Music

Best Music Complaint Letter Ever

Alan Cross 3 Comments

Once upon a time, popular songs were never, ever used in advertising.  EVER.  But in the spring of 1987, we turned on the TV to hear the Beatles’ “Revolution” used in a commercial for Nike. If you’ve never seen it, it went like this:

‘Course, the Beatles had nothing to do with this.  By this time, Michael Jackson had purchased a big chunk of the Beatles catalogue (outbidding Paul McCartney) and his people were responsible for cutting the deal with Nike.

People freaked out.  Back then, NO ONE would be crass enough to allow their music to sell something. “It was the corruption of art, man! John Lennon’s call for revolution is being used to sell shoes!”

The Beatles sued.  The case was settled out of court and the ad was withdrawn.

But hanging in a Nike executive office somewhere is this complaint letter.  It is a classic for all time.  (For a transcript that’s easier to read, go to Letters of Note.)

 

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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3 thoughts on “Best Music Complaint Letter Ever”

  • Letter writer definitely gets some points for incorporating Monty Python's Argument Sketch.

    Reply

  • Meh! Two different flavors of capitalism. One sells shoes the other sells music.

    Reply

  • Taking John's point a bit further, compare this to the recent spate of car commercials featuring current songs – Bruno Mars, Foster the People, and Neon Trees come to mind. At what point does marketing exposure turn into saturation and resentment?

    Reply

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