Urban:
Prudential Insurance commercial
VISA commercial
"Dreamer" by K'NAAN
"Gravitate" by Rocco Deluca and The Burden
"Half Acre" by Hem
"Le Disko by Shiny Toy Guns
"Sway" by Dean Martin and Julie London
Rural:
KIA Sorento commercial
IKEA commercial
Coca Cola commercial
Budweiser commercial
"Let Your Love Flow" by Petra Hayden
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The music in this commercial matches the images it displays. The proud sound of the trumpet gives intensity to the images of the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline. The music is very simplistic, as is the idea of the commercial: movement from the comfortable to the challenging. This idea matches the exploration of this playlist, as it examines the similarities and differences among pieces of commercial music from both urban and rural settings. In this piece, the commercial opens with the natural image of a majestic rock, symbolizing comfort through strength. The images then move to that of the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom and hope. Then the two contrasting images combine as the rock is shown in the background of the New York skyline. As all of these movements are made, the music remains the same. The spirit of hope and pride is maintained through the music.
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This commercial also features New York City. Although it is an ad promoting the VISA credit card, the urban aspect of NYC is extremely significant to the meaning. The idea is that the VISA card can handle the hustle and bustle of the city. The music compliments the different aspects of the city. During the day the music is upbeat, with different instruments playing at the same time. The saxophone, piano, and percussion mimic the movement of the city. During the night, the beat slows and the instruments play a more soothing tune. The music of this commercial reflects the idea that the city is not always a constant scurry. The jazz style of the music targets the ad to an older audience and gives the VISA card a little class.
Artist: K'NAAN
Album: Troubadour
Label: Universal Music
Released: 2009
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This commercial advertising the NFL Draft again features images of New York City. The music opens with a toy piano followed by a repetitive deep bass behind the rapping of K'NAAN. The images of the city are meant to emphasize the theme of dreaming, and the toy piano has an almost magical feel of hope. The deep bass and rapping perpetuates ideas of perseverance, common themes seen around urban settings.
Title: "Gravitate"
Artist: Rocco Deluca and The Burden
Album: I Trust You to Kill Me
Label: Ironworks
Released: 2006
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This commercial features a California city setting, playing off of the intensity of the urban scene. The main character of the commercial is in a rush to get to a tennis match on time, so clearly he needs to jump off of buildings and bridges to do so. The music helps to build the intensity with a rock style, featuring guitar, bass, and percussion matched with simple vocals. This music attracts a younger audience to the commercial, between the vitality of the city and the popularity of the music genre.
Title: "Half Acre"
Artist: Hem
Album: Rabbit Songs
Label: Dreamworks SKG
Released: 2001
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This Liberty Mutual commercial displays various images of urban settings, from street side to in office buildings. However, the music featured is not the upbeat or intense sounds we have previously heard portraying the city. Instead, this commercial focuses on the lighter side of ubran dwellers, with the traditional and trendy "Half Acre." The advertisement opens with the toy piano sound of the song, which soon meets the flute and violin. The twinkling of the melody adds a magical aspect to the city which accents the commercial's theme of random acts of kindness. While the stereotype of urban inhabitants is that of rude gestures, loud noises, and tight schedules, this commercial works to fight that image by slowing down the pace and changing up the interactions between people. Similarly, the music is not the typical fast tempo, but instead embodies a relaxing feel. The soothing vocals and comforting melody work toward this new image of urban as the commercial works toward this new image of the inherent kindness of people.
Title: "Le Disko"
Artist: Shiny Toy Guns
Album: Le Disko 7 Inch Vinyl
Label: Positivenergy/Stormwest In
Released: 2005
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This ad takes place in a quintessential urban location: the subway. Similarly the music defines the quintessential urban sound: upbeat, electronic, pop. The commercial is lending from the Matrix, using the technology of the movie to emphasize the technology of the new phone. In the same sense, this 80s influenced electronic sound plays off the technology theme. The music in this advertisement helps portray the edgy, dangerous, yet technologically savvy tone.
Title: "Sway"
Artist: Dean Martin and Julie London
Album: Best of Dean Martin
Label: Capitol Records
Released: 1966
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This commercial takes the classic Dean Martin song, "Sway," and gives it a little twist. The typically soothing ballad has been mixed with electronic sounds to give it a youthful, vibrant feel that matches the image the commercial wants to portray of both the city and its product. The violins paired with the electronic beats allows for a glamorous yet energetic style. The connotation being that the Chrysler 300 is a youthful yet classy car, appropriate for roaming around a youthful yet classy city.
KIA Sorento commercial
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This KIA Sorento commercial features a rural setting, drastically different from most of the previous commercials with urban settings. The music is very simple, opening with a slow piano melody, and gradually gains in instrumental depth. The piano remains throughout the entire commercial, but strings and bell-sounds add on. There are no vocals, nor are the sounds very demanding. Yet, this background music adds a magical aspect to the simplicity of the country. The commercial describes the opening of a new plant in Georgia, a truly magical accomplishment amidst today's economy. Ultimately, the music emphasizes the simplicity of the country, while still allowing for a little bit of magic.
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Another commercial depicting a rural setting, the music featured in this commercial mixes traditional American sounds of guitar, piano, and a bit more contemporary synthesizer elements. The advertisements starts off very peaceful, with a simple duo of guitars. As the commercial grows more chaotic, the sound mimics the movement, gradually gaining instrumental depth. The music conveys the atmosphere of a typical American family, both comfortable and crazy. The meaning of the commercial comes from the inherently American qualities of the sounds paired with the new aspects of electronic sounds, the combination symbolizing both tradition and youth.
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This Coke commercial is both visually and verbally stimulating. The images of a fantasy world filled with the beauties of nature are inspiring and the mystical music which accompanies them are uplifting. With a mix of marching band sounds and magical twinkles, the music adds an element to the commercial that could not otherwise be expressed visually. Opening with a light piano melody and soon accompanied by an xylophone beat, the music eventually occupies aspects of many different soundscapes. As the scene turns snowy, an echoing of a chorus similar to that of a Christmas carolers can be heard. Then, as the sun shines again, a brief guitar appearances gives the scene a casual summery feel, followed by a parade setup and symbols straight from the drum line. The commercial is meant to convey the magic that goes into making a bottle of Coke, and the music simply emphasizes that magic through the depth of the sound.
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In this commercial, with its country setting, we hear many of the same aspects of the rural music as we have heard in the previous examples. However, the music in this commercial tends to tell more of a story through its intensity and volume changes. As with the other examples, the music starts off very simply, with a clarinet and the characteristic magical twinkle. As the story builds to a climax, the music also builds, adding more intensity through more horned instruments and a stronger percussion. The commercial finally ends with the music marking a triumphant victory.
Artist: Petra Haden
Album: None
Label: None
Released: 2010
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This song was created specifically to advertise the Honda Prius. The acapella tune featured in the ad ties into the natural theme of the commercial. The creators of the commercial wanted to emphasize the hybrids connection to nature. The lack of instrumentals highlights a completely natural take on music, removing all man-made aspects of sound. The result is a cheerful but completely simple sound, a natural yet beautiful song that accents the natural yet beautiful landscape flawlessly.
