I think a Brawny commercial is making me crazy. Tell me I'm not alone.

[paintedfire]

Have you seen the Brawny paper towel commercial that animates their flannel-shirt wearing, bulging upper-arm muscled mascot to sing an altered version of Bill Withers' Lean on Me? If you haven't you can see it here.

That commercial makes me so angry every single time I see it. At first, I was hoping Bill Withers was dead (awful, I know), but he is not. So that means that Bill Withers probably authorized his song to be mangled in such a horrible, horrible way. I can't listen to the original now without seeing those terrifying littler lumberjacks in my head and I ended up having to take all my Bill Withers' off of my iPhone and out of iTunes. Just seeing the name fills me with this ridiculous fury, it's insane. I feel like a crazy woman, but I also feel justified. It's very disconcerting.

Please, please tell I'm not the only one who thinks this is musical blasphemy.

[lolar2]

The quirks of copyright law are such that Withers doesn't have to authorize someone else performing a version of his song. They do have to pay him for it if it isn't very altered, but if it is a flat-out parody (like Weird Al) then they don't have to pay. European countries have a concept called "moral rights" where he would have in fact had to authorize such a use of his song. And in the US, he-- or rather, his recording company, Sussex Records, who probably owns the rights to the recording-- would have to authorize the use of the actual original recording in a commercial. But in the US, a songwriter does not have the right to prevent anyone else from performing his or her song; only to be paid for it. This is called "compulsory licensing." Otherwise cover bands wouldn't exist.

[paintedfire]

Originally Posted by lolar2

The quirks of copyright law are such that Withers doesn't have to authorize someone else performing a version of his song. They do have to pay him for it if it isn't very altered, but if it is a flat-out parody (like Weird Al) then they don't have to pay. European countries have a concept called "moral rights" where he would have in fact had to authorize such a use of his song. And in the US, he-- or rather, his recording company, Sussex Records, who probably owns the rights to the recording-- would have to authorize the use of the actual original recording in a commercial. But in the US, a songwriter does not have the right to prevent anyone else from performing his or her song; only to be paid for it. This is called "compulsory licensing." Otherwise cover bands wouldn't exist.

I'm a lawyer, so I know all these things intellectually despite getting my degree in England but it just bothers me way more than I know it should. It's only changed a tiny, tiny bit. In fact, it even starts out with his voice and then the creepy lumberjacks join in. And unless I'm crazy (which as I said before is completely a possibility) it is him singing the very beginning with a slightly altered lyric, which leads me to believe that he authorized it if he is in fact participating it.

I feel the need to scream now, but I doubt the other people on the subway would appreciate it.

[HappyMommy2]

That commercial gives me the creeps too. It is SO wrong!!

[lolar2]

Originally Posted by paintedfire

I'm a lawyer, so I know all these things intellectually despite getting my degree in England but it just bothers me way more than I know it should. It's only changed a tiny, tiny bit. In fact, it even starts out with his voice and then the creepy lumberjacks join in. And unless I'm crazy (which as I said before is completely a possibility) it is him singing the very beginning with a slightly altered lyric, which leads me to believe that he authorized it if he is in fact participating it.

I feel the need to scream now, but I doubt the other people on the subway would appreciate it.

Nah, it probably isn't him-- it's probably a sound-alike. They are much cheaper in all kinds of ways.

Do you think maybe it bothers you so much partly because you got your degree in England? DH got his master's in music composition in England, and was kind of disappointed when he went for his doctorate in the US and found out he wouldn't have moral rights here.

[paintedfire]

Originally Posted by HappyMommy2

That commercial gives me the creeps too. It is SO wrong!!

THANK YOU! It's so wrong on so many levels that I have a hard time not EXPLODING any time I see it.

Thank God I'm not alone.

Bless you, my child.

Originally Posted by lolar2

Do you think maybe it bothers you so much partly because you got your degree in England? DH got his master's in music composition in England, and was kind of disappointed when he went for his doctorate in the US and found out he wouldn't have moral rights here.

Eh. I took some pre-law courses in college and can recite the constitution on the spot so I'm not disillusioned about the differences between the UK (and most of Europe, really) and the Untied States.

It's not the law side of me that's bothered at all. You could take my feelings about copyright and buying songs to advertise products completely out of the situation and it would still grate at me.

As HappyMommy2 said, it just gives me the creeps. Period.

Also I'm a red-headed, Irish, Leo so it takes very little to get up temper up and running. In addition, the way in which I most resemble my Dad is the righteous indignation that roars up inside of me without so much as a warning. I'm a Socialist idealistically, but a Democratic by necessity seeing as we can't seem to get a viable third party in this country (that's a totally different rant, though) and my Dad is a conservative Republican so when we get together and politics comes up everyone else in the family leaves the room.

It goes something like this: Whole family: and , Whoever brings politics up this time: , Everyone else: , Us: , My Dad: , Me: . The End.

(Thanks, folks! Be sure to tip your waitresses.)

It's just bothered me ever since the first time I saw it a few months ago, and I have found in the past month that this is pretty much my favorite place to talk with people. I love it here and I want to thank you for your input. I love debate - that's pretty much why I became a lawyer and it's great to have intelligent ones with people who think about life along the same lines as I do. I've said before, but I'll say it again: I should have come here a lot sooner.

Thanks.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Soooo, why does it bother everyone? Its annoying, I will admit. I havent seen it before, and wouldnt want to see it again. But I dont get the anger.

Now, a commercial that makes me DAMN ANGRY is that STOOOOPID easytone reebok commercial. OH YEA!!!! Just wearing sneakers is going to get rid of my cottage cheese legs and an ass like Jennifer Lopez. So shove all these twiggy girls asses in my face please, so I can vommit some more. .

[echospiritwarrior]

I'm with you on the Brawny commercial, Gina and you really made me about the Reebok ad which I haven't seen either.

[lolar2]

Well, in any case-- as I said-- it's probably a sound-alike, not him, and not authorized by him.

[paintedfire]

Originally Posted by Barbie64g

Soooo, why does it bother everyone? Its annoying, I will admit. I havent seen it before, and wouldnt want to see it again. But I dont get the anger.

Now, a commercial that makes me DAMN ANGRY is that STOOOOPID easytone reebok commercial. OH YEA!!!! Just wearing sneakers is going to get rid of my cottage cheese legs and an ass like Jennifer Lopez. So shove all these twiggy girls asses in my face please, so I can vommit some more. .

Music is like my life blood. It's been like that my entire life. I need music and I need books. That's it. I LOVE music with all my heart and soul. Certain songs make me cry every time I hear them and I'm not much of a crier. So when something like this happens - a song I love is mangled, a favorite book is made into an awful movie - it hurts me perhaps more than it should. The angry comes from a very loving, committed place if that helps any.

Oh, and don't get me started on ads like that, especially informercials. I'm pretty certain there's a special level of hell for the people who make those. I hate that Reebok commercial too, by the way. Also a similar one by Sketchers with Joe Montana hocking the shoes as the best workout he's ever gotten - even better than playing pro football all those years. Gag me with a spoon. :Puke

Some of my most hated informercials (I thought you might get a kick out of the disbelief they induce):

1. Talk about hideous. I present to you the BumpIts. I've been seeing this one forever, so I'm sure you guys have too, but I just had to include it.

2. Another I'm sure you've seen - the Snuggie. I have only one thing to say about this: no one should do the cabbage patch, but white guys especially shouldn't. It's one of the unwritten rules of the universe. I didn't like the thing before, but that new commercial sealed it for me.

3. There's the EZ Cracker which is stupid enough (who in the world cracks an egg by SLAMMING it against the counter? Duh that's it's gonna be messy.) but if you wait until the end of the clip you'll see something even more horrifying.

4. Booty Pop Panties. Enough said.

Originally Posted by echospiritwarrior

I'm with you on the Brawny commercial, Gina and you really made me about the Reebok ad which I haven't seen either.

Thank you! I knew there had to be more of our kind out there somewhere.

Originally Posted by lolar2

Well, in any case-- as I said-- it's probably a sound-alike, not him, and not authorized by him.

I'm sure you're right about the sound-alike. I'm not sure about the authorization. I'd like to believe he wouldn't go along with something like this but I can't find any direct information on who owns the rights to his catalog.

In any case, I just don't think that songs that have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame should be allowed to be bastardized in such a fashion. It's haunting me!


TO ALL: By the way everyone, I went searching and found this. Another person creeped out by the commercials. Also, they made the miss the old Brawny guy and his mustache before they made this new metro-sexual one.

I also found a forum specifically about commercials that people can't stand. PM me if you want the link. Their discussion speaks straight to my heart.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

OK, then. While we are at it.....

VICTORIA"S SECRET ADS!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH. Im a size 4-6, and those commercials drive me up the wall!!!!!!! SERIOUSLY. There is no need to show a bunch of stick figures prancing around in their underwear with their ribs sticking out, their perfect tans, toned legs, and BEAUTIFUL hair. The only thing that makes me feel better after seeing those is knowing none of those girls have eaten in a month, the tan is either sprayed on, or they will die of skin cancer before reaching 35, and the hair is more then likely fake (Since they dont eat, it prolly all fell out!)

I have seen a commercial with a totally averag, normal sized girl running around having the most fun with a giant smile on her face (Is it a hanes bra commercial or something?) and I just want to yell,"YOU GO GIRL!!!!" to the TV.

[Thalia the Muse]

Have you seen the Lane Bryant lingerie commercial that the networks refused to run? That girl is HOT (and also has beautiful hair, sorry. What is so bad about beautiful hair?).

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

I dont have beautiful hair like that, and get painfully jealous when its attached to drop dead gorgreous women. LOL

ETA, what I was so dumbfounded about that whole situation was that ABC wouldnt run THAT commercial. But they run the VS ads with no problem, and dont even get me started on the outfits those dancers wear on DWTS!!! Those girls are half naked most of the time, sometimes they look like they are humping on stage!

[paintedfire]

Originally Posted by Barbie64g

OK, then. While we are at it.....

VICTORIA"S SECRET ADS!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH. Im a size 4-6, and those commercials drive me up the wall!!!!!!! SERIOUSLY. There is no need to show a bunch of stick figures prancing around in their underwear with their ribs sticking out, their perfect tans, toned legs, and BEAUTIFUL hair. The only thing that makes me feel better after seeing those is knowing none of those girls have eaten in a month, the tan is either sprayed on, or they will die of skin cancer before reaching 35, and the hair is more then likely fake (Since they dont eat, it prolly all fell out!)

I have seen a commercial with a totally averag, normal sized girl running around having the most fun with a giant smile on her face (Is it a hanes bra commercial or something?) and I just want to yell, "YOU GO GIRL!!!!" to the TV.

The commercial you mention at the end could either be Hanes or Playtex. I can't remember which. There's also another bra commercial with a bunch of different women all talking to the camera, confessional style, about how much they love their supportive new bras. They all range in sizes, colors, and ages. I like that one.

I generally dislike any and all lingerie commercials. I'm one of those people who feels like those things are private. Also, while you envy their hair I envy how tall they are. I'm 5' even, so every item of clothing I buy has to be altered in some way. All the smallest sizes are gone first so that makes it even harder. Jeans are a nightmare. I have a pair of capri sweatpants from when I was about thirteen that still fit exactly the way they did when I first got them - you'd never know that they were capri pants. I'm convinced that being so sick my whole life stunted my growth. My medical file from my pediatrician shows that I was put on antibiotics 327 times from the time I was five until I was seventeen. It's no wonder my teeth starting falling out of my mouth as a teenager.

Originally Posted by Thalia the Muse

Have you seen the Lane Bryant lingerie commercial that the networks refused to run? That girl is HOT.

Because seeing a beautiful - but larger - woman would destroy the every PR company in the country go-to plan when try to sell something: scantily clad young girls who barely look old enough to work full set days. Toothpaste? Half-naked women. Batteries? A woman covered only by a bed sheet. Sex sells, baby.

Originally Posted by Barbie64g

I dont have beautiful hair like that, and get painfully jealous when its attached to drop dead gorgreous women. LOL

ETA, what I was so dumbfounded about that whole situation was that ABC wouldnt run THAT commercial. But they run the VS ads with no problem, and dont even get me started on the outfits those dancers wear on DWTS!!! Those girls are half naked most of the time, sometimes they look like they are humping on stage!

I'm sure if we should ever meet, Gina. I have been growing my hair out for years now. Think Keri Russell before she chopped her hair off on Felicity and started straightening it when it got longer after the show was over. Except red. Amy Adams red. Isla Fisher red. Except my hair is naturally this color. I HATED it when I was a kid, and kept cutting it all off as a teen and during my early twenties. I had straighteners done a few times back then, but I'm lazy when it comes to beauty. Like this time, I didn't decide to grow it out so much as I just kept forgetting to get a hair cut.

In curls (TIGHT curls) it's over halfway down my back, the longest it's ever been in my life.

I wouldn't know about the Dancing with the Stars outfits (I've never seen a single episode) but my Mom is completely obsessed with ballroom dancing so I've been dragged to more than my fair share of exhibitions and competitions. The costumes are very revealing, but the gaudiness of it all is what gets to me the most. They're hideous! Bleh. That and Cirque du Soleil. I don't mind the Cirque du Soleil one all that much, other than the fact that I always get very anxious for the performers. I sit in my seat, gripping the edges, eyes squeezed tight, saying soft prayers under my breath that no one will fall and break their neck in front me.

[lolar2]

But if they used a soundalike and performed the altered song and it was all done as a "cover", basically, under compulsory licensing, how could he have authorized it? Or rather, why would they even have bothered to seek his authorization, rather than just do it and send him or his company a check? I really doubt he even heard about it before the commercial came out.

[emnic77]

Originally Posted by paintedfire

1. Talk about hideous. I present to you the BumpIts. I've been seeing this one forever, so I'm sure you guys have too, but I just had to include it.

2. Another I'm sure you've seen - the Snuggie. I have only one thing to say about this: no one should do the cabbage patch, but white guys especially shouldn't. It's one of the unwritten rules of the universe. I didn't like the thing before, but that new commercial sealed it for me.

3. There's the EZ Cracker which is stupid enough (who in the world cracks an egg by SLAMMING it against the counter? Duh that's it's gonna be messy.) but if you wait until the end of the clip you'll see something even more horrifying.

4. Booty Pop Panties. Enough said.

These are awesome. I love infomercials, where they would have you believe that most of the general public struggles at life ("omg, blankets are SO HARD!!1!").

[WeasleyMum]

Originally Posted by emnic77

These are awesome. I love infomercials, where they would have you believe that most of the general public struggles at life ("omg, blankets are SO HARD!!!").

Exactly. Every infomercial seems to start out with the premise that some very ordinary task (e.g. cutting vegetables with a knife) is really, incredibly difficult. They show some fool "trying" to, say, cut up a cucumber on a cutting board and making a terrible mess of it. DH always finds me yelling at the TV, "It is NOT THAT HARD TO MAKE TOAST!!!" or similar.

[Teensy]

Boy this thread has made me thankful for my Tivo!

[paintedfire]

Originally Posted by emnic77

These are awesome. I love infomercials, where they would have you believe that most of the general public struggles at life ("omg, blankets are SO HARD!!1!").

Hey, maybe they do! Maybe we're the moronity and the majority do struggle in such basic way. I very much doubt it, though.

Originally Posted by WeasleyMum

Exactly. Every infomercial seems to start out with the premise that some very ordinary task (e.g. cutting vegetables with a knife) is really, incredibly difficult. They show some fool "trying" to, say, cut up a cucumber on a cutting board and making a terrible mess of it. DH always finds me yelling at the TV, "It is NOT THAT HARD TO MAKE TOAST!!!" or similar.

That's exactly what I do! When Billy Mays died I foolishly thought I wouldn't ever have to see him hocking OxyClean again. I realized the second after that popped into my head that maybe that wasn't the greatest thing to put out into the universe - I just couldn't help it. Although, I haven't seen him on TV for a while now. It seems like that British guy got all his contracts.

Originally Posted by Teensy

Boy this thread has made me thankful for my Tivo!

I got TiVo, too, and I am ever so grateful for it, but sometimes the remote falls on the floor and I'm wrapped up in my blanket - so much work.

Hey, I think there's an idea there . . .