Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” goes mainstream in Volkswagen Super Bowl Ad
Published on Sunday 2/7/2010 @ 9:34 PM by the ALT REPORT Robot
The hit band Grizzly Bear’s hit song “Two Weeks” features a piano jingle that was ‘perfectly crafted’ to be utilized in a powerful marketing campaign. Volkswagen purchased the rights to this hit song, trying to inspire mainstream middle america to buy Jettas instead of Toyotas and Hondas.
Tracy Morgan also makes this video ‘more bloggable.’ He seems to be giving a ride to popular blind piano man Stevie Wonder.
Is the Jetta now known as ‘The Grizzly Bear Mobile’?
Did Grizzly Bear ’sell out’ or are u happy that their music was taken 2 the extreme masses?
Were u able to ‘fully appreciate’ their song in this commercial?
Wonder if their ad ‘came out better’ than NFL’s use of Arcade Fire’s “Where the Wild Things Are” Theme Song.
Did u ever play ‘punch buggy’ with ur sibling?
Will Grizzly Bear outsell Vampire Weekend in 2k11?
Is this the ‘best use of indie music in a mainstream commercial’ in the history of commercials?
Does commercial licensing make a band ‘more bank’ than ‘releasing full albums’?
R u enjoying the corporate indie arms race of the 2k10 decade?
45 comments to “Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” goes mainstream in Volkswagen Super Bowl Ad”
February 7th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
‘my god, that’s not the way’ (via my lil bro {subvia thomas frank})
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//////////Reply by stillnessisthememe
//////////Posted February 7th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
@stillnessisthememe, yall hit me… and it felt like a kiss
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February 7th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
watched this commercial with a bunch of mnstrmrs. luckily none liked/were curious about the song, so I think grizzbear is still ’sort of indie’
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//////////Reply by a_nonnie_muss
//////////Posted February 7th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
@brian, totes thought the same thing. Felt three emotions.
(1), annoyed b/c ternative music was ‘tainted’ by some corporation. GrizzBr’s rep is stained. Mnstrmrms would make it less authentic.
(2), mnstrmrs would finally discover some good music.
(3), no one would notice b/c car commercial music isn’t that ‘relevant’.
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//////////Reply by John
//////////Posted February 8th, 2010 at 2:40 am
@brian, I was in the same situation. no one noticed except one of my more ‘hip’ friend was upset that they used ‘Two Weeks’ just b/c every time he hears it now, he’ll remeber VW commercial… I won’t tho. That Lame if you dislike this. Grow up. Plus that ‘friend’ is a bit of a LoSeR anyways.
@a_nonnie_muss, You’re right on (3) commercial music isn’t relevant. Only the ‘Indie World’ noticed this.
‘Mnstrmrm’ are blind/deaf/senseless
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February 7th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
I laughed pretty hard at the end.
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February 7th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
totes saw ed droste in that one commercial with the whale too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecjJJdosSZ4&feature=fvw
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February 7th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Never thought indie going corporate could be so exciting. :)
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February 7th, 2010 at 10:33 pm
woo! go grizz. Fuck anco. Funny com com
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February 7th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
feels good, like when flaming lips sold billions of dells with wayne coyne’s magic W.A.N.D
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February 8th, 2010 at 12:15 am
I like ternative music because it’s not real therefore will never be exploited like grizzers.
The Who must’ve went mindie in 67? Sux hard.
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February 8th, 2010 at 1:18 am
Your acting like indie music in a commercial is somthing new. When GB plays the halftime show then we’ll talk. P.S never gonna happen.
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//////////Reply by XanMan
//////////Posted February 8th, 2010 at 1:30 am
@Kevin,
even The Who were alt bro’s at one stage you know
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February 8th, 2010 at 1:37 am
Yeah but GB’s music isn’t the kind that can be played in a packed stadium.Even The Who ’s performance oddly felt small during the game.
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February 8th, 2010 at 1:39 am
Simultaneously happy for grizzy bear and sad for ‘artistic music’.
But being happy for new orleans makes it ok. Although I never saw the super bowl, it made me feel like I could ’side with the underdogs’ and ‘become a hero like them’.
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February 8th, 2010 at 1:56 am
I love that it’s not OK for Grizzly Bear to have their song in a commercial, yet it’s OK for Stevie Wonder to be in it?
WTF
CHILL OUT PEOPLE
glad GB is making some dough…
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February 8th, 2010 at 2:27 am
good for grizz bears good for everyone someday
CARLES, KEEP UP the DIVIDED
hungry we are for your leadership into the great feed me or at least touch around my mouth.
-meta opinion can be misleadingly
can be utilized, can be entertainment
would you agree? could it be a deeper desensitization?
is influence even relevant? does hot air keep you warm?
sorry fo being so sensitive
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February 8th, 2010 at 2:34 am
Grizzly Bear are a bunch of ’sell outs’.
What LoSeRs.
If you think this: You’re the LoSeR.
Passion Pit did it with Palm. Grizzly Bear can do it too.
I like it. I love it I think EVERYBODY should hear this music.
It’s so good. Indie Music is going ‘mnstrm’ b/c it’s so good.
Thanks Grizzly Bear for not having to follow all ‘Indie’ bands and act better than ‘mnstrm’ because you get played on ‘College Radio’.
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February 8th, 2010 at 2:39 am
bros, i think the commercial is chill
http://i45.tinypic.com/3164zeg.jpg
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//////////Reply by chorles
//////////Posted February 8th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
@A/S/L? on Collected Animals,
duuude Grizzlie Bear is going to make way more money when they score the new Tron movie.
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February 8th, 2010 at 5:50 am
An ad encouraging kids to punch each other? I give this a week before it’s banned!
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February 8th, 2010 at 8:05 am
wonder how much B4DCOX paid 2 google 2 get his personal brand featured in their super bowl commercial…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsSUqgkDwU#t=0m37s
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//////////Reply by meow
//////////Posted February 8th, 2010 at 9:34 am
@torbro y moi, you’ve got a very trained ternative eye to have caught that.
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//////////Reply by contents
//////////Posted February 8th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
@meow, ‘atlas sound’ (saw it/paused/laughed).
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February 8th, 2010 at 9:31 am
HRO posters are followers and children. Your comments (in general) give Carles a massive amount of fodder to shit on you and you don’t even know it.
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//////////Reply by brian
//////////Posted February 8th, 2010 at 10:45 am
@ruzz, ur so rite. oops
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//////////Reply by hey
//////////Posted February 8th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
@ruzz, srsly it took you this long to figure that out? i like to think that most are sarcastic tho.
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//////////Reply by steveo2
//////////Posted February 10th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
@ruzz, ur wizdom haz caused me to SEE
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February 8th, 2010 at 11:37 am
everyone seems to be forgetting the postal service honda commercials, and the many other companys that used their songs. GB+ VW= not selling out.
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//////////Reply by kevbro
//////////Posted February 8th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
@sir lames, but the postal service sucks dick.
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//////////Reply by steveo2
//////////Posted February 10th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
@kevbro, grizz bear is afraid to put it’s mouth on the dick, just gets down on its lil knees with an “ewwoooh” expression on its dainty lil face and says, trembling, “oh, just put it in already, jes’ christ!”
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//////////Reply by steveo2
//////////Posted February 10th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
@sir lames, that was selling out too. what’s your point?
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February 8th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
No one gives a shit about volkswagen.
Waiting for a fixed-gear + HEALTH commercial.
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February 8th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Happened to phoenix in Cadillac commercial. I like it cause it made my friends like phoenix more but at the same time they refer to 1901 as “that Cadillac song.” And its the only song on the album they like. Is that because they get to see a cts-v driving to it? Don’t think vw can do the same for gb
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//////////Reply by contents
//////////Posted February 8th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
@zj, yeah, but isn’t vw more ‘alt’/edgy/humorous than caddy thereby giving some kind of ‘green flag’ to use grizzbear’s?
loved 1901 being used in caddy comm. did it help phx win the grammie?
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//////////Reply by steveo2
//////////Posted February 10th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
@zj, maybe they like 1901 because it’s the only indispensable song on the album. “lisztomania” is a step down from it, then there’s “lasso,” step down, then filler galore (pleasant enough filler, but filler)
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February 8th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
The Grizzlies were already on the Twilight soundtrack, and it takes this for us to ask if they have ’sold it out’?
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February 9th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
I suppose when times are hard and you need the cash…I can look the other way. It’s not like indie bands are banking like bands used to in the record company days. These are people who put actual “grown-up” jobs on hold so they could pursue their dream of touring and making music. I congratulate them for their success. BUT on the other hand, there’s a devastating reality to it all…if America wants legitimate music, its likely gonna get commercial jingles first. If you want to start a band, you have to accept that success will have these crossroads, and it’s discouraging. I doubt a band like Om could score a commercial…I dunno…maybe for WWF wrestling or something. But I do believe that if bands had the option, if they were cool, they wouldn’t be using their music to hock products. Tom Waits underwent a huge lawsuit to get his music OFF a commercial, and his reasoning was very simple. When you have your music on a commercial, whenever people hear that song they’re gonna get a subconscious ad. Two Weeks may be the same old Two Weeks, but somewhere in your brain, if you saw this commercial…you’re gonna have the VW logo flashing through your synapses the next time you hear it. At least its only one of their songs and not their whole catalog…but I think you see the dilemma.
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//////////Reply by ho
//////////Posted February 9th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
It’s no big deal @Erik,
and by the way , if by OM you mean Of Montreal, they actually already did a commercial and not only gave away their song, but changed the lyrics to fit to outback steakhouse themed lyrics.
People need to get over this shit. Wilco WROTE 6 songs for VW a few years ago
everyone is still OK
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//////////Reply by Erik
//////////Posted February 10th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
@ho, Nah…by Om… I actually meant the band OM. Not exactly Volkswagen material. In other news, Of Montreal are dorks.
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February 9th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
THE REAL SOLUTION IS TO STOP WATCHING TV THEN NONE OF THIS WILL BOTHER YOU
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February 10th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Grizzly Bear has been mainstream looong time ago.
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February 10th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
i hate all the grizz bear songs where the eunuch choirboy sings, like this one. all the ones written/sung by the other guy have his better voice on them, and he’s a better songwriter (and some semblance of ballz). “while you wait for the others” is the only one on veckatemisty that i’d call a “keeper,” and even that would be just an album track for a truly great songwriter. hilarious how indie rock thinks just the right mix of what’s cool + some vague experimentalish impulse is more important than actual good, memorable songs (which doesn’t exclude being experimental too, just have to write songs that actually stick in your head, that are interesting musically, not just one or two okay ideas + layering).
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February 11th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
LOLLLLLLLLLLL OMG.
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June 14th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I think the real question is “WHO CARES??”
Honestly, I don’t see what the huge deal is. Why are you freaking out about what song is used in some commercial? Is it really something to start a huge debate about. That was a rhetorical question, but the answer is “NO, no it is not”.
It’s not like Grizzly Bear is changing their style to “go mainstream”, or they’re switching labels, or they’re getting a show on MTV or some crap. Grizzly Bear is still and will ALWAYS BE Grizzly Bear. When they start sounding like some 99.5 band, THEN you can complain.
You know what complaining about this makes you sound like? It makes you sound like a bunch of indie snobs. So stop it.
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