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I mentioned a few entries ago that I'd been putting off this album. And here's one of the biggest reasons. There probably are other records in the series that I like less than this one, but thanks to its gruesomely long (and of course, quite recent) chart run, I don't think there's a single one I've less looked forward to making myself listen to. Nickelback are hardly easy to like at the best of times, but this terrible attempt at a comedy song is all the worse for its apparent desire to have it both ways; it wants to give the impression that it's mocking stereotyped images of rockstardom but it's also revelling in it. In some respects it resembles the insider's perspective of 'Money For Nothing' but at least that had a good riff, and gave some impression of having been made up quickly: this really wants to be taken seriously as very clever, and invites questions like "Actually, wouldn't it be easier for people to notice you'd made a mistake lipsynching than singing?" I asked an American what that bit about being bottom of the ninth meant: I think she said it was something to do with baseball. And then reminded me that Nickelback are from Canada.
People who watch commercial TV should be glad the advert got banned. My favourite thing about the Duffy record I mentioned earlier is that it prevented this from topping the chart.
And now I've written this post, I never need to listen to it again.
Also appearing on: Now 51, 56
Available on: All the Right Reasons: (Special Edition 2008) plus DVD
I didn't hear that the ad had been banned, but the sheer laziness of the idea surely deserves some form of public lynching.
ReplyDeleteGet a song that was undeniably popular, wait until it has reached multiple saturation over fifteen months after it was originally released, and then put it in an ad full of actors who'll never be able to live it down.
On top of that, according to the ASA report, not filming the ad on the actual products but superimposing them in Post production.