A Year In Pop: 37

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Hello clouds hello sky hello elvis reissues, I'm back in the "saddle" (thanx to piratemoggy for her excellent work) and ready to tick. Just one question - what is Phil Collins doing here?

[Poll #1057109]

EDIT: THE HI TACK SONG IS "LET'S DANCE" NOT "SAY SAY SAY". THOUGH IF YOU HATED ONE YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO TICK THE OTHER I GUESS. IDIOT ME.

Comments

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

It's quite frightening but also pretty interesting: the power of suggestion coupled with the immediacy of technology. In the future the Christmas number one might not be the cunningly crafted ballad released as single but what ever plays over the credits of the big film that everyone in the country watches after Christmas dinner. Likewise whatever plays over the montage they use after the World Cup final. Record pluggers will start trying to nobble TV production assistants rather than Radio 1 DJs.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This was the prediction at the start of the year, but in practise the high end of the top 20 seems to be about as far as resonance and suggestion can take you, at least so far. Christmas will be an interesting test as you say but the general level of sales is so much higher then anyway.

I don't remember seeing this advert either - I'm intrigued that it's from an ad: the new rules actually ought to kill off the power of ads to inspire really high-placing songs (because the demand for those songs can't be concentrated into a sales peak).

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

The difference between this ad and many others is that it's a 90" advert, giving much longer exposure to the music. Plus the music is a key element of the ad's structure, and not just incidental. And it's been heavily written about in the tabloids too. They've also been placing it in high profile places - such as the Big Brother final, rugby world cup matches and so on - that give massive exposure and also reaching people when they are likely to be watching in bigger groups, giving it more talkability too.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yeah, having actually seen it I can see why it might lead to people buying the track - I also note (and Cadburys must be really delighted by this) lots of remixes with other tracks using the gorilla.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

The Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse of the Heart one is the only one I've seen that actually works properly in terms of having the same build-up (although still not as good as the Phil Collins one)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I actually preferred the 50 Cent one - the Tyler one just looked like a less-good version, whereas the 50 Cent one, by missing the build-up, looked like a different and more focused gorilla.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hadn't seen that one, yeah, it is quite different.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm just surprised that people are so open to the power of suggestion - for whatever reason buying something you hear as the credits of a film roll makes a lot more sense to me than buying something you hear on a fucking CHOCOLATE ADVERT. I dunno, I have a real hatred of TV adverts - they were totally frowned upon in the house when I was growing up, the TV was always muted when they were on, and I still do that myself.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

I don' think it's just the power of suggestion - the whole advert is based around the dramatic build-up of the song, and when you see it the first time, it's so unusual compared to most TV ads, you really pay attention, and I think it's reminded people how good the song is.

(I saw this first hand when I happened to be in a pub showing the rugby the other day; normally everyone just talks through the ad breaks but in this case the whole pub stopped and watched and started talking about it.)

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

This is also working for Feist's "One Two Three Four" apparently - buzz from iPod ads (although I've never seen one)