I was already deeply disappointed when I first heard that Devo was selling off song rights for two-bit commercials – something just seems lost when music you believed was critiquing mindless consumerism is being employed to hock a Twix! Below is a list excerpted from about.com regarding 80s music used in commercials (presented in About.com’s predictably insipid, “isn’t that great” logic):
| Band |
Song |
Company |
| Devo | Beautiful World | Target |
| Devo | Freedom of Choice | Miller Domino |
| Devo | Uncontrollable Urge | Mitsubishi Galant Accident Avoidance Test 2004 |
| Devo | Whip It | Gateway |
| Devo | Whip It | Twix |
| Devo | Whip It | Pringles |
| Devo | It’s A Beautiful World | Target CorporatioAA |
According to about.com, even the Dead Kennedys’ “A Holiday in Cambodia” was the theme song for a Levi’s Dockers commercial (Jello Biafra and corporate America – strange bedfellows to say the least) -so, “hey kid, that’s life,” right?
Wrong- because this is what happens when bands shamelessly sell their work to the highest bidder …DEV2.0!
Warning: if you have even a modicum of respect for Devo and intend on preserving it, please don’t follow this link!
Thanks Mikhail (a precocious websurfer of thisevilempire.com fame!) who, after I complained how absurd this album was and how Mark Mothersbaugh is redefining the term sellout, said, “what if he knows it’s absurd and is having a good laugh about it?” I hate people who are circumspect!
Enjoy?
It is a shame. My 4 year old loves Devo2.0. I bought it thinking it was some devo remix and it is not. It is pretty fun hearing my kid sing Peek-a-boo though. The lyric changes are pretty funny as well as a lot of devo lyrics are not suitable for children. She corrected me when I was sing Freedom of Choice and I said the dog dropped dead. She said “No, he dropped down”.
Complete sellout from guys that complained continually about being under the cooporate thumb.
Amen, Brad. I wouldn’t be so righteous if their songs weren’t so pointed against the corporate monkey man. I guess its the logical progression – Lollapalooza, Wes Anderson, then major disney sell-out!
Hey! my baby said to me
“I feel so DEVO”
I don’t know what to do!
Hey! It’s OK because she’s free!
“How low can you go?”
That’s really up to you!
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