How often are you watching television when you hear a great song? But not on American Idol, on the tv commercial?

Songs have been used in advertising since there’s been advertising, but it’s moved from largely jingles, like “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz” to popular music being used to get the attention of the increasingly fickle, fast-forwarding public.

For example, if you’ve watched a sporting event for more than a few minutes, you’ve surely heard John Mellencamp’s ‘Our Country” advertising trucks. Though the song sounds like classic Mellencamp, it’s actually brand new and available on his newest cd, “Freedom Road.” Another song frequently heard during sporting events is the Chemical Brothers “Galvanize” advertising a most popular beer.

Sometimes the songs share a theme with the product, such as the phone company that uses Oasis’ “All Around the World” to talk about it’s planetwide service.

Other times, they just sound cool! Which old fashioned candy that melts in your mouth has brought to life such tunes as Iron & Wine’s “Such Great Heights” and The The’s “This is the Day?”

If you hear a song you like and your stumped, try Music from TV Commercials and Ad Tunes.