WONGIE BALLAD OF THE WEEK: aurora - half the world away (john lewis xmas 2015 theme song) / npr tiny desk concert

aurora - half the world away (video premiere)
getting the coveted theme song to front the annual john lewis xmas ad campaign has been very beneficial for past stars (ellie goulding, tom odell, lily allen) and this year 19 year old aurora gets the chance to pull at our heartstrings with her cover of the oasis hit "half the world away". all this means big things for the norwegian singer/songwriter who has been on our radar since the summer. with a debut album set for early next year, this is just the perfect track to create some crossover buzz.

wanna see the john lewis ad? here it is below:

john lewis christmas ad 2015 - #ManOnTheMoon

UPDATE: check out aurora performing her just released npr tiny desk concert:

aurora - tiny desk concert
"Runaway"
"Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)"
"Running With The Wolves"

WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: x ambassadors - renegades

x ambassadors - renegades
music is a funny thing cause sometimes it just takes a few bars from a commercial to draw you in and keep you captivated for the duration of the ad; such is the case of the jeep ad using the music of ny based band x ambassadors. with their singalong chorus and simple song structure (throw in some fancy layering behind it all), "renegades" is set to be a big hit for the band who're currently working on their upcoming major label album.

wanna see the ad that grabbed my attention?

2015 jeep renegade ad

HOT AD MUSIC: sia - fire meets gasoline (heidi klum intimates)

sia - fire meets gasoline (heidi klum intimates)
used as the official music for heidi klum's latest campaign for her intimates collection, the ad also ropes in ex-game of thrones hottie pedro pascal as her feiry partner in crime. the ad makes no sense, but heidi and pedro look great and really that's all we can ask for.

WONGIE XMAS 2014: tom odell - real love (the beatles cover) / john lewis christmas ad

tom odell - real love (the beatles cover)
it's that time of the year again! xmas 2014 kicks off with the annual john lewis ad campaign pairing a pop star with a classic cover. this years vocalist tom odell gives us a lush version of the beatles classic that will have you swooning!

wanna see the ad that's getting some serious 'awwwww's out for the season? check out the john lewis ad below:

tom odell - real love (john lewis christmas ad 2014)

AD MUSIC: melanie amaro - respect (pepsi superbowl ad)

looks like the post x-factor US campaign began over the weekend as melanie amaro made her post win debut in this massive pepsi ad for superbowl sunday. check out the accompanying thumping remake of 'respect' in full below and tell me you secretly didn't mind it.


melanie amaro - respect

and check out the full superbowl ad below featuring sir elton john:

pepsi - kings court

AD MUSIC: edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros - home (kin ad)

edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros - home
[well obviously this online ad campaign filtered through into my consciousness. hawking a new microsoft phone called 'kin', the whole setup is this idea of 'real' facetime with your facebook friends. so they send this hipster chick across america to meet people that she generally has acquiantance-like friendships with and see if they really are her 'friends'. of course using this phone will somehow help her on this journey. anyway, the tv campaign also utilizes this concept that the phone will bring people together and creates this rustic feel good family country vibe that sadly speaks to me in volumes. much has to do with the song. so if you catch yourself feeling a smidgen sentimental when watching this, you gotta give manipulation kudos to the people that came up with the whole campaign.]

the tv ad


the online ad

those diamond is forever ad songs: landon pigg - falling in love at the coffee shop / cat power - how can i tell you

landon pigg - falling in love at the coffee shop [link 2]
[how can you resist this? it's sweet and simple, swoon worthy and well... appeals to the sap in me. add to the fact that i saw this ad awhile back and finally realised that i had the track hidden in my vast collection for a few weeks! having been featured in greys anatomy and touring with gavin degraw, it was the attachment to the de beers diamond ad that finally allowed landon pigg to make a musical impression. now go on and enjoy this gentle lovely song. sigh... oh and if you want to see the full video, check it out here.]


cat power - how can i tell you [link 2]
[now, this cover of the cat stevens song actually doesn't exist. cat power only recorded 30 seconds and well... it's all in the ad.]

that kia spectra ad song: joe purdy - can't seem to get it right today

joe purdy - can't seem to get it right today [link 2]
[there's nothing like a good simple song used in a car ad to bring attention to a wonderfully talented singer/songwriter. with seven albums under his belt, joe purdy has found a wider net of fans by getting his music placed on various tv shows including lost, greys anatomy and house; now he can add advertising success under his belt. there's something about the sweet melancholia of joe's music that draws you in instantly (heck, they're running the ad way beyond the usual time frame of 2 months, so i'm obviously not the only one who's enamored with this song), so if you want to hear more, check out his 2006 album you can tell georgia from which this comes from.]

that snapple antioxidant water / bubble wrap ad song: bad eliot - cat's meow

bad eliot - cat's meow [link 2]
[with an ad where you can barely hear the music playing in the background, you'd be surprised at how many people have been posting on bulletin boards looking for this franz ferdinand/cribs type song. since i'm nice like that, i found it for you. of course if you want to find out more about snapple water or download the track for yourself, check out all the info here]

the nike "my better is better than your better" song: saul williams - list of demands

nike - my better is better than your better
[i'm usually not a bit nike as fan, but here is yet another example of how a song can perfectly create an instant connection with it's audience, and may even inspire new ones (heck, i even wanted to go running for 30 seconds!)]


saul williams - list of demands (webrip) [link 2]
[this song is ferocious! produced by trent reznor (NIN), saul has independantly released his album the inevitable rise and liberation of niggy tardust! sold directly off his website, the bargain basement price of $5 USD (in either 192/256kbs or FLAC DRM free format), making it totally worth it (especially with an album this good).]

that schweppes burst song: cinematic orchestra feat patrick watson - to build a home

what a delight to see an original commercial for a soft drink. haunting and whimsical at the same time, this is just plain amazing work!

now, believe it or not, every burst in this beautiful ad was shot simultaneously with the people around them. as the director garth davis explains, nothing is a composite.


cinematic orchestra feat patrick watson - to build a home [link 2]
[so imagine my delight when i found out the gorgeous song accompanying the commercial belonged to the chill out posse cinematic orchestra with a little help from montreal's patrick watson (who in my book has one of the best male voices around). taken from their somewhat overlooked release from last year, ma fleur, i'm glad a superb ad like this can reignite my interest in this lovely album.]

that macbook air song: yael naim - new soul

yael naim - new soul [link 2]
yael naim - toxic [link 2]
[hardcore fans of french musical theatre probably knew yael naim as miriam in the ten commandments, but for many of us, we discovered her feist-like vocals via the macbook air ad that premiered today. born in paris and raised primarily in isreal, the singer songwriter has found serious success in france with her self titled album which features yael singing in english, french and her native tongue. international success is definitely on the way with her easy on the ears soft and acoustic sound. as a bonus, lemme offer up yael's creepy drunken sounding rendition of britney spears "toxic". it's a hoot!]


[here's the macbook air ad that's probably going to make yael a top 10 act.]

UPDATE 1/28:
check out this lovely live version that yael performed over the weekend at the 2008 NRJ awards.

mark brown feat sarah cracknell - the journey continues (new video)

mark brown feat sarah cracknell - the journey continues [link 2]
[using a classical vocal hook off of a lloyds tsb bank ad, producer mark brown also brought in the ever amazing sarah cracknell (st etienne) as his guest vocalist. the next thing you know, the single "the journey continues" becomes one of the biggest airplay hits of the month. gentle and addictive, this is easily one of my favorite tracks of the week! enjoy.]


[check out the original tune that was written for lloyds tsb bank by elena kats-chernin called "eliza's aria" and performed by the tasmanian symphony orchestra.]