Stephin Merritt - The Wheels On The Car

[46619TAB]

AWESOME ad!!

[robman8855]

selling his soul would be letting a record company dictate how his songs should sound

[Raycheetah]

"Sells his soul"?

If it weren't for a couple older commercials which used his songs (sorry, dun remember what they were for, but the songs used were Desert Island and Strange Powers), I would never have even heard of Stephin Merritt, which would've been my loss. ='[.]'=

[MissIcia]

If that Volvo comes with Stephin Merritt, I will sell MY soul to buy it.

[tapp3r]

Sold his soul? What the fuck, singing for a commercial is hardly selling your soul.

[Ieatbabyseals]

It feels good to have money

Stop being so critical

[aopaul]

can someone in the industry tell me what is the deal with all commercials aimed at 30-and overs sounding like children songs? Are we all drooling morons suddenly?

[MarlinD91]

ah einfach schön das lied,schade die werbung kommt kaum noch im tv:(

[obstwasser]

@MarlinD91 kanns du mir vill. sagen wie andere version von dem lied heißt ? i.weiß nur i.was mit nem "liegestuhl" xD

[MarlinD91]

@obstwasser neee sry tut mir leid:-(

[vile20xx]

the fact that people are saying stephin merritt has sold his soul just because he sung a song for a volvo commerical, they are all fucking retarded. just because you do a song for a company commerical, doesn't mean you sold your soul. it's called making money. he has a career of writing songs and making music, they obviously like his stuff so they wanted him to do one for their commerical, he said yes, that's how a fucking job or career works. Thats how a career or job works, do this, make money

[vile20xx]

if doing that means you sell your soul, then by that logic, everyone that has a job and career has sold their soul. well looks like were all going to hell then everyone, i'll see you all there, we can all post more youtube comments while we are burning in fire and being boned by the devil.

[31Euwi31]

i heared it now 29times and it´s still sooooo cool!!!!

[homestarfan2008]

Seriously, you go from Underwear to a rewritten children's song? You sir, fail at life.

[thprfssnl1]

vroom vroom ze party starter!

[homestarfan2008]

The Magnetic Fields have officially sold out. This, plus The Book of Love covered by Peter Gabriel being on the finale of Scrubs is proof.

[bloodykizzy]

i'm glad. he deserves it.

[noneofyoucanspell]

what an annoying piece of shit song.

[jedemes]

'sells his soul"....

we're all entitled to our own opinion.

So heres mine:

You good sir,

are an idiot.

[mushroomagical]

Back in the vinyl record era, your "sells his soul" comment would make more sense; in that era, one could earn a pretty decent income on record sales. But the reality is that artists don't make much on CDs anymore, especially indie artists like Stephin Merritt. On the other hand, rich artists like Bob Dylan have no reasonable financial need to sell songs to advertising agencies; so perhaps they are "selling their souls"

[kittehLORDZ]

i wan this car :(

[bricology]

"Sells his soul"? Nonsense. You *might* be able to make that argument if the song were different than a song he might actually write & perform (say, if they wanted him to do a slick jingle), but that's not the case. This song could've been written for one of Stephin's albums, and everyone would think he was just being his usual ironic self. I don't think that punters should be allowed to pass judgment on professional musicians' "souls" until they've been offered a commercial and turned it down.

[leahredz]

I lost my wallet a few weeks ago, and the guy who returned it to me, is the guy who re-composed this song to get the advertising agency an $8 million contract with volvo, before they gave it to stephin merritt instead.

[mad4music7]

HOW SAD.

[cromwellian13]

Just be glad Stephen is getting out there. All of the world nears to hear his voice

[Spellsinger87]

The singer has a cool voice.

[clintonsalas]

"sells his soul"? lol

a little overblown dont u think, our little isabel archer?

[prismacolored]

hahaha

literary reference in a youtube comment

mind is blown

[Goreygalx]

So cute!

[merrittfan]

I personally love the fact that some unsuspecting consumer will hear Stephin's voice whilst watching "Flavor of Love," or something of a similar ilk.

[luckybuho]

"Sells his soul", isn't it a bit hard? The spot isn't about guns, cocaine or plungers (my respect to manufacturers of plungers). In Spain is used the music of Bob Dylan with spots of a bank and I hear nobody complaining about it. I don't understand why artists can't win money if they have the opportunity, as the rest of humans do. It's a good spot.

[StephinMerritt]

Volvos are nice cars

[NoOneReceiving]

Neck Drake's music has sold for VW, Arthur Russell's music is used for Cell Phones, I don't have a problem with it. His records are GREAT. I wish that he were on top 40 radio but that ain't gonna happen soon. Get it while you can Stephin before your beauty fades!

[kemikade]

he should have followed Tom Waits' example ;/

[StephinMerritt]

He was paid a lot of money for this, wouldnt you have done it too?

[BethGoth15]

I wish this was shown in the UK. It's so funny and cute!!!

[Entidus]

"Sells his soul to Volvo?"

Huh. I wasn't aware that attaining some success means you're sellout.

[jschoeck]

at the monemt this video is in the german television

[jarrett798]

i love this it is funny but love the wheels on the bus but this is cool

[Oilkink]

Why haven't I seen this in Swedish television yet? Thanks, I didn't know about this one!

[masterschader]

yooo

[tomatennase2003]

I cant post URLs so:

rapidshare dot com slash files slash 103344643 slash

wheels_on_the_car dot mp3

[LASBAM]

the song is called "Stephen Merrit The wheels on the car"

[NeXttripelX]

i want this song man !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[soemorightnow]

this is on itunes you guys.

[lachy8]

what a great song lol what do i type in on itunes to get this song

[longfade]

Are you guys high? It's a children's song with MINOR changes, sung by SM. Great. It's a song that mothers sing to their frigging babys.

[Timmybear]

Well, not my mother. In fact, I never heard the song until I was 30 or so. I was never on a schoolbus as a kid (I always lived about a block too close - and, as I'm old, when we had school field trips, we either took a city bus (and the cranky bus drivers in MY town would definitely have kicked one off if one tried to sing) or our mothers had to drive us (and, before you say it, I don't remember ever seeing a single FATHER doing the driving, though some househusbands may have existed then ;)).

[tomatennase2003]

Wird schwer. Das Lied wurde extra für den Spot geschrieben. Das Original heißt "Wheels on the bus" und ist ein amerikanisches Kinderlied.

[StellaBevergern]

Kann mir jemand sagen, wo ich diesen Song in voller Länge bekommen kann ?

[djspeekez]

STEVEN, YOU'RE A SELLOUT BUT I LOVE YOU. PLAY THIS AT ONE OF YOUR SHOWs, PLEASE

[84Gibbs]

einfach klasse, der Schwede

[froschi1992]

i love this so song! i just can not stop sing it ;-)

[funnymove]

Dieses Lied ist einfach nur ein Ohrwurm ~~~~~

[sieheoben]

I love the song...but just if it is sang by merritt ...where can i get it ... help me^^

[FriedeSeiMitDir]

Yeah...that would be my question, too. xD

It's such a catchy tune...wargh...can't geht it out of my head since I've seen this commercial on the TV.

I'd even pay for a Single. :P

[haushund]

where can i get this song

[Krista80]

Toller Song! Wo kriege ich den nur her? :o

[lio2000]

Die Werbung gibts jetzt auch in Deutschland- hab sie eben im TV gesehen und musste gleich im Internet nach dem Song suchen! =P

Ist halt eben ein richtiger Ohrwurm...

[StarvingMarving]

I thought that was Stephin Merrit! This YouTube post confirms it. Don't you love the internet ;-)

[mrjamesgoodier]

doing a commercial is a sell out pure and simple.

i'd do the same thing in a flash, but it's still a sell out. advertising is the antithesis of art.

[plutenglupeng]

Eh, I don't have a problem with this and I'm a huge Magnetic Fields fan. He's gotta make a living somehow, and I give him kudos for actually writing a jingle instead of just selling one of his original songs.

[Fermiimplosive]

True that mang, the idea of a "sell out" is pretty dated. Times have changed, what's wrong with an artist doing side projects for money? The answer = NOTHING! It's not like he's changed his songwriting style to sell more albums. It's just a fun opportunity to gain more fans and make an honest dollar on the side.

[MorseMoose79]

He didn't write this jingle. In Denmark it's a children's tune about the wheels on the bus going round and round, round and round...

[HelloOsakaGoodbye]

I'm pretty sure that most little kids everywhere know this tune, not just in Denmark

[andyderderbste]

i know it too and i'm from germany and 21

[john66]

well, he does drive a volvo... at least it isn't another ad for diamonds, people! those things are pure evil.

[londonlovemaster]

nothing wrong with making a dollar. he still makes better records than just about anyone else. period.

[TheAntiSora]

Thanks for posting this! I saw this a while watching TV a few days ago, and only caught the tail end of the commercial, soi couldn't tell if it was really him or not. Personally, I think SM only did this ad for the irony. Did no one notice the bleak, rocky scenery? This looks like it was shot in Greenland, or something. Add that cheerful ukelele and Merrit's baritone and you get A+ advertising

[pooppoopplopp]

Stephin is a bass. If you want to hear a baritone listen to Rufus Wainwright or Elvis.

[FriedeSeiMitDir]

...or to Johnny Cash. ;-)

[spooneye]

I'm pretty sure Stephin doesn't conceive of himself as having a "soul" to sell, either in the theological or economic sense. He's always been a commercial artist making commercial music—even if other people didn't necessarily hear it that way—and now he's made a commercial. Surprise, surprise. Also, I know for a fact that he's a big fan of Volvos. They're safe cars from the folks that brought us ABBA; what's not to like?

[steinert77]

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus invented the Volvo? Wow!

[JrCashLovecats]

Don't forget Dylan. He sold out to ladies underpants.

[archDeluxxe]

well if the Red House Painters can do a GAP ad, Buzzcocks and Modest Mouse a Nissan ad, Nick Drake a VW ad (yes, you can sell out even when you're dead), i guess Stephen Merritt can do it too. I just feel sad for his picnic having, sweater knitting fans. ;)

[pantsyell]

everything after holiday is pure shit including 69 love songs and this shitty ad.

[archDeluxxe]

agreed!!!

[HelloOsakaGoodbye]

Hmm that's interesting. Why do you not like 69 love songs?

[dr0psy]

i knew that was steven merritt!!

its dissappointing that steven did a commercial for volvo.. but maybe they paid him a lot so whatever.. youre my hero steve

[hannesisnotstraight]

Maybe he did this because he wanted to AND needed the money? Stop complaining, he's got bills to pay too.

[crazymelon]

Woo, Stephin Merritt! When I first saw this on TV I was like "...Is that Stephin Merritt?"

[anchorboats]

seriously. quit whining about this. Most people don't even give a shit about commercial songs anyway. Shut the fuck up and let the Man do his thing and quit making life harder for yourselves.

[blueshirttail]

I don't mind, Volvo makes a great car.

[1nderboy]

his new single from the second advert for volvo is out now on itunes. it's called I'm in a lonely way. Where as the first song was a cover of an old children's song, this is a complete original. it's awesome. if you like stephin, def check it out, nobody does lonely better than him.

[fortysicsand2]

whats up with all the haters calling him a sell out? no 69 love songs did not sell enough, hes indie you fool.

[catinthevat]

I have a lot of respect for Stephin Merrit and he's written some awesome material, but this... Why, Stephin, why? Hasn't 69 Love Songs sold enough copies that you don't need to do this???

[biggesthitter]

Urg.....thats kinda painful. Cars are cool but they kinda kinda aren't too. Now my stomach is kinda knotted, I need a drink.

[y0utubequalsgay]

awesome upload! I just got an email from the Magnetic Fields about these Volvo commercials.

[aropeofsand]

Oh come on, Merritt got to get paid, son!

[artraffle]

hmmmm. kinda on the fence about this... wish he hadn't done it but then again... good for him... everybody's gotta make a living...

[millhaven]

this ad makes me happy every time it comes on!! I love stephin!

[sanfransardine]

Blagh. I like Merritt but the lyrics could use some work on this one.

[Timsalt3100]

This i thought was quite clever yes i that is a nursery rime sorta song but change the lyrics and every time i hear it it makes me laugh , especially like the bit where it's something like

"The power tailgate goes up and down through the town".

[spider17]

This is an awesome commercial. So simple. Cool to see Volvo highlighting a real musician.

[spazzy45]

I LOVE this commercial! I'd never heard of Stephin Merritt before, but oh what a voice he has!

[astroguy66]

My goodness how much do you suck newrad39?

[xdieromanticx12]

OMG I LOVE THIS>>> i love it love it love it!

[Brickman1000]

I'm just imagining the orgy those people are going to have back at the lodge, with those knowing smiles

[1nderboy]

i hear he is releasing a single on itunes of another original song he made for volvo. think it's called "i'm in a lonely way". can't wait to hear it.

[pooppoopplop]

Maybe he got a sweet ride out of the deal. Hey, why not?

[trdcleveland858]

I Love This Commerical, This Was Skippy Bad, I Loved It. A Plus Plus Plus Plus Ultra Plus.

[vickyspal]

I think it's a cute commercial. You people all need to lighten up.

[newrad39]

Though I can respect the fanbase of Mr. Merritt, I think he is ultimately unoriginal and repeats himself. Turn your ears toward more respectable artists that are in a similiar emotional spectrum, The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, or of course Radiohead! Also you should all go to blockbuster and rent "Adobe Dreams" for some commentary on this topic.

[rlburns666]

lamest critique ever. please die.

[soonlaypale]

are you kidding me? are you seriously going to sit there and say that Stephin Merritt is unoriginal and repetitive and then tell me that RADIOHEAD isn't!? Have you ever HEARD anything else by the Magnetic Fields, besides 69 love songs, which is completely unlike anything he's ever writen anyway? And I love MBV, but THEY'RE the most repetitive band I've ever HEARD. Repetitive brilliance, mind you. But really. If you've heard Loveless, you've heard it all, and the best of it at that.

[rlburns666]

Yeah, and when was the last GREAT Cure record 23 years ago (The Top) by my count.

[newrad39]

Really I'm just trying to express my anger w/ SM for selling out. There are other bands who I feel many SM fans also like, who haven't sold their souls to corporations and I wanted to make that point. Also, Radiohead are a very diverse band, they change their style dramatically every album. The Cure released the great "Disintegration" in 89'. I admit recent material is disappointing but they've made plenty of wonderful records that inspired the mood and tone of S-Merritt alot.

[dialeras]

Selling out?

Did he have a commitment not to sing in a volvo ad or something? because otherwise I can't see how he could possible be selling out.

[jamesrs4]

Oh com on its just a fuking volvo....Buy an audi allroad....looks better, is better and works better

[arnostrine13]

artists have always had and needed wealthy patrons to make a living and to continue to keep their names out there. From the Catholic Curch, to the Medicis to Volvo.  So what? Why should Merritt or any other artist be restricted by some holier than thou busy body that wishes to be the arbiter of right or wrong, tasteful or not?

[bambiesque]

I never enjoy car commercials, but add Stephin Merritt to anything and I'm there. He's made Volvo cool - a feat I never thought possible! I think it's really cute and, quite frankly, can't believe some of the snobby reactions to it. I mean, come on, his sarcastic delivery isn't enough?! You people also seem to be forgetting that one of his personally penned songs HAS in fact been used on another ad previous to this...

[1nderboy]

here here. i agree. if more people are exposed to stephin merritt the world is a better place.

[professorrev]

anyone know where I can get the soundtrack to that advert. Need it for a pub quiz round?

[lindarahldeen]

It's cute.

[reid77]

Oh relax, I'd rather Stephin sang their lyrics (to a nursery song) rather than debase one of his own songs for the purposes of an ad.

[cinatyte]

Jesus Christ.

[lawtalkinguy]

That's just plain sad. Bad enough that most artists don't think twice about selling their ass to advertisers, now they are actually singing lyrics written by these people?!! It'd goddamn depressing.

"The hill descent is nice and slow..."????? Jesus.

Shame on you Mr. Merritt.