Great Lake Swimmers Grow Up And Make A Honda Ad
In this new Honda ad, the Tony Dekker-fronted Toronto band's "See You On The Moon!" is played during the start of a small homegrown outdoor rock concert (where everyone owns the same kind of car). In the past the track's given the name to See You on the Moon: Songs for Kids of All Ages and showed up on For The Kids III. Now Great Lake Swimmers hope it will sell you a 2010 Insight. The full song features the "When I grow up maybe I'll be a veterinarian" or "maybe I'll be an astronaut and work for NASA," etc., theme, but here the focus is the "When I grow up maybe I'll be a singer in a band / and I'll drive all across the land / with my friends all in the van" bit. Thing is, the Honda Insight's "the hybrid for everyone." Maybe they should adjust that last line so it gets better gas mileage.
Honda has more about the Great Lake Swimmers track, along with some other songs by other bands, here. GLS's Lost Channels is on sale for $2.99 at Amazon MP3 until Tuesday.
Posted at 10:54 AM by brandon in Commercial Appeal, Video
Tags: Great Lake Swimmers
Are we sure this isn't irony of some sort? Like, "a fuel efficient car? Haha, why don't you move to the FUCKING MOON?"
Score = 0
And even better, Great Lake Swimmers' new album, Lost Channels is available on AmazonMP3 for on $2.99: http://tinyurl.com/d5w4lo
Score = 1
So when Billy Corgan makes a Hyundai ad, everyone complains about it...but when Great Lake Swimmers make one for Honda, it's all OK? The Pumpkins song is infinitely better than this song, anyways.
Score = -2
yeah but this is all smiley and green and earth friendly and doesn't smack of sell-out that same degree.
See also Wilco circa 2007.
Score = 0
Are we still debating whether or not a band is a sell out for placing their songs in commercials anymore??? Its not like GLS are rolling in money from record sales or playing 300 capacity clubs.
Score = -1
i enjoy the great lake swimmers and i'm happy they're making some $$$s
Score = 0
The situations are the same - both SP and GLS gave a song to a car company to make a commercial. I have no problem with either group doing this - good for them. Just because the car that GLS is associated with is marketed to the 'green' and 'earth friendly' crowd doesn't mean it is a better move for them. It's just an image. And just because Billy Corgan has money doesn't mean he shouldn't try to make more. Fuck this hippie mentality.
Score = 0
I disagree with you Mike. The situations are quite different. There's a vast difference between living from small gig to small gig out of a van and being a multi-millionaire that sells out arenas.
But beyond that, I agree with Devon, this shouldn't even be a debate anymore. Artists do not make the same kind of money from album sales that they used to and have to find other venues to sell their music. We may not like it, but they have to put food on the table as well. Not every artists has the luxury of refusing to make money from an ad to put food on the table for their families.
Score = 0
I think this is cool! I enjoy the Great Lake Swimmers. Their new album "Lost Channels" is one of the best I've heard this year! I love the beautiful harmonies these guys incorporate into their music!
Score = 0