?This is America, if you’re not makin money you’re a fucking douche bag.
Morgan Freeman is such a sellout.
Awesome comment! Good point – why is the “selling out” game one that only gets played with musicians? Especially ROCK musicians? I was a huge Pumpkins fan, and when I hear “Today” on a Visa (?!) commercial, I do feel like I must have been duped at 16…but aren’t 16 year olds easy to fool? What bothers me most here is that “selling out” is always a moving target. In the early ’90s, “selling out” could be as simple as signing with a “major” label. People finally saw how stupid that was, and now “selling out” means you can’t sell your songs to people with commercial interests. Sheesh. Billy isn’t making it easy to like him, but he also can’t win with anyone. The only way people would shut up is if he released a public statement that said “The early records of my career were classic rock records. In the interest of your enjoyment of those records, I hereby agree to stop making music and be the ’90s fossil you want me to be. I’ll also never sell anything to anyone. Thanks.” Not going to happen. Does the man not have a right to continue with his livelihood, the activity he knows and loves? Don’t like him? Don’t listen to the new output. And for God’s sakes, don’t click on the link to the latest Corgan story on Stereogum!
Billy Corgan is a creative genius. He has consistently put out raw, emotional songs at a level of urgency matched by few artists. Anyone who insists on continuing to hate on this troubled but brilliant (and who among us isn’t troubled) artist, might as well be criticizing himself, for he is being as bitcy, whiney and irrelevant as he is accusing Billy of being. Corgan, for his part, is none of those things. His only desire has been to expose new layers of himself to us, and we have benefited by his example.
naw
Warsaw did Elvis the Fat Years in the pooter!
In theory having an organisation pay to use your music to advertise something is not ‘selling out’.
But if your only reason for letting the organisation use your music is money, if you don’t believe in the product, if you think the product or the company are detrimental to others but you prefer to ignore this, etc, then yes, that’s ‘selling out’.
billy’s a douche, but nobody can honestly say they wouldn’t sell their music like this. money is money.
i agree, money is money but i really dont like when artists that i like, (umm “underground/indie”, if you will), get all popular just because of a movie or a commercial or whatever. like that whole MIA thing with “paper planes” and Pineapple Express. that thing pissed me off cause people i knew were like, ‘yeahh MIA is awesome” and can only name that one song from her, but i really dont consider that selling out. i fucking love elliott smith! :D but i digress, i dont think that song (“today”) is that much of a big deal.
I’m not as bothered as thie “sellout” thing as Billy being bloody ignorant and an asshole to his fans. Those fans who don’t understand this should indeed have a lobotomy made.
That’s it.
the commercial is harmless, the song is still great. billy is as out there and eccentric as any good artist should be.
I kind of liked the commercial!
I agree this whole “sell out” thing is a two-bladed knife. I think it’s worse when they rip the song apart like of Montreal or the Moldy Peaches. That’s unforgivable!
Things like reissues, live albums, and all that are the sort of things that really get me mad at the artists and/or labels and I personally consider as a sell out.
Didn’t mind that as much as Cloud Cult in that Esurance commercial, i cant even listen to that song anymore without a wave nausea washing over me.
“If you do a commercial you’re of the artistic role call forever and that goes for everyone … except Willie Nelson” -Bill Hicks
[taking the roll call of artists]
…Hiatt? [shout of 'here' from the back]
…Hicks? Hicks? Hicks…not here, I guess.
shit, i didn’t even know the smashing pumpkins used credit cards.
Check out the :60, it fleshes out the music more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTZl6TmJ0sA
No one said anything when Radiohead gave the tune to House of Cards for a 2007 Finals commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUVcziVd0yY
Man, what is going on with this dude? He’s losttttttt it.
Billy Corgan has been phoning it in and making really shitty music since the late nineties. Also, he’s batshit insane.
i think “today” is also the closing theme to a tv show called “trust me,” which is about advertising, appropriately enough.
Really now? You were watching American Idol and you are concerned about Billy Corgan selling out? You managed to watch the biggest sellout marketing ploy TV has yet to foist upon the world and the 30 second Billy Corgan sellout was your breaking point?