@adrena asks via twitter “Hey… can you help me identify what this track sounds like, Thanks!”
I believe I can!
It’s a 2012 ad for Indian based auto company Mahindra called “Live Young, Live Free”. Currently with over 4 million views on YouTube it must have struck a chord with a lot of people.
I immediately heard some similarities and really wanted to see what these all sounded like together.
This is how I imagine the song writing went down.
“Start it off with that alt 90’s Filter sound. Muddle it up a little with of that dubstep bass that the kids are listening to these days”
“We need a good hook. Lets try something like that ‘Woaaah oh oh’ song by Laura Branigan from the 80s. Change one note so we don’t get sued.”
“At around :50 we’ll get in to that Cranberries thing. It’s real emotional.”
Now put it all together!
UPDATE 2/7/2013:
Abhijit Shylanath notes in the comments below that “the beat+bass+guitar and chorus of kids reminds me of P.O.D.‘s ‘Youth of the Nation'” and I agree!
Also, if you’re into the whole “Live Young, Live Free” thing you might also like
One Direction “Live While We’re Young” (2012) vs. The Clash – “Should I Stay or Should I Go” (1982)
https://www.thatsongsoundslike.com/2013/01/22/the-clash-vs-one-direction/
You can also live life to the fullest with Kesha:
Ke$ha – “Die Young” (2012) vs. Flo Rida – “Good Feeling” (2011) vs. Taio Cruz – “Dynamite” (2010)
https://www.thatsongsoundslike.com/2013/01/08/kesha-vs-flo-rida/
Life. The fun never ends! What about songs for old people?
Wow, the similarities with the Laura Branigan song are BLATANT.
Dunno what you mean by the ‘alt 90’s Filter sound’. More like Soundgarden/Audioslave surely?
The beat+bass+guitar and chorus of kids reminds me of P.O.D’s ‘Youth of the Nation’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vq_WDf6NT0.
I compose music for ads in India myself, and a lot of the times we get ‘references’ that we are expected to blatantly imitate. I’m willing to bet that Youth of the Nation was the reference for this track. I’ve read about this happening in the US too (e.g. Ghostbusters).
Abhijit, That’s it! I think “Youth of the Nation” really sums it up. Good call. And yes, it is pretty common. Sometimes the actual artist is used but when they can’t seem to get them on board and have already sold the client on that sound they write their own.
Here are two great recent examples I wrote about:
Beach House vs. Volkswagen
https://www.thatsongsoundslike.com/2012/06/12/beach-house-vs-volkswagen/
The Black Keys vs. Pizza Hut and Home Depot and The Strokes vs. Pizza Hut
I’m pretty proud of my Photoshop work on this one 🙂
https://www.thatsongsoundslike.com/2012/06/22/the-black-keys-vs-pizza-hut-vs-the-strokes-vs-home-depot/
Thanks again, I updated the post accordingly.
Time to make another addition in the form of Sammy Hagar – Hands and Knees.
Wow! That’s an amazing addition. And Wow! The intro to this video is hilarious!
Of the copious amount of similarities posted, this has to be the most enjoyable of the lot.
Thanks Abhijit, Adrena and Keith.
Here’s one for you.
Avril Lavigne – The Best Damn Thing vs Jessica Mauboy – Gotcha vs Toni Basil – Mickey.
Laura Branigans’s “Self Control” is an interesting case. First of all it was actually a cover of an Italo Disco song (just like her other signature song “Gloria”) by Raf – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJml5mnFhY.
This was ripped off by Italo Disco act The Flirts (who may have got it from the source considering they were all out around the same time) in their song “Helpless” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=dGT_2vlRIPI#t=55s.
It was again ripped by Samantha Fox in her song “I Surrender (To the Spirit of the Night)”, she admitted to this in the liner notes of her Greatest Hits CD and said she told the producers she’d like a song like “Self Control”! – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR3Bonm7f0k
The guitarist for Stabbing Westward, Walter Flakus, was with Filter after SW broke up. The riff is the same in Hey Man Nice Shot as it is in SW’s song Ungod (which was released in 1994).
Cool, thanks for the info!