Thanks NBC for Ruining a Great Song

Like most networks, NBC is hurting for scripted programming. There are only so many dim-witted game shows hosted by washed-up comics you can foist upon the public without a major revolt. (I’m not looking forward to the live-action “Hungry Hippos” hosted by Rosanne… oh snap!) In a somewhat expected move, the network looked to where the teens and college kids watch TV and will broadcast an internet series called “Quarterlife” on prime time. Yawn.

Normally, I wouldn’t notice or care, but much to my horror I saw a commercial for the innocuous, 20-something series (that looks and feels a lot like a WB show with the same looking anorexic model types) and heard one of my all time favorite songs blasting over the silly, hipster dialogue. This really angered me.

The song is called “Pavement Tune” off the 1999 album “Dance The Devil” by The Frames and it rules. I thought this little pop-rock masterpiece was safe from the greedy hands of Hollywood, but I guess with the popularity of “Once” ― which starred the charming and talented front man of The Frames, Glen Hansard ― someone went through their back catalog and found a winner. Drat.

UPDATE: Glen Hansard just won an Oscar! Bully for him. All his songs are now fair game. “Dream Awake” will now be featured on the next Ambien ad. Jon’s Stewart’s “He is so arrogant!” line was the best ad-lib of the night.

Yes, I usually have a problem sharing something I hold dear (french fries, wine, deodorant…), but I have no problem with the world hearing this fabulous song. (I even played it on our podcast back in 2005.) I just hate the fact that it is now tied to a TV show, one that will probably be popular (read: no competition for at least a month). Televion sullies songs. Besides a nice royalty check for the band, nothing good will come of this.

I guess My So Called Life was the first show to feature a fairly obscure band I really liked when it played some Buffalo Tom (FYI, their greatest hits is tremendous) and that was fine. A few years later a Sebadoh song played at the end of a very special episode of Scrubs, I thought that was pretty cool too, but I saw where this was headed and I was concerned.

Fast forward a couple years, I get an email from Walt in the band Walking Concert promoting the news that one of their songs was to be featured on The O.C., I wasn’t shocked, even though they were a very indie band on a tiny label. The O.C. pretty much changed everything and made it acceptable to raid the pages of Pitchfork looking for the next big thing with no major label endorsement.

So, while none of these bands exploded into mega-stardom because of their 4 minutes of TV fame and I still enjoy the tunes, this Frames thing just doesn’t sit right. I am still not thrilled with my boys for the Emerald Isle being put in the same league as The Rembrants. The show will air and the song will be popular because it’s insanely catchy and emotional and has a killer hook, “Let me take you by the hand…”.

Mark McGrath and the dopes on those entertainment shows will tap their feet to it and discuss it, mainstream bloggers will embrace it and your local top forty station will play the shit out of it, sandwiched between a Fergie and Feist song, no doubt. This over-saturation will hurt me deeply and the song will not remain the same.

Don’t email me, I know: “You’re a snob and a whiny music twerp who just wants to prove he knew the song before it became public knowledge. Shut up!”

That may be true, but just remember my fellow music lovers, how bad it felt when your favorite song was commandeered and cheapened. Must I remind you The Buzzcocks’ “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” was used on that AARP commercial? Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

TAGS: Glen Hansard • NBC • Oscars • Quarterlife • The Frames • TV