Where does this commercial guitar riff come from?
February 18, 2012 6:05 AM   Subscribe

What is the name of this distorted guitar riff that's been playing the past couple months on a television commercial?

This will be hard to explain but I've been successful on Askmeta before with finding names of tunes. I think this particular riff is on a car commercial but I might be wrong. It starts with the same two distorted power chords played quickly in succession -- I think it's a flat note -- followed by a quick little fill from beneath, then the same two distorted chords followed by the opposite little fill from above. Edgy, catchy, powerful riff. Any ideas???
posted by pallen123 to Media & Arts (17 answers total)
 
A link to an mp3 might help here.
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:11 AM on February 18, 2012


Could it be the VW commercial that uses Nugent's Stranglehold?
posted by gimli at 7:03 AM on February 18, 2012


Response by poster: gimli that's close but not the riff. The riff I'm thinking sounds a little more contemporary and quicker but close. Thanks!
posted by pallen123 at 7:34 AM on February 18, 2012


Response by poster: It sounds a bit like Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love but isn't.
posted by pallen123 at 7:53 AM on February 18, 2012


It is quite possibly a twist on Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, and the ad men didn't want to pay for the rights to play it so they got as close as possible without infringing on copyright b/c people will still recognize it. I've heard it done lots before.
posted by 3FLryan at 8:05 AM on February 18, 2012


An indirect possible solution: if you have a smartphone, you could try using an app like soundhound or shazam to figure it out (it should be possible to just hum or whistle the melody into the phone, if you can't find the original audio in which it was used).
posted by kilo hertz at 8:06 AM on February 18, 2012


Response by poster: Something like this but with distorted guitar and power chords
http://youtu.be/pIzZr8ybwHQ
posted by pallen123 at 8:07 AM on February 18, 2012


A Samsung ad that debuted during the Super Bowl used "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" by The Darkness.
posted by nicwolff at 8:36 AM on February 18, 2012


Response by poster: Thanks nicwolff but that's not it.
posted by pallen123 at 9:11 AM on February 18, 2012


There is a Chase commercial that uses Gimme Sympathy by Metric. Sounds sort of like what you describe. I can't find the commercial on Youtube though.
posted by sarae at 9:56 AM on February 18, 2012


Oh, here. The photographer commercial. Nothing to do with cars though.
posted by sarae at 10:04 AM on February 18, 2012


Response by poster: Thanks sarae but that's not it.
posted by pallen123 at 11:43 AM on February 18, 2012


What is the car?
posted by oceanjesse at 12:23 PM on February 18, 2012


Response by poster: I don't know the car. I'm not even sure it's a car commercial
posted by pallen123 at 1:06 PM on February 18, 2012


One of the Frontier air commercials?
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 3:24 PM on February 18, 2012


Link Wray's Rumble?
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:31 PM on February 18, 2012


There's a Mercedes-Benz commercial right now that begins with a distorted guitar riff that sounds uncannily like the opening bars to Talking Heads' Life During Wartime. I can't find it online, though.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:04 PM on February 19, 2012


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