Diet Coke vs. Pharrell Williams

Occasionally on the site I post some advertisements that bear a striking resemblance to current pop songs (See The Black Keys vs. Pizza Hut and Home Depot and The Strokes vs. Pizza Hut). In one case the original artist even turned down an offer and the brand proceeded to write a soundalike (See Beach House vs. Volkswagen).  The other day I was watching a Diet Coke commercial and it immediately reminded me of Pharrell Williams‘ “Happy”. I found the Diet Coke ad on YouTube and the songwriter Garen Gueyikian even appears in the comments. I’m sure he’s a good guy and this is a great gig. But hey, it’s gotta go on the site 😛

Pharrell Williams - "Happy" (2013)

 

UPDATE: 3/16/2015 I have searched far and wide for this commercial spot but it looks like it has been completely removed from the internet. Coincidence?

UPDATE: 6/16/2015 Special thanks to Daniel in the comments for tracking down the Diet Coke ad. Here is the full audio of this ad:

Garen Gueyikian - "Diet Coke Just for the Taste of It TV Commercial" (2014)

Click here for more Advertisement Soundalikes

 

Beastie Boys vs. GoldieBlox

Beastie Boys threaten to sue toy company GoldieBlox for copyright infringmenent

(There is no shortage of photos of Beastie Boys going “wuhhhhhh??!!”)

UPDATE 2/1/2014: It looks like GoldieBlox pulled the original music and replaced it with something different. I wish I saved the original. Some more info on BusinessWeek.com

The Beastie Boys are threatening startup toy maker GoldieBlox with a copyright infringement suit. Once again, the fine line of fair use and parody. I generally don’t voice my own opinion on these and just present the music but I’m a little torn here. Here are some thoughts:

1. This is a commercial for company and their products. It is not a couple of kids posting a cover song on YouTube (even then, I’m not even sure how that legally works if you are monetizing. I’m sure there is a 3,000 page document somewhere.)

2. If the Beastie Boys never became who they are and were currently pumping gas or spending their time making websites like this they would certainly want to be rewarded for the use of their song in this ad.

The ad is great and GoldieBlox seems like a great idea so kudos to the filmmakers – mission accomplished. Views on the OK Go inspired Rube Goldberg Machine video are nearing 8 Million as of this posting. GoldieBlox describes themselves as “…a toy company out to show the world that girls deserve more choices than dolls and princesses. We believe that femininity is strong and girls will build the future — literally.”

The surviving members of the Beastie Boys have since threatened the company with a copyright infringement suit, saying that it is not fair use, as GoldieBlox state. In legal documents the company defends itself by writing: “GoldieBlox created its parody video with specific goals to make fun of the Beastie Boys song, and to further the company’s goal to break down gender stereotypes and to encourage young girls to engage in activities that challenge their intellect, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. The GoldieBlox ‘Girls’ Parody Video has gone viral on the Internet, and has been recognized by the press and the public as a parody and criticism of the original song. –  from “Beastie Boys accuse viral video creators of copyright infringement” on NME

And here ya go:

GoldieBlox

Beastie Boys – “Girls” (1986)

 

For more Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys – “Paul Revere” (1986) vs. Kia Shine – “Krispy” (2007)

Click here for more copyright infringement cases on ThatSongSoundsLike.com

Mahindra vs. The Cranberries vs. Filter vs. Laura Branigan vs. P.O.D.

Mahindra Logo on ThatSongsoundsLike Live Young Live Free

@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”

Filter - "Hey Man, Nice Shot" (1995)

“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.”

Laura Branigan - "You Take My Self Control" (1984)

“At around :50 we’ll get in to that Cranberries thing. It’s real emotional.”

The Cranberries - "Zombie" (1994)

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!

P.O.D. - "Youth of the Nation (Intro)" (2001)
P.O.D. - "Youth of the Nation (Chorus)" (2001)

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?