I think this has to be a FIRST in Beatle History!!  They never used Beatles songs for commercials...

...oh, wait.  I'm remembering Getting Better was used for a light bulb commercial a few years back...or for GE, something like that.

Well, anyway, "Hello, Goodbye" is being used for Target.

That's news to me.  I'm Buttmunker, goodnight.

Guess you never saw this one then:


The infamous Nike ad. Ah, the '80's. When capitalism and poor taste ruled the world.

At least they didn't use the original for the stupid Target ad.

Damn you Michael Jackson!

Quoted from Buttmunker

...oh, wait.  I'm remembering Getting Better was used for a light bulb commercial a few years back...or for GE, something like that.

It was a Phillips flatscreen TV ad, I remember because my niece heard me playing the song one time and said, "that's in a Phillips commercial." haha

Now they're playing Come and Get It in some commercial constantly. Which is technically a Beatles song right? I've seen the commerical a million times and I can't even remember what it's for. That's how effective it is. Also, last Christmas didn't Target play another Beatles song? Love Me Do or Please, Please Me? One of the early ones. I can't remember.

What's wrong with using Beatles song for commercials anyway?

Quoted from Bobber

What's wrong with using Beatles song for commercials anyway?

I have no problem with it, and I don't understand why anybody does. I don't think it belittles the music or the group. If it wasn't a great song then it wouldn't get used. So it's to their credit isn't it?

If you go in a Target store now, there's signs everywhere that say, "hello, goodbuy".

Quoted from Flaming Pie in the Sky

"hello, goodbuy".

*falls spasming to the floor*

That's hysterical!  

--you know, when I started this thread, I was confusing the Beatles with the Doors.  It was the Doors who refused to let their songs get used for commercials.  My bad.

Quoted from harihead

*falls spasming to the floor*

;D

Although it is rather sad to admit, I have discovered a lot of good music via commercials over the years! The most notable being The Sonics whose "Have Love Will Travel" nearly made me fall off my chair when I first heard it - it was on a Land Rover advert!!

I was horrified at the use of Revolution in the notorious Nike advert some years back. But I think that maybe it's time to stop being so protective of The Beatles' catalogue - if the music is being played it wont be heard, and adverts are are a huge commercial for the music they utilise as well as the products they promote.

Quite right. We shouldn't slag off advertisers for using Beatles songs, and then on the other hand be quite happy for them to use the music of other artists. If we do, it has a bit of the arrogant, stuck up or own arses 'we're better than you are' attitude.

I don't like it when they use other artists, either! BRING BACK THE JINGLE!!

I'm fairly pissed off myself...I first saw the Target commercial right after seeing a clip on an on-TV movie that featured someone singing 'Back In The USSR', so it was pretty bizarre. I found the ad itself not very tasteful and quite saddening. Save Darfur and all that I can understand...but...toilet paper? Come on. They deserve better. *shakes head*

Quoted from Buttmunker

That's hysterical!  

--you know, when I started this thread, I was confusing the Beatles with the Doors.  It was the Doors who refused to let their songs get used for commercials.  My bad.

Paul wasn't happy with the Nike ad:  “the song was about revolution, not bloody tennis shoes.”


Speaking of commercials, does anyone remember the Pizza Hut commercial Ringo did back in '95?

Ringo is seen in a commercial talking about a reunion with the lads.   In the end, it is not the Beatles, but 3 of the Monkees, eating their pizza crust first for Pizza Hut's stuffed crust pizza.

It's here:

Ah, yes.. that's the one, thanks. :)

Me and my mom were watching TV together and i just finished hearing The Hippy Hippy Shake on a commercial about losing weight. so i said, "i wonder how many people actually know where that song is from. . ." and my mom responds "they've been playing alot of music i grew up with lately!"  so after that commercial we started to really pay attention to all the ads and any type of old song references. We heard Let Em' In on a commercial about old people and health. then we saw the Luvs diaper commercial where the slogan was 'All you need is Luvs!'  ::)

It's hello goodbuy

Quoted from Mairi

At least they didn't use the original for the stupid Target ad.

Damn you Michael Jackson!

^^^^^^I know............saw that in the '80's...........that's that darn "Jacko" 's fault...........

i just dont like it when they RUIN the songs! the originall songs would be OK, i guess, but the redone versions freak me out!

Target'. as we say down here...............(my husband works for the Target warehouse here in town, and I worked there, too, when I worked)............had to do the song a little more "modern-trippy" sounding, I think.

Target will never amount up to The Beatles.

I think a Beatles song is not to be exploited for any kind of commercial. The Beatles saw each of their songs as a personal/group statement. Such is not to be used to sell tennis shoes, toilet paper, or even rolls royce automobiles.

I am not sure who owns their song catalogue right now, but I really think this commercial use is in poor taste. All the more so, considering that the meaning of the songs does not relate in any way to the products advertised.

Absolutely agree with the above clever post.

Agreed, Spier.  That's why the late Neil Aspinall saw to it that none of this would ever happen..........."cheapens the Beatles' image" as Neil once put it.........

I think the Target commercial is cute.  It brings the song to the attention of two new generations....

So what's wrong with that........?  ;)

Quoted from Spier

I think a Beatles song is not to be exploited for any kind of commercial. The Beatles saw each of their songs as a personal/group statement. Such is not to be used to sell tennis shoes, toilet paper, or even rolls royce automobiles.

I am not sure who owns their song catalogue right now, but I really think this commercial use is in poor taste. All the more so, considering that the meaning of the songs does not relate in any way to the products advertised.

Sorry, but that made me smile. The Beatles and exploitation? Never! Now3 where is my Beatle ash tray, lunchbox, wig, square inch of bed sheet (personally authorised off course), pencil case.......
The Beatles practically invented exploitation when it comes to popular music.

I don't like that it isn't the Beatles singing the song, but I do like that it does open the door for the new generation to discover the Beatles.
I saw one comercial with the Jonas Brothers singing Hello Goodbye for a Target commercial, that I wasn't to fond about.

The Come and Get It song was used for a Department store, like Lazaurus or, Macy's or Kauffman's something like that. I remember seeing it to. But it wasn't the Beatle version.

That Pizza Hut comercial cracked me up. But I wonder what they are going to do with two drummers?

Still i don`t think it is a good idea to use Beatles` songs in commercials and make them associated with pizza or shampoo, which inevitably will happen in that case. They should connect to our spiritual not material nature. They could be used for soundtracks, for example. As for Beatles bags, ambrellas and ash trays, that`s ok, there`s no harm in it. Maybe because these are personal things, which one loves.

We were at Target today, checking out the LCD HDTV's.............we did buy one........and on all the display models, "Hello/Goodbuy" version was playing.............

It's makes me upset when they try to be "cute" and make it into "goodbuy" versus the original lyric.  Otherwise I don't have much of a problem with it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^Agreed..............

Has anyone read what Lennon said about this song? "Three minutes of contradictions and meaningless juxtapositions."  ::)

Personally, I think he knew better. He was just annoyed it got the A side. I Am the Walrus is a GREAT song, but this song obviously hits a chord with people in a different way. It gets tremendous radio play and now with this commercial it's taken on a whole new life. It's a great pop song that's lasted over forty years.

I think it's easy to criticize songs like this by turning to the whole music snobbery attitude of every song having to be "deep" and meaningful. But in the end, I think it's just jealousy. Having a gift for melody is nothing to turn your nose up over. And again, I think Lennon really knew that deep down. Sour grapes.

I have just written in another thread that the song I Am The Walrus appeals to you more the more you listen to it. It gets into your head and sticks there and becomes your obsession. I know a lot of people who admit to their surprise that the greatest Beatles` song for them now is Walrus!

Quoted from Jane

I have just written in another thread that the song I Am The Walrus appeals to you more the more you listen to it. It gets into your head and sticks there and becomes your obsession. I know a lot of people who admit to their surprise that the greatest Beatles` song for them now is Walrus!

I LOVE I Am the Walrus, but I think Hello Goodbye is a bit more accessible to non-Beatle fans. It's just pure pop. I was mainly addressing one of Lennon's bitter rants towards Paul's "lighter" side. I really think it was jealousy on some level. Has Paul ever criticized a Lennon song? That would be interesting to know. I have no idea.

I think you can read Hello Goodbye in different ways. Recently I've begun thinking about it as being sung from the point of a view of a guy who can't accept that his girl is leaving him. On the other hand, maybe I'm overthinking it. nd as I've mentioned before, I have a strong dislike for I Am the Walrus.

In any case it doesn't deserve to be cheapened in this way.

I was sitting in the bank yesterday, having some funds transferred around, and I look up on the plasma TV the bank has on the wall and what do I see.........the Jonas Brothers doing "Hello/Goodbuy" for Target................sacrilege!!!!!

Quoted from DarkSweetLady

I saw one comercial with the Jonas Brothers singing Hello Goodbye for a Target commercial, that I wasn't to fond about.  

Yeah, that just adds insult to injury. Jonas Brothers are NOT the next Beatles! Kids at my school keep saying "Oh, they're just the second Beatles" What are they talking about??? They are not anything like them, save for the fact that loads of young girls have crushes on one (or more) of them. I feel like one of my older teachers when I tell them that the JB are
NOTHING like the Beatles. What the HELL has the world come to? (bigeyes2)

I don't really have a problem with it, but the jonas brother singing "hello goodbuy" i REALLY do. The Beatles are ROCK N ROLL, a genre dedicated to rebellion and anti-capitalism and this is what it's being used for. Target and the Jonas brothers are the two biggest faces of what the Beatles didn't like, IMO.

Plus it just makes me mad when whenever you sing Hello, Goodbye now some kid will say "That's FROM a commericial!!" NO. It's not FROM a commericial.  >:(

Eww! There's a new Target commercial where they RAP Hello Goodbye. Rap. They turned a Beatles song into a rap song!
Someone make a petition with me!

^^^^^I know.  I heard that and just about threw-up...............ewwwwww..............

*bludgeons self with mallet to shake idea of Jonas Brothers and Rap versions of Hello Goodbye out of head*

Quoted from Mairi

*bludgeons self with mallet to shake idea of Jonas Brothers and Rap versions of Hello Goodbye out of head*

I'm right there with you.  It's like the Jonas Brothers... REALLY????  You have to admit, they're the most popular thing since sliced bread to the tween demographic but COME ON!  Beatles DO NOT equal JB, in fact The Beatles >>>> the Jonas Brothers and the Joans Brothers are about equal to a rap version of Hello Goodbye (which I have still yet to hear but I'm sure that I'll be bludgering myself with a mallet too!)

I have not seen the new rap version of the commercial and cannot find it on YouTube.  If anyone can find a video, could you please post it?  And yes, I should know better than asking for this, but I'm curious to see how awful it is.  

The JB version is kind of annoying but I can at least sit through it.  I am glad tweens have found a band to love in JB but please, please don't compare them to the Beatles.   :-/ :o

i havent heard that new version yet, either. i wonder if i will be able to live through hearing it. and the other day, i heard With A Little Help From My Friends used in a commercial for a hotel! i was yelling a the TV and my dad, at the same time, trying to make it stop and trying to figure out what it was, and why it was.

I think there's not much wrong with using Beatles songs in commercials.

Quoted from Bobber

I think there's not much wrong with using Beatles songs in commercials.

no, they just shouldn't have crappy singers singing them!

Mairi, can I borrow your mallet? I haven't heard the rap version yet. Hearing that they made Hello Goodbye into rap almost sent me into a fit of tears. (cry4)(cry3). Now, if they have Jonas Brothers rapping Hello Goodbye, then I get to vomit as well! Yay! (barf4)(cry3)
Freakchic, put me on your petition!