Seasonal Music Sellout

I've complained about how great songs are cheapened by use in commercials. Instead of conjuring up a unique image in your mind, the song is now tied to some product.

But it doesn't always have to be that way.

For instance, I love the songs people sing around Christmas, and since they're so widespread, it doesn't hurt them to be used in Christmas commercials as well.

But even fine non-seasonal songs can sometimes work out. When certain songs are mostly forgotten, it's nice to hear them again, and see them reintroduced into public awareness. For instance, I've always loved Fats Domino's "Whole Lotta Lovin'" but I haven't heard it anywhere in years, so it's nice to hear it again in a Kohl's commerical. It might even make some people go out and buy his greatest hits.

Then there are cases where cool new versions of songs are introduced. For instance, there's a great, acoustic-type cover of the Blondie-popularized "Hanging On The Telephone" in a current Cingular commercial. I don't think we'd have heard this version otherwise--I actually look forward to the commercial (though it makes me want to get the song, not the product).