You probably all know how George Will and Ronald Reagan transformed Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” from an attack on blind nationalism to a patriotic anthem.
For some reason, there is currently a whole spate of similar appropriations.
Bob Dylan’s, “The Times They Are A-Changing” is now the them song for—wait for it------University of Phoenix!
Malvina Reynold’s 1962 political satire of suburban conformity (“Little Boxes”) is the trailer music for this year’s horror film, Escape Room. (Starts at 0:30.)
Mozart’s “Queen of the Night,” is featured prominently in commercials for Volvo. I don’t know about you, but nothing evokes imagery of a Volvo’s safety features than the lines:
Hell's vengeance boils in my heart,
Death and despair blaze about me!
If Sarastro does not through you feel the pains of death,
Then you will be my daughter nevermore:
What on Earth was Volvo thinking? (Other than, of course, nobody will know what this song is about.)
And France Gall’s, “Tomber les filles,” a early 1960s proto-feminist song is the commercial music for Samsung’s new tablet. Was the inspirtation, super-thin girls, super thin tablets?
So, what other recent commercialization/appropriations can you think of? Inquiring minds want to know!
(While I await your responses, I’m sweating out hurricane Dorian in the smack dab middle of its path!)