Few things make you feel old instantly like hearing a song that was once cool in your younger years used in a television commercial that is decidedly not cool. Hearing these classic tracks in advertisements is a stark reminder that yes, that much time actually has passed since that song first came out.
Baby boomers have been on the receiving end of this reality check countless times, including every time they hear these classic 1960s cuts that they all knew before the songs appeared in commercials.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild” became an instant classic following its 1968 release. Many historians even credit it as the first heavy metal song, thanks to its pioneering mention of “heavy metal thunder.” It’s one of the defining songs of rock ‘n’ roll machismo and has influenced a wide range of bands. Since it came out, the Steppenwolf hit has also appeared in countless commercials, including for cars, motor oil, diet soda, and weather-proof floor mats.
“Help!” by The Beatles
Google, the same search engine that can tell you all about the song origins of “Help!” by The Beatles, also used this iconic Fab Four track to advertise itself on television. Other notable uses of this 1965 song include its first usage in 1985 for a Ford commercial. This marked the first time The Beatles’ music ever appeared in a television advertisement. It’s also the day every baby boomer alive sprouted three new gray hairs on their head.
“Happy Together” by The Turtles
The Turtles released “Happy Together” in 1967. The late 1960s release cemented its place among the signature Summer of Love songs that baby boomer hippies danced to across the country, and decades later, “Happy Together” has appeared in television commercials for everything from skincare products to ketchup to cars. Songwriters Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon would have had no way of knowing that their sunshiney love song would one day be used to illustrate the bond between French fries and ketchup.
“The Weight” by The Band
“The Weight” by The Band helped usher in an era of folk-rock that drew from country, the blues, and gospel. Just around 40 years later, baby boomers heard this song in a commercial for cell phone service providers. Just when they finally got over this first age-related assault in the early 2000s, the song reappeared in commercials for Budweiser and Best Western hotels. Canadian singer-songwriter Abigail Lapell performed the latter version.
Photo by Michael Webb/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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American country singer Johnny Cash (1932 – 2003) plays acoustic guitar in a still form his television series, 'The Johnny Cash Show,' circa 1969. (Photo by Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – 1965: Singer Mel Carter poses for a photo in 1965 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images) -
Canadian folk-rock singer and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot sings and plays acoustic guitar for the television concert series, 'Midnight Special,' 1970s. (Photo by Getty Images) -
ST. PAUL, MN – August 25: Alan Jackson plays acoustic guitar at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, Minnesota on August 25, 1995.(Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/GettyImages) -
Taste Of Honey at Soldier Field in Chicago Illinois , August 26, 1978. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
1970s one-hit wonder Norman Greenbaum -
The British singer Kate Bush poses for a photo shoot. Great Britain, 1980 (Photo by Angelo DeligioMondadori via Getty Images) -
American musician Stevie Nicks of the group Fleetwood Mac performs onstage at the Los Angeles Forum, Inglewood, California, December 6, 1979. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)