Rockin’ Super Bowl Ads
Last night, amid Beyoncé’s momentous halftime show, a bizarre power outage and the Baltimore Ravens being crowned Super Bowl champions, there were some amazing commercials. Per usual, the new crop of ads featured tunes (and appearances) from some of our favorite musicians, including Stevie Wonder, the Flaming Lips and Stevie Nicks. But we don’t blame you if you were too busy downing chips and dip to catch all the ads. Just in case, we're running down the best of last night's music-focused commercials.
By Dan Hyman
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Usher in Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Soul’
If there's any truth to the "Sympathy for the Devil"-soundtracked ad for the new Mercedes-Benz CLA, a hot ride will not only lead to a red carpet soiree with supermodel Kate Upton, but also a jovial dance-off with none other than Usher.
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Psy in Wonderful Pistachio’s ‘Psy Get Crackin”
Just when it appeared the "Gangnam Style" craze had subsided, Korean star Psy lands a gig repping pistachios. (FYI: Snooki also held this honor.) There’s Psy donning a green blazer, busting out his trademark horsey-dance and yelling "Hey, crack your nuts now!" We approve.
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Chet Faker’s cover of ‘No Diggity’ in Beck’s Sapphire’s ‘Serenade’
Australian soul singer Chet Faker drops a super-slick cover of Blackstreet's 1996 classic "No Diggity" in this ad for Beck's Sapphire. The Aussie, signed to Downtown Records, is set to drop his debut album later this year.
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Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’ in Budweiser’s ‘Brotherhood’
In the annual Budweiser Clydesdale ad, Stevie Nicks provides musical accompaniment for a man-horse love affair with the always-tender Fleetwood Mac ballad "Landslide." Hey, it’s never too late for firsts.
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Peter Bjorn and John/The SoHo Dolls in Budweiser’s ‘Black Crown Coronation’
Budweiser’s two ads for their new amber ale, Black Crown, featured seriously sweet backing tracks courtesy of Peter Bjorn and John ("Second Chance") and the SoHo Dolls ("Stripper"). Cue discography exploration!
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The Flaming Lips in Hyundai’s ‘Epic Playdate’
You’re not hallucinating: that's in fact Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips rocking out on a rooftop in the new Hyundai Santa Fe ad. The Oklahoma psych-rockers constructed a brand-new tune, "Sun Blows Up Today," exclusively for this commercial. Coyne gets major screen-time: the freaky singer escorts a family on an "epic playdate" that includes a visit to an ostrich farm and a stroll in his trademark inflatable ball.
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Jimmy Cliff in Volkswagen’s ‘Get In. Get Happy’
Jimmy Cliff follows last year's superb Rebirth by putting a reggae spin on The Partridge Family theme song, "C'mon, Get Happy," for a new Volkswagen ad. Oh yes, the commercial also features a white dude from Minnesota who speaks patois. No comment.
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Meat Loaf in M&M’s ‘Love Ballad’
Say you're a male M&M and Glee's Naya Rivera is seducing you-slash-shoving you into an oven with a pretzel. Naturally, the best ballad to croon while sitting at a piano is Meat Loaf's 1993 classic, "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)."
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ZZ Top in Doritos’ ‘Goat 4 Sale’
It's (surprisingly) quite amusing to watch a goat devour multiple bags of Doritos onscreen. But it’s even better to watch said goat do so as the gnarly riff to ZZ Top’s "La Grange" rips beneath.
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Skee-Lo in Toyota’s ‘Wish Granted’
Toyota pulled double-duty in their new ad for the Rav 4: not only did 8 Simple Rules' Kale Cuoco appear as a crazy genie granting ridiculous wishes, but Skee-Lo's Nineties hip-hop anthem "I Wish" soundtracked the madness.
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Stevie Wonder in Bud Light’s ‘Journey’
Feel free to add voodoo to Stevie Wonder’s laundry list of talents. The Hall of Fame musician sported a white top hat and a menacing cackle to his own "Superstition," all while giving desperate football fans creepy hope in the new Bud Light ad.
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Sam and Dave in ‘Morning Run’
In a new milk ad, the Rock is in mad pursuit of precious protein, but far too busy doing so to save the world. More importantly, legendary R&B duo Sam & Dave give the big man some musical motivation with their timeless single "Hold On, I'm Coming."
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Fun. in Taco Bell’s ‘Viva Young’
Last year, Fun. scored big when "We Are Young" was featured in a prominent Chevy ad. Call this round two: Taco Bell featured a Spanish version of the Grammy-nominated crew's breakout song for an ad that might as well be titled "Senior Citizens Gone Wild." (ICYMI: a Spanish version of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" was featured in a separate Taco Bell ad).