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Top 10 Songs in Beer Commercials

Posted by Ciaran Thompson

Pat LaCroix, The Image Bank

Music and beer have always complimented each other, be it making the tunes sound better or the lager taste, uh, tastier. Hence the reason why so many beer companies ditch the humorous approach in their ads and go straight for songs they believe will encourage the buyer to pick up their brand the next time they're jonesing for a bottle of party suds. So let's salute the best music in beer commercials. Crack open a cold one, and check out our countdown.

10. 'Chelsea Dagger' -- The Fratellis

Even though the Fratellis are currently on indefinite hiatus after 2008's 'Here We Stand' you can still capture the drunken and adventurous spirit of their music through the song 'Chelsea Dagger' which appeared in this beer ad for Amstel Light. Its anthemic 'doo-doo-doos' coupled with the twisty nature of the Amsterdam natives makes this commercial light and frothy.

9. 'The Next Level' -- Dr. Dre

Leave it to Pharrell Williams, Quincy Jones and two of hip-hop's biggest stars to get the party started right. The story behind this instrumental number by Dr. Dre is that he made it exclusively for Coors Light but later added his and Snoop Dogg's vocals for a remix. In this ad, the laidback rapper and legendary producer take a ride on a tour bus filled with lovely ladies to, you guessed it, 'The Next Level."

8. 'I Want You' -- Bob Dylan

It's a great thing that Bob Dylan rescinded his past views on song placement in 2009, as he provides the endearing soundtrack to a modern Woody Guthrie-esque figure traveling by land, sea and air to find a person to share a bottle of beer with in this ad by Dutch company Grolsh. We'll never know why the reclusive singer had a change of heart -- and also decided to let The Co-operative and Pepsi use his music -- but it sure makes ads more enjoyable. We'll happily drink a beer in your honour, Bob.

7. 'Galvanize' -- The Chemical Brothers

The Chemical Brothers' 'Galvanize' won the Grammy Award for 'Best Dance Recording' in February of 2006, the same month it was used in an commercial for Budweiser, proving they've come a long way since the infamous Frog ads. This one has the beer logo popping up on everything from a woman's ripped jeans to the city skyline -- and despite it's randomness, the art direction actually compliments the electronic duo's club banger nicely.

6. 'Young Blood' -- The Naked and Famous

New Zealand's the Naked and Famous licensed their 'Young Blood' single to Strongbow just as it debuted at No. 1 on the singles chart in their homeland. The track was also used for TV shows like 'Chuck,' 'Gossip Girl,' and 'Covert Affairs' as well as being featured in the trailer for the recent Disney flick 'Prom.' Needless to say, it's given the band some good press and probably a few dozen cases of delicious cider.

5. 'Turn Me Loose' -- Loverboy

1980s band and Canadian Music Hall of Famers Loverboy are best known for 'Working for the Weekend' and 'Turn Me Loose,' both of which are anthems that have been belted out by buddies on countless bar stools. Labatt Blue picked up on those hilarious arena rock moments and turned it into a commercial presenting two Canadians paying tribute to their fellow Alberta brothers -- but it seems one of them failed to do their homework.

4. 'It's Your Voodoo Working' -- Charles Sheffield

R&B singer Charles Sheffield -- formerly Mad Dog Sheffield -- released 'It's Your Voodoo Working' on Nashville's Excello Records in 1961, and it's remained his most popular song. Singapore's Tiger Beer revives the classic here with some impressive visual accompaniment, pulling off a stellar ad campaign in the process. We'll cheers to that!

3. 'Happy Together' -- The Turtles

'Happy Together' has been used in ads for everything from Florida Orange Juice and Golden Grahams to Burger King and the NFL. But it was the commercial for Heineken starring actress Jennifer Aniston that landed the beer company in a sticky situation. Apparently the suggestive spot was considered a little too racy for North American audiences so was only shown overseas. Whatever your opinion, it's hard not to smile at Aniston's reaction when she gets passed over for a pair of Heinekens.

2. 'Wicked Game' -- Chris Isaak

Here's another funny one compliments of Heineken using Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game' from his third album, 'Heart Shaped World,' released in 1989. The video's story revolves around a man's desperate attempt to sip on his sweet brew before it's chilled temperature warms, proving that for some, it really is "all about the beer."

1. 'The Rhythm of Life' -- Sammy Davis Jr.

In the 1969 musical film 'Sweet Charity,' legendary singer Sammy Davis Jr. played the role of Big Daddy Brubeck and also contributed his vocals to one of the musical numbers entitled 'The Rhythm of Life.' Guinness used the song for their 2006 ad in which they trace the existence of man starting with three gentleman in a pub sipping the black stuff. It earned the Irish beer the Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival that year and is the perfect frothy top to our list.

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Mathew Hopkins

I just paid $ 24,31 for an iPad2-64GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic GF 1 Camera that we got for $ 34,26 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 42 inch L.E.D TV to my boss for $ 678 which only cost me $68,18 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, CentSpace.com

August 04 2011 at 8:58 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply