Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S8E06 - The Pompatus of Skippy: Brand Names In Songs

Episode Date: February 7, 2019

This week, we look at the use of brand names in songs. Sometimes lyrical mentions lead to major brand success. Other times, to lawsuits and bans. But the stories behind each are fascinating. And our list may even include some of your favourite songs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. As you may know, we've been producing a lot of bonus episodes while under the influences on hiatus. They're called the Beatleology Interviews, where I talk to people who knew the Beatles, work with them, love them, and the authors who write about them. Well, the Beatleology Interviews have become a hit, so we are spinning it out to be a standalone podcast series. You've already heard conversations with people like actors Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Beatles confidant Astrid Kershaw. But coming up, I talk to May Pang, who dated John Lennon in the mid-70s. I talk to double fantasy guitarist Earl Slick, Apple Records creative director John Kosh. I'll be talking to Jan Hayworth,

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please, do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan, you just have to love storytelling. Subscribe now and don't miss a single beat. We'll be right back. And no matter your team, your favorite skater, or your style, there's something every NHL fan is going to love about BetMGM. Download the app today and discover why BetMGM is your hockey home for the season. Raise your game to the next level this year with BetMGM, a sportsbook worth a sellie, and an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League.

BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. Thank you. pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. When Steve Miller had a hit with the Joker back in 1973, there was an unusual word in the lyrics. If I speak of the pompatists of love. Pompatists of love. Interesting choice, because as far as I can see,

pompatists is not in the dictionary. Steve Miller made it up. On the other hand, other strange words created in hit songs have made it into the dictionary.

Snoop Dogg gave us the word shizzle, which has several definitions, from meaning very good or impressive, as in Keith Ullman is the shizzle, to meaning for sure, as in Keith is a great sound engineer, fo shizzle, to a more scantological term, as in the Oxford English Dictionary. The word bling, meaning jewelry so flashy it makes you blink, is also in the Oxford Dictionary. It comes to us from the hip-hop group Cash Money Millionaires, who worked with rapper BG on a song called Bling Bling in 1999.

Although the word twerk, spelled with an I, has been around since the 1800s, the word twerk, with an E, was forever stamped on our consciousness by Miley Cyrus when she performed at the 2013 VMAs. Cyrus appeared on stage to a soundtrack that repeated the words, twerk it out, then performed an infamous twerk to the song Blurred Lines with Robin Thicke

and twerked that word right into the Oxford Dictionary. Most of us have heard Smokey Robinson's Tears of a Clown hundreds of times over the years. And most of us can sing along because we know the words. But do you know all the words? Smokey actually name-checks a 19th century Italian opera in the song. Maybe the only time that has ever been done in a top ten hit. The moment occurs

at the two minute and seven second mark. Just like Pagliacci did I try to keep my sadness in Just like Pagliacci did I try to keep my sadness in Pagliacci was an 1892 Italian opera

about a clown who hides deep sorrow behind his circus makeup. Little did you know you were singing about an Italian opera all these years. But that's the thing. If you listen closely, you'll find some interesting words in your favorite songs. If you listen closely, you'll also find some interesting brand names mentioned in your favorite songs. Sometimes the mention of a brand in a song has helped make the product famous. Sometimes the brand name mention has led to lawsuits. Sometimes the name check has led to the song being banned.

And they're all interesting stories. The number of songs on the Billboard charts that mention brand names has increased greatly over the years. In 1983, for example, five songs in the top 20 mentioned brands in the lyrics. In 2017, over 100 did. The high point occurred in April of 2003, when 47 brands were mentioned in songs on the Billboard Top 20 in a single week. The number of words in songs has also increased. In 1960, songs averaged about 185 words. By 2010, songs averaged 489 words,

a 164% increase, which opened the doors to more brand mentions. In November 2014, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars dropped one of the best-selling singles of all time. Uptown Funk spent 14 consecutive weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It received over 3 billion YouTube views, reached diamond status, and won the coveted Record of the Year Grammy Award, which was all good news for Skippy Peanut Butter. The catchy tune's lyrics described all the ways to be smooth, from wearing designer clothes and jewelry to traveling in a stretch limo.

Then, Mars says, Right to Harlem, Hollywood, Jackson, Mississippi. If we show up, we gonna show out. Smoother than a fresh drop, Skippy. That was mammoth exposure for Skippy Peanut Butter. Then, four years passed, and Mars found himself on the Grammy stage yet again for his latest album. It was then that the Skippy brand gave us a little taste of things

to come. They tweeted an image of a jar of peanut butter bites shaped like a Grammy award with the words, Congrats to Bruno Mars for all those Grammy wins last night. That guy really is smoother than a fresh jar of, well, you know.

By February, Skippy launched its newest ad campaign featuring Uptown Funk and the famous line, Be smooth like Skippy. It featured a collar-popping, mirror-winking kid telling the camera how to be smooth.

They say you are what you eat. Be smooth like Skippy. Smoother than a Be smooth like Skippy. The campaign used Uptown Funk in its ads for both Skippy peanut butter and Skippy snacks, marking the first time the brand had used the same marketing concept to sell two different products. It may have taken them four years

after the song's release, but Skippy and Bruno Mars found a way to make peanut butter both literally and figuratively smooth. In 1997, the song Barbie Girl became a huge hit. It topped charts worldwide, retaining the number one spot in the UK for three straight weeks and reaching the US top ten. A breakthrough single for the Danish pop band Aqua. But unlike Skippy Peanutbutter, Mattel wasn't happy. In doll-like voices,

the singers mentioned the brand name Barbie 25 times, exposure many companies could only dream of. But the rest of the lyrics were not on brand. Shortly after its release, the Barbie manufacturer sued Aqua's record company MCA Records for violating their trademark and tarnishing the wholesome Barbie image. The song had lines like, I'm a blonde bimbo girl and undress me everywhere.

You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere. Imagination, life is your creation. Barbie, let's go party. Mattel claimed Aqua turned Barbie into a sex object and demanded a total recall of the single. MCA countersued, stating Barbie Girl was merely offering social commentary and was a clear parody of the Barbie brand, citing the disclaimer on the back of the album that stated the song was not created or approved

by the makers of the doll. Mattel responded, If Aqua or anybody else is interested in dancing with Barbie dolls, they're going to have to ask us first. But the court sided with Aqua, dismissing Mattel's lawsuit,

ruling that the song was protected as parody, and throwing away MCA's countersuit, advising both parties to stand down. Then, something interesting happened. A little over a decade later, Mattel used Barbie Girl in its advertising. Yep, in 2009, the toy maker recorded its own version of the 1997 Aqua hit to promote its newest Dancing Barbie.

While a good chunk of the lyrics remained unchanged, the more salacious lines were swapped out for more wholesome verses. Instead of, I'm a blonde bimbo girl in the fantasy world, the Mattel version says... I'm a girl in my world, full of fashion and fun. Dress me up, take me out, feel fantastic. Grab a friend, time to play, it's a big haze of day. Walk the walk, between different lyrics,

Mattel and Aqua could have partnered up from the get-go. But as the New York Times put it, Barbie may be a doll and not a person, but she clearly doesn't hold a grudge. Outkast had a huge hit with a song called Hey Ya back in 2004. It was an unlikely hit, because even though the record company thought it had a chance of going top 10, the public didn't like it initially. Hey Yeah just didn't sound like anything else at the time.

It was jarring and weird. But once it got a lot of airplay, it became a monster hit. Rolling Stone magazine said the song's unusual sound and structure was reminiscent of the Beatles. As a matter of fact, the official outcast video for Hey Yeah! was inspired by the Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, using a similar set, black and white images, and screaming girls. But the song had another unusual element. It was a lyric line that caught on like wildfire, and it made a certain instant camera company very happy. Shake it like a Polaroid picture became one of the hottest lines of the year.

Everyone was quoting it, from a presidential candidate to young fans who weren't even born when Polaroid was at its peak. As the song zoomed up the charts, Polaroid couldn't have been happier. OutKast was performing across the nation and the Polaroid dance was the newest craze. Suddenly, Polaroid's dusty image became hip to a digital generation. Ironically, as people began buying Polaroid cameras, Polaroid had to issue a statement telling people not to shake the instant photos. Its technology had greatly improved and shaking the new photos could actually distort the image.

The combination of OutKast and Polaroid became so hot, the two did a deal together. OutKast began carrying Polaroid cameras on stage during their performances, including on Saturday Night Live. Polaroid hosted big VIP parties for OutKast in Los Angeles after the Grammy and VH1 awards and brought a giant 20 by 24 foot Polaroid camera to take celebrity photos. Everyone from the New York Times to CNN covered the event. But the biggest celebration came a week later at the televised NBA All-Star Game. 1,000 Polaroid cameras were placed on audience seats at floor level. As the teams were announced and OutKast played Hey Ya,

the crowd took thousands of instant Polaroid photos and waved them to an audience of more than 8 million watching at home. Polaroid's newfound popularity extended beyond OutKast performances. Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley designed a custom-made Polaroid camera for all the VIP attendees at New York Fashion Week and took a red Polaroid camera up on stage with her when she took her

bow. It was a testament to Polaroid's white-hot popularity because rival camera brand Olympus was one of the official sponsors of the fashion show. Polaroid rode the wave while outcast Hey Yes sold over 7 million copies

and stayed in the top five of the Billboard chart for 21 weeks. All that buzz and attention simply due to the fact Polaroid had been mentioned in a hit song. It just clicked. But it didn't click for Coca-Cola and the kinks. And we'll be right back after this message. If you're looking for flexible workouts, Peloton's got you covered. Summer runs or playoff season meditations, whatever your vibe,

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Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. Billboard Top 20, and analyzed them for brand name mentions, the results were interesting. Eight of the top 12 product mentions were cars, with Rolls-Royce getting the most mentions. Ferrari was number two. Hennessy Cognac clocked in at number three. Then came Porsche, Chevrolet, Lamborghini, Bentley, and Cadillac, followed by Nike Air Jordans, Mercedes-Benz and, believe it or not, Xanax rounding out the list.

When the Kingsray Davies wrote Lola in 1970, the song name-dropped a brand in the lyric. Well, you drink champagne and it tastes just like Coca-Cola. C-O-L-A-Cola. Many have said that Coca-Cola demanded the lyric be removed from the song. But that is a myth. Very few brands turn down the free publicity of being mentioned in a hit song. But it is true that the song was re-recorded and the Coca-Cola reference was taken out and replaced with Cherry Cola instead. But the reason wasn't pushback from Coca-Cola, it was pushback from the BBC.

The British Broadcasting Corporation had a long-standing policy against product placement and anything that smacked of advertising on the public airwaves. Therefore, any song that mentioned a brand name was instantly banned. So, the Coca-Cola Lyric and Lola meant no airplay in the UK. And the Kinks weren't about to let that happen. The problem was the Kinks were on a U.S. tour when they got the news. Ray Davies completed a concert in Minnesota, rushed to the airport, and flew to London where the Lola Master Tapes were. He booked a short recording session to switch the lyric from

Tastes like Coca-Cola to Tastes like Cherry-Cola. But he couldn't get a good take, ran out of time, and had to rush back to the airport to make the kink's next gig in Chicago. And right after that show, he rushed to the airport to fly back to London to try the recording again.

And after traveling 16,000 miles, or nearly 26,000 kilometers, he finally got it right. The cherry cola switch was worth it. Lola became a huge worldwide hit and its success gave the Kings more creative control and financial comfort from that point on. But what happens when a hit song is banned because its title, chorus, and overall meaning hinge on a brand name mention? Gives those nice bright colors When Paul Simon released Kodachrome in 1973, the song was about memories being captured on film. Kodachrome was a brand of film produced by the Kodak company. The song also mentioned Nikon, another brand name.

The BBC refused to play the song because of the brand mentions. But Paul Simon refused to budge or re-record the song because of the brand mentions. But Paul Simon refused to budge or re-record the song. So Kodachrome received no airplay on the BBC. Then there was Dr. Hook's Cover of the Rolling Stone. It was an instant hit

in both Canada and the US. But as the song made its way across the pond, it ran into a familiar wall. The BBC refused to play it. It's the thrill that'll get you when you get your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone is, of course, the brand name of a magazine, and thus its mention was considered an advertisement. So, the song was re-recorded.

Bet you've never heard this version. It's the thrill that'll get you when you get your picture on the cover of the Radio Times. Radio Times. Here's what happened. A group of BBC disc jockeys wanted the BBC to air the song, so they came up with a solution. To replace Rolling Stone with Radio Times.

Radio Times is also a magazine, but it was owned by the BBC and therefore permitted to be mentioned under their guidelines. But Dr. Hook didn't re-record the song. Instead, the BBC DJs made their own version where they simply shouted Radio Times over top of every Rolling Stone mention. Radio Times! When you see my picture on the cover.

Radio Times! The Radio Times single said Dr. Hook and Friends on the label. The Friends part presumably referring to the BBC disc jockeys. The Radio Times single said Dr. Hook and Friends on the label, the Friends part presumably referring to the BBC disc jockeys. The song was rushed released but didn't chart in the UK. Yet the original name check did work for Dr. Hook. Three months after the song was released, the band appeared on the March 1973 edition of Rolling Stone, along

with the headline, What's Their Names Made the Cover. In today's culture, hip-hop artists collaborating with sneaker brands seems like a rite of passage. In the last year alone, Jay-Z became the creative director at Puma Basketball, Kanye West launched his latest Yeezy Adidas collab, and Kendrick Lamar joined forces with Nike. But 30 years ago, this wasn't the case.

Let's jump into the under-the-influence time machine and journey back to 1985. Don Henley's Boys of Summer won the MTV Video of the Year, Back to the Future hit theaters, and Michael Jackson bought the Beatles' song catalog for just shy of $50 million. It was also a big year for hip-hop superstars Run-D.M.C. In 1985, they became the first hip-hop act to achieve platinum record status and were the only rap group to perform at the iconic Live Aid concert in Philadelphia. That same year, it had become popular in hip-hop culture to wear sneakers without laces. A look, many said, that mimicked prison inmates, whose shoelaces were removed in jail for safety purposes.

A prominent doctor living in DMC's neighborhood named Dr. Dees was concerned about the laces-free trend. He felt it was detrimental for young kids to dress like felons. So in 1985, he wrote and distributed a piece called Felon Sneakers to address the fundamental issues of dressing like you're, quote, from the streets. But Run DMC didn't like that message. Most hip-hop acts before them began dressing more posh as they became famous.

But Run DMC was the first real hip-hop group not to hide their background and to embrace the sneaker trend. DMC said, quote, Dr. D's was wrong to say that. You can't judge a book by its cover. I was a straight-A student in a Catholic school. I didn't sell drugs. I saved my allowance to buy my Adidas. So, in 1986, Run-DMC came out with a reply to Dr. D's message. The song was titled, My Adidas.

My Adidas Walked through cops' doors And roamed all over Coliseum floor I stepped on stage at Live 8 All the people gave and the poor guy The group was in no way affiliated with Adidas at the time. The brand mention came from a genuine love of the sneakers and was aimed at flipping

stereotypes. In July of that year, the group was touring their latest album at Madison Square Garden. The song had landed on Adidas' radar. So, an Adidas executive flew to New York to see what the buzz was all about. That night, right before launching into My Adidas, flew to New York to see what the buzz was all about. That night, right before launching into My Adidas, the rappers took off their sneakers and held them up high, as they did at the start of every concert. And that's when an amazing thing happened. The Adidas executive looked back over the crowd and watched as 40,000 fans held up their own Adidas in solidarity.

That name check that night sparked the first ever endorsement deal between music and sneakers and the first ever deal between a hip-hop artist and a major corporation. Adidas gave Run-DMC a million-dollar contract and launched the My Adidas Run DMC collection. Their genuine love of the Adidas sneaker acted as a vehicle for their broader message and in turn

earned the group the deal of a lifetime. A musical brand mention that ushered in the birth of hip-hop sneaker culture and it just might be the reason you're wearing your Adidas today. The number of brand name mentions in songs has been on a steady incline. As a matter of fact,

more than half of all brand mentions in songs since 1960 have happened in the 21st century. While many brand mentions in songs are done without a deal in place, there is no doubt brands recognize the power of being name-checked in a hit song. Many big companies now hire marketing companies to try and place their brand names in song lyrics, as McDonald's did in 2005 when it hired a firm to place mentions of Big Macs in hip-hop songs. The question becomes, does it hurt the

song? Is the brand happy about the mention, or not? And how much is too much? A hip-hop song called Bad and Bougie by Migos actually mentioned 19 brands in its lyrics. That didn't hold the song back. It hit number one on the Billboard charts in January of 2017. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's a lawsuit, and sometimes it's a ban. In the end, it all comes down to the pompatiss of luck when you're under the influence.

I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terrastream. Producer, Debbie O'Reilly. Sound engineer, Keith Ullman. Theme music by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre. Co-writer, Sidney O'Reilly. Follow me on Twitter at Terry O'Influence for show updates and bonus material. See you next week. Under the Influence. Tastes

as good as it smells every time. Hey, I like your style. I'd like your style even more if you were wearing an Under the Influence t-shirt. Just saying. You'll find them on our shop page at terryoreilly.ca

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