This month on Twitter, @sotachetan hosts #BrandedInSongs – which is a head-on collision of my personal world of music and my professional world of branding and advertising. The challenge is to simply pick a song with a brand name in its lyrics or title. I added one more criteria to my picks, which is this: the songs themselves must be as iconic as the brands they mention. No filler here.
The passing of Tina Turner is one of the heaviest losses in the music world that we’ve experienced during the last few years. There is nothing but respect, admiration and gratitude for the Queen of Rock & Roll. One of the most distinct voices on radio and one of the most dynamic performers on the stage. Musicians and fans alike revered her. An old girlfriend of mine even went as Tina Turner for Halloween once. She’s Asian. One of Tina’s songs I’ll always remember is “Private Dancer”.
Listening to the track for the first time in decades, I’m enthralled by Turner’s vocal range – going from those low sultry notes in the verses to hitting those high notes in the chorus with vigor and ferocity. The song was written by Mark Knopfler, but he decided it couldn’t be sung by a male – so Dire Straits took a pass. “Private Dancer” wasn’t written for Tina Turner, but somehow it seems just right for her vocals. Here’s to a great song. Here’s to a legend.
“Deutsche Marks or dollars, American Express will do nicely, thank you.”