The unsubtle product placement at the beginning of Chris Brown's "Forever" video and the repetition of "double your pleasure, double your fun" in the lyrics should have been a hint that the chart-topping ditty was more than just a song, although I don't fault anyone for failing to guess that the song is actually an extended jingle paid for by Wrigley's. I mean, who knew?
Wrigley's came clean today about the annoying-as-hell song, which will soon be featured in 30-second commercials for the popular chewing gum.
First, Mr. Brown updated the jingle and recorded it with hip-hop producer Polow Da Don. Then, during the same Los Angeles recording sessions in February, paid for by Wrigley, Mr. Brown added new lyrics and made a 4½-minute rendition of the tune, titled "Forever."
In April, Mr. Brown's record label, Jive, released the song to radio stations and digital download services as a single. After the song became a hit, Jive added it to his 2007 album, "Exclusive," and re-released the album in June. "Forever" reached No. 4 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart last week.
Generally, I'm not mad when musicians and actors do what they've got to do to supplement their artistic careers. It's one thing for a musician to appear in a commercial for a product or to allow his or her song to be used to advertise a product; it's another to covertly release a song and wait until it has become extremely popular to mention that it also happens to be a paid advertisement. This campaign — conceived by Steve Stoute after market research showed that African American consumers were particularly fond of good ol' Wrigleys — just like Jermaine Dupri's new TAG Body Spray music label, is one of many recent signs that the music and advertising industries are permanently merging into one terrible institution. How do you guys feel about this?
FYI, Ne-Yo's soulful take on Big Red's "kiss a little longer" jingle is also coming soon to a radio near you. Now we'll know, at least.
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i just threw up in my mouth. i am so disgusted by all of this "marketing".
Wow… I had no clue. Damn advertising. I don't know about u guys, I like the song though. Well the vid sucks, but I like the song.
When dollar comes before artistic integrity, the music is dead.
OMG I KNEW IT!!!!
I was thinking this last week when I saw the video and put together that line "double your pleasure" with him popping the gum at the beginning of the vid!!! Man, I am a genius!!!
These people should hire me!
you are joking about Ne-yo, though. right?
What's with all of the crossed-out text?
@*M* - exactly!
I never listened to the song, cause I'm not a fan of Chris Brown's music just his dancing and this wack ish does not help. But I'm with "M", you know the music industry is a joke if advertisers are paying artist to write pop songs that are really extended jingles. Man and Neyo *sigh* I'm dissappointed. Has anyone looked up the definition of sell out lately? I did and I found these two pictured as examples of a sell out.
Okay, it makes sense. B/c I listened to the song and thought, WTF does "double your pleasure" have to do with the rest of the song?
So, now that they've spilt the beans about the Ne-Yo jingle, are we expected to view the song as a real song when it starts playing on radio? Or as a (presumably) catchy 4 minute jingle?
Anyway, it's the music business, emphasis on business. Shady as it was and as much as it brings a downfall to "real" music and musicians, I can't blame them for trying to find new ways to make money or whatnot. If I was in marketing, I'd be kicking myself for not thinking of it earlier…
*switching the iPod to "Forever" and popping in a piece of DoubleMint gum*
Tayo-when I heard the song at work last week, I thought the same thing, how does that line fit in with the song? why do I have to double my pleasure, beacuse its only one night in heaven?
This is why I only listen to singer/songwriters or Mark Ronson. Those with actul talent.
Him and his manufactured (literally) girlfriend can go back to the genetic pop 90s were they belong.
Even Miley Cyrus and the JoBros write their own sh*t
I was hoping the "double your pleasure" part was referencing a threesome/dp, instead of chewing gum. Oh well.