December 25, 2024 - Late-'24 Oldies Samplings: Stritch, Shirelles, Human Beinz, Turtles, Wolves, Boys
Elaine Stritch, who was never one to pass up a good time, is featured in a Volkswagen commercial singing "Are You Having Any Fun?" while reminding us we '...ain't gonna live forever.' Shirley Owens and Beverly Lee of The Shirelles are no doubt enjoying hearing themselves on not one, but two TV commercials currently airing. McDonalds 50-cent burgers are being hyped with "Dedicated to the One I Love," which first entered the cultural realm in 1959, while their '61 hit "Mama Said" is in a spot for Uber Teen Accounts.
Meanwhile, The Human Beinz' "...no, no, no...no, no...' chant from "Nobody But Me" livens up a pitch for the newest Samsung Galaxy phone, The Turtles' "Happy Together" remains top-of-mind on an ad for Chevy Equinox and Target targets a "Born to Be Wild" type of customer with Steppenwolf's revved-up 1968 hit. Finally, "Wouldn't it Be Nice" by The Beach Boys is the earliest song you'll hear in Sonic the Hedgehog's third theatrical outing.
December 15, 2024 - Pop, Jazz, Opera and New Orleans Blues Underscore Globe-Nominated Films
Three movies in contention for Golden Globe awards have mid-20th century tunes on their soundtracks. Richard Linklater's Hit Man, starring acting nominee Glen Powell, is set in New Orleans and offers up songs by some of the city's esteemed artists. Alvin Robinson checks in with "Down Home Girl," while the whistling vibe of "Big Chief" should bring a resurgence in fame for Professor Longhair. Longtime Big Easy record executive, producer, songwriter and singer Allen Toussaint's contribution finds him at the piano performing "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," originally made famous by its author, a jazzman who sells lots of albums around this time every year: Vince Guaraldi.
Another nominated actor is Daniel Craig for Queer; the drama features a lesser-known track, "Roses of Picardy," released in 1956 as a collaboration between Frankie Laine and trumpeter Buck Clayton. And in case you're wondering if front-running actress Angelina Jolie actually sings in Maria, covering the life of opera superstar Maria Callas (whose career peak came during the 1950s and '60s), she does indeed, though some scenes mix Jolie's vocals with Callas's for optimal results...since the Soprano Supreme is beyond any doubt a difficult act to duplicate!
November 14, 2024 - Here Covers Many Decades of Music While TV Commercials Can Make You Thirsty
Poor reviews and lackluster box office performance for Robert Zemeckis's film Here, starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright (last seen together 30 years ago in Bob Z.'s Forrest Gump), nevertheless features a bang-up selection of music covering well over a century. From The Everly Brothers' "Let it Be Me" to Brian Hyland's "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" and Percy Faith's "(Theme from) A Summer Place" to later '60s hits "All My Loving" by The Beatles and "Hold On! I'm a Comin'" by Sam and Dave, the film also includes Christmas tunes "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson and "There is No Christmas Like a Home Christmas" by Perry Como in addition to the ultimate Halloween hit, "Monster Mash" by Bobby (Boris) Pickett. There are also big band-era faves by Artie Shaw, Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller, Fletcher Henderson and Gene Krupa, two-century-old classics by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven and even a marching band recording by John Phillip Sousa. Post-'60s hits include tracks by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Melanie, Elvin Bishop, The Runaways and Lipps, Inc. So if you're not inclined to see the movie, at least check out the diverse soundtrack on your favorite streaming site.
The latest from the world of commercials: "Miserlou" by Dick Dale and his Del-Tones on an ad for Mtn Dew Baja Blast, early Temptations track "I Want a Love I Can See" for Walmart and, for the second time this month, Sam and Dave's "Hold On! I'm a Comin'," highlighting the latest Starbucks spot.
October 20, 2024 - Creedence, Vera Lynn and Andy Williams Lead Autumn's Oldies Artists...So Far
Netflix comedy The Union, starring Mark Wahlberg, is currently in theaters and features a diverse music selection touching on each of the last seven decades. The oldest of these, from 1969, is "Down on the Corner" by a band whose popularity has hardly diminished after all these years: Creedence Clearwater Revival. A current TV commercial for Xfinity Mobile provides exposure for a vintage track by England's beloved Vera Lynn: "Far Away Places." And apparently "the holidays are here" already...at the Disneyland Resort, where celebrations are undoubtedly taking place all 366 days this year. Andy Williams spreads the word on your home screen with his seasonal smash "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."
