What's That Song in the Palm webOS Commercial?

Posted on Jun 15th 2010 4:00PM by Adam Horne
Comments

'Home,' Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Something about the feel-good folk of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros has put Alex Ebert's hippie collective squarely on the radar of the advertising world. The band's whimsical tunes have turned up on enough recent television commercials to ensure that even the most musically apathetic could still probably whistle along to a song or two.

The latest ad to feature the Zeros comes from smartphone manufacturer Palm. In the 30-second spot, a man walks into an airport while the whistled melody and driving, four-on-the-floor stomp of Edward Sharpe's 'Home' begins to play. The man flips through his phone with the assistance of some eye-popping effects, and viewers who look closely enough can catch a quick glimpse of the band's 'Up From Below' album cover underneath the title 'Edward Sharpe Radio.' Based on his e-mail and photos, we learn that the man has been apartment hunting, and the choice of song becomes clear.

Finally, the man makes a call to "Sophie" just in time for frontman Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos to kick off the jaunty chorus, singing "Home is wherever I'm with you." Before wandering off into the airport's bustling abyss, the man says the first and only line of dialogue in the commercial: "Hey babe, I think I found us a home," with a southern drawl befitting of the soundtrack's down-home country vibe.

Ebert, the one time Ima Robot frontman, has made waves in the indie music world as his hippie-from-space alter ego Edward Sharpe. Alongside his bandmates, who sometimes number up to nine, the Zeros play self-described "community music": sing-along folk that harks back to a time before ProTools and auto-tune. Songs like 'Home' and 'Janglin' have clearly resonated with advertisers, who placed the songs in a commercials for the Microsoft Kin and Ford Fiesta, to name a few. Most recently, the band won over new fans with an exuberant set at Bonnaroo despite some onstage technically issues.

Next: AT&T "Rethink Possible" Commercial

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Live on the Interface

Can't find that song from that commercial? Send the commercial, movie or TV show to us at whatsthatsong@aim.com.