The hills are alive with the sound musac

I love music. I think your life is always best when it is set to some form of music, your own personal soundtrack, as it were.

Depending on where you are or where music will always best define that moment long after the actual occasion…hopefully, in some cases, it can even enhance the memory or dim the pain of the time.

With that thought in mind, I am always a bit taken back by the choices made by advertisers and the music they choose. As an example, GM is using Rock-n-Roll classic to sell their American icons, the Chevrolet and the ‘Caddy.’

In the way old days, the theme song was “See the USA in your Chevrolet.”

Today, it is Led Zepplin and the Hollies. Let me be the first to say the Obvious, these are British bands. Duh!

Zepplin is best placed in my memory bank for other reasons other then cars. It is a memory of being 17 and emptying a Marlboro cigarette and repacking it with “grass”. It was my best friend, Ken, and I trying our first marijuana cigarette literally, since we were clueless on how one smoked this stuff.

The oddest choice of music for selling a car goes, hands down, to Toyota. They are actually using a jazzed up version of “What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor?”

In the 6th grade, my folks grudgingly bought me 2 Rock albums. One was the Brothers Four sing Lennon and McCartney (to this day I still can only sing “She Loves You” in a melodic 4 part harmony while wearing a cardigan sweater). The other Rock album was The Kingston Trio including such smash hits as “MTA”, “Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley”, and what do you do with afore mentioned drunken sailor.

I for one think Mothers Against Drunk Drivers should get all over Toyota’s collective misguided butts. (Of course, that might be a whole different article altogether.)

The other day, I heard that Gary Lewis and the Playboys would be playing at the Silver Reef Casino. I loved that the commercial that defined ‘Gary and the boys’ as one of the great bands from the mid-60s, not all of the 60’s mind you, just the mid-60’s.

Since that time, I have finished grade school, went onto high school, got a job and retired. And yet, Gary is till playing “This Diamond Ring”. Yikes!

One final note, as it were. I believe that Rap music has its roots in square dancing. Callers at a dance and a rapper have the same tone inflections.

Try it, you would be amazed.