There was a time when Blur would have sneered in the face of corporate sellouts. But the newly-reunited Britpoppers are the latest in a recent flurry of acts to flog a portion of their livelihood to 'the man.' In this case, 'the man' is British Gas.
Last night, Blur's 1995 hit The Universal soundtracked a new British Gas TV commercial. Like the song, the ad is set in the future, where presumably, gas (like the universal) is free. "It really, really, really, could happen?".
Protest songs?
It was only last month that we witnessed the whoring of Bob Dylan's seminal protest classic Blowin' In The Wind for The Co-operative's collection of food shops, funeral homes and financial services. Not to mention Smashing Pumpkins' Super Bowl preview in a Hyundai Coupe. And let's not even talk about Iggy Pop.
Of course, the right advertising campaign can launch an artist into superstardom - remember Jose Gonzales's bouncing Sony balls? But unless another Blur Best Of is on the cards, a 14-year-old track doesn't exactly need the exposure.
You'll be pleased to know, however, that MusicRadar has figured out what's driving the recent spate: money. After all, we can't all be Madonna.
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