March 25, 2024 - Pop Culture Blast: Mickey and Sylvia, Bobby Freeman, Dick Dale, Charlie Feathers and Tony Bennett
"Love is Strange," Mickey and Sylvia's playful hit from '57, impresses in theatric hi-fi on the soundtrack of box office champ Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Meanwhile, the trailer for spicy historic documentary Carol Doda Topless At The Condor (also in theaters) is highlighted by Bobby Freeman's dance smash "C'mon and Swim," released in 1964, the same year Carol made headlines for her "Swim" moves (and lack of wardrobe) at the now-infamous Condor nightclub in San Francisco, hometown to both stripper and singer.
Dick Dale and his Del-Tones' killer surf-guitar version of "Miserlou" is currently energizing a commercial for Mtn Dew's back-in-the-bottle Baja Blast, while an ad for Acura ("Premium Performance") features "That Certain Female" by Charlie Feathers, a rocking early '70s track with a true-to-the-'50s sound. And in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Rick and Michonne are seen between deadly encounters with "delts" casually cruising, smiling, holding hands and listening to "The Good Life" by Tony Bennett.
February 12, 2024 - Super Bowl Songs: Sinatra, Como, the Drifters and "Viva L.V.!"
The opening song for CBS-TV's Super Bowl LVIII broadcast came courtesy of Frank Sinatra with his anthemic, self-serving "My Way." As for the closing song, that was amped-up, victorious Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce singing/shouting "Viva Las Vegas" while onlooker/gf Taylor Swift tried to keep her cool. Would Elvis approve?
Also heard on commercials during the game: Perry Como's chart-topping 1957 hit "Round and Round" on an ad for Lindt candies and "Quando Quando Quando" by Johnny Moore and The Drifters highlighting a commercial for Michelob Ultra.
February 9, 2024 - Morricone, Little Stevie, Shirley E. and the Zombies on the Web Scene and Big Screen
"I'll Call You Mine," a lesser-known 1968 track by The Zombies, is featured in Lisa Frankenstein (the latest freaky comedy written by Oscar winner Diablo Cody), currently making a strong showing in theaters. Lately, several '60s hits have come up in TV commercials for various websites, including "Little" Stevie Wonder's career-launching hit "Fingertips" for moresnapchat.com, "The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis (focusing on the 'Lincoln-Lincoln-bo-binkin' rhyme) for dogtopia.com and Ennio Morricone's classic theme "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" for job site indeed.com, a subtle indication, perhaps, of potential bosses encountered over the course of multiple interviews.
January 8, 2024 - 4 Seasons, Arlo, Gerry, Monkees and More Spinning on Screens Large and Small
Wrestling drama The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron and recent Golden Globe winner Jeremy Allen White, includes 1970s hits by John Denver, Blue Oyster Cult and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, plus one 21st century fan fave, The 4 Seasons' original 1967 version of "Beggin'." Then there's horror flick Thanksgiving, its mission to stab, slice and impale a few actors and several songs, including "Highway in the Wind" from Arlo Guthrie's 1967 debut Alice's Restaurant and "Chills" from Gerry and the Pacemakers' 1963 U.K. longplay How Do You Like It? and '64 U.S. LP Second Album.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is among several recent box office films featuring well-known vintage songs from the 1960s and beyond; "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf and "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum are on the soundtrack of the second installment in DC's Aquaman franchise starring Jason Momoa. Promo spots for the upcoming third season of CBS-TV sitcom Ghosts contains The Monkees' massive hit "I'm a Believer." Also on home screens, a commercial for the Farmer's Dog line of pet food features a soulful recording from 1964 that's very much in need of exposure: "The Time Has Come" by James Foster and the L.A. Untouchables.