New lyrics and stress

Sorry, I’ve got to get this out there as it’s been bugging me for years.

Using old songs in advertising is nothing new and I don’t have a problem with it. In fact, I’d prefer advertisers to use any real or original song, but I accept there’s a cost implication of using a well-known track. However, I do take issue with copywriters attempting to rewrite lyrics and making a mess of it.

Morrisons have been using the Mexican Hat Dance as their music for years. Listen carefully and you’ll hear that the last line of the tune has nine notes, with the stresses on the third, sixth and final notes. The phrase “More reasons to shop at Morrisons” has nine syllables, so you might think it would be a perfect fit. No. Its natural stresses are on the second, fifth and seventh syllables. That’s why the last line of the ad always sounds so painful and forced. Well, it does to me, and that’s what I take away from the ad. Pain. Any potential supermarket savings are forgotten.

Rewriting lyrics is tricky stuff. Your new words not only have to rhyme, they have to scan, too. “And we’ll show you some great ways to save” would fit better with the Morrisons’ tune. (You can have that for free.) Plus, they have to tell your new story (otherwise, why are you rewriting them?) and there really should be some connection with your chosen song. ‘Flash’ for Flash? Of course.

So, if you ever find yourself having to fit five syllables of messaging into two notes of song, you should probably hit delete. You’d be better off writing something new. The Katy Perry Just Eat ad is a good example. Clever lyrics and multiple rhymes that never seem awkward.

Also, there’s messing with the tune, an equally horrible crime in my book. A few years ago, the AA used Carole King’s “You’ve got a friend”. Great song, a classic, and the sentiment fits the brand’s message perfectly. But something very odd seems to have happened when they were putting the music track together. I suspect it was because they had to squeeze a verse and a chorus into one minute, but the solution appears to have been to cut out a beat or a half-beat at the end of each line (and a very odd time signature at the beginning), with the result that the next line comes in before you’re expecting it. To my ear it all sounds very strange and, given that this is an ad we’re talking about, worryingly distracting. Music can be edited sensitively and without drawing attention to itself.

There. Said it now. Feel better.