Do Da Dippity
Several times in this column I have written about classic alternative music turning up in commercials, and how cool and somewhat surprising I found that to be, given that alternative music in general never truly conquered mainstream culture. Sure we've had our moments, with a few choice bands and songs becoming popular. But I always thought that the use of more top 40 type songs would be more effective, given the fact they were so popular and recognizable. Perhaps that's the reason they aren't used now that I think about...hmm...
Anyway, a recent car commercial from Kia features the song "The Choice is Yours" from the early nineties hip-hop act called the Black Sheep. The track came out in the 1991 time frame and was one of the great hip-hop/rap songs that Pinfield played at the Melody on a regular basis. It was a Melody dance floor favorite for many months that year and further solidified Pinfield as the hippest DJ in town, who could pick good music from any genre and make it work. Rap and hip-hop were alternative music styles, although not many folks figured that out. Of course Pinfield did.
In 1991, hip-hop and rap were still very dangerous and downright scary to mainstream American (white/corporate) culture. Those genres were assumed to represent everything that white America feared--angry aggressive black men coming to seek revenge on the society they believe was the cause of their misery. Movies such as Do The Right Thing, Boyz n the Hood and Juice brought the drugs, violence and suffering of inner city life right to middle class America's doorstep, and attached to it was the music of the day, rap and hip-hop. Of course it only takes a bit of examination to realize the music was a shout out for action and attention to the problems, and not a promotion of the violence or drug culture.
What a difference twenty years makes in the digestion of pop culture. Long faded away is any energy of anger or subversion, although the lyrics still carry the message. What remains is a ridiculously catchy tune so infectious that even the most white bread suburbanite would be hard pressed to resist a bit of head bobbing, if not outright pogoing. Yes,it is the ideal pogoing song, the beat time is perfectly in synch with the jumping frequency of the typical 5' 9", 150 lb. white dude in black leather boots...
And of course it's that catchiness and relative unfamiliarity that make it an ideal song to have in a commercial. The ad is funny, with a stylish but not too aggressive urban hip-hop theme where the characters are chilled out rats, bobbing their heads to the song. The first time I saw the ad I started singing the song and jumping around my living room. My wife was once again amazed I knew the song and I had to tell her the whole story. More importantly my older boys wanted to know more about the song and the band, so I ran to my CD collection and found my copy of the track. Unfortunately, the album version I have is a very lame early version of the song. I then remembered I had down loaded the "good" version of the song featured in the commercial, and the one Pinfield had played at the Melody. I played it several times, and for the next week or so, frequently caught my boys singing it to themselves and their friends.
Kia's might not be the best cars on the road, but if their commercials are indicative, they might be the coolest.
Do Da Dippity indeed.
Anyway, a recent car commercial from Kia features the song "The Choice is Yours" from the early nineties hip-hop act called the Black Sheep. The track came out in the 1991 time frame and was one of the great hip-hop/rap songs that Pinfield played at the Melody on a regular basis. It was a Melody dance floor favorite for many months that year and further solidified Pinfield as the hippest DJ in town, who could pick good music from any genre and make it work. Rap and hip-hop were alternative music styles, although not many folks figured that out. Of course Pinfield did.
In 1991, hip-hop and rap were still very dangerous and downright scary to mainstream American (white/corporate) culture. Those genres were assumed to represent everything that white America feared--angry aggressive black men coming to seek revenge on the society they believe was the cause of their misery. Movies such as Do The Right Thing, Boyz n the Hood and Juice brought the drugs, violence and suffering of inner city life right to middle class America's doorstep, and attached to it was the music of the day, rap and hip-hop. Of course it only takes a bit of examination to realize the music was a shout out for action and attention to the problems, and not a promotion of the violence or drug culture.
What a difference twenty years makes in the digestion of pop culture. Long faded away is any energy of anger or subversion, although the lyrics still carry the message. What remains is a ridiculously catchy tune so infectious that even the most white bread suburbanite would be hard pressed to resist a bit of head bobbing, if not outright pogoing. Yes,it is the ideal pogoing song, the beat time is perfectly in synch with the jumping frequency of the typical 5' 9", 150 lb. white dude in black leather boots...
And of course it's that catchiness and relative unfamiliarity that make it an ideal song to have in a commercial. The ad is funny, with a stylish but not too aggressive urban hip-hop theme where the characters are chilled out rats, bobbing their heads to the song. The first time I saw the ad I started singing the song and jumping around my living room. My wife was once again amazed I knew the song and I had to tell her the whole story. More importantly my older boys wanted to know more about the song and the band, so I ran to my CD collection and found my copy of the track. Unfortunately, the album version I have is a very lame early version of the song. I then remembered I had down loaded the "good" version of the song featured in the commercial, and the one Pinfield had played at the Melody. I played it several times, and for the next week or so, frequently caught my boys singing it to themselves and their friends.
Kia's might not be the best cars on the road, but if their commercials are indicative, they might be the coolest.
Do Da Dippity indeed.
posted 12/17/2010 10:40:00 AM
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