Friday May 8, 2020
– Full Moon Phase: illumination, realization, fulfillment, shadow, relationships, experience
– Moon in Sagittarius
– Sun in Taurus
– Best Days (from the Farmer’s Almanac) –Dry Fruits and Vegetables, Cut Hair to Slow Growth, Mow to Slow Growth, Castrate Farm Animals, Pick Apples and Pears, Wean, Quit Smoking, Potty Train, Perform Demolition, Wash Wooden Floors, Wash Windows, Start Diet to Lose Weight, Advertise to Sell, Buy a Car, Slaughter, Kill Plant Pests
– Gardening tips May 8-9 (from the Farmer’s Almanac) –Seeds planted now will do poorly and yield little.
– Aspect of the Aeon Sophia: (Wisdom): Tara – Goddess Who Guides
– Aspect of the Aeon Thelete: (Will/Desire): Ian, God of the East, God of Wisdom
– Sabian Symbol for the Solar-Lunar Month: “The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow”
– Sabian Symbol for the Solar-Lunar Year: “A Triangle with Wings”
SUN: 19 TAURUS – A new continent rising out of the ocean
EARTH: 19 SCORPIO – A parrot listening and then talking, repeats a conversation he has overheard
The Music Game
Today I would like to start a game that I am making up as I write this. It is inspired by the Sabian Symbol for the Earth for today: A parrot listening and then talking, repeats a conversation he has overheard.
This is a game for all to play – that is all of us who are stuck indoors and more often than not, watching TV all too much. In our house, the TV is on 24-7. It is background noise. Sometimes we even watch it. Like today is Friday. I will put on Ancient Aliens, which usually plays all day on the History Channel. It irritates most of the others here. But it beats the shit out of Let’s Make a Deal and The Price is Right.
Back to the game. It is an observation game. You listen actively and passively to everything coming out of the idiot box. Now I want you to pay attention. Get a piece of paper and pencil and be ready to write things down.
What are you looking/listening for? Music. To play the game, you need to log every instance of popular music that you hear throughout the day.
What you should log:
Song , Artist, commercial/show, Channel, Product endorsed, what it does
So for this example, I will use my present pet peeve.
OZEMPIC
Magic, Pilot Commercial , CBS, Ozempic Drug for Type 2 Diabetes
As I began writing this article, this commercial came on. It is a pet peeve for many reasons. 1) I did not like the song back in the 70’s and dislike it more now, 2) I do not have diabetes and the product does nothing for me, and 3) I find myself humming the damn song all the time before I realize that not only do I hate it, but I am humming it and it is promoting a pharmaceutical company. Triple Whammy!
Looking at this, I may need to create a chart for people to follow. Because you will probably see and hear a lot of them and it will be a good starting point. See if I can get it before I post this. I guess this proves to everyone that each of these posts is a work in process.
And here it is . . . Click to get it.
A Few Days Later . . .
Just kidding. It is still Friday. But, like on Spongebob, this imagines that time has passed and you now have a long list of classic songs that have been sold to promote products or tell stories in the media.
By doing this list, we are looking for consistencies and what this may mean.
For me, it is kind of a musical purity thing. I love music. The songs in my life hold emotions and memories. When they are used for promotional purposes, I feel that they have been stolen. My memories have been violated. The users of music are trying to associate themselves and their products with these emotions and memories.
Just since beginning this article, I have heard: All you Need is Love by The Beatles, Home, by American Idol winner Phillip Phillips (CVS Health), and Walk of Life by Dire Straits. I did not stop to log them and have no idea what they were promoting.
examples:
Politics
Bill Clinton was given the song “Don’t Stop (thinkin’ about tomorrow)” by Fleetwood Mac to use during his campaign to beat George Bush in 1992. Now when I hear the song, I not only imagine Bill standing in front of a crowd with confetti in the air, but I see Monica Lewinski and a cigar. Song runined!@
George W Bush was interviewed while running against John Kerry. They talked at length about the Song “Don’t worry, be happy,” by Bobby McFerrin and what it meant to W. (A special note: Bobby McFerrin was horrified to learn the W liked his song and forbade him from using it. W never did, but it was out there).
The power of music is evident as public figures want to wrap themselves in the music. And it is clear and when the artist does not want the association with a candidate, they will stop it from happening. This seems only to happen with Republican Candidates – showing the overwhelming bias of those in the media toward the Democrat side of the political field. Meaning now that the use of a song is seen as a tacit endorsement.
Follow the Money
When you have a good few hours or days worth of songs logged, you can start looking for similarities or consistencies. Some that I have seen:
Pharmaceuticals – MANY drug companies use music in their commercials. They are trying to paint a pretty picture around the glop they are trying to sell. Drug Brands are HUGE money. They have 5-10 years to capitalize on their patent before the Drug goes generic. So they will spend millions of dollars to get people hooked.They have to. In order to get you on their drug, they have to get YOU to request it from your Doctor. Then get YOU to start buying it, whether or not your insurance will pay for it.
Start playing a game after you have your list – match the Drug to the Song. And then remind yourself to stop singing the songs in the back of you mind for Psoriasis, heart disease, Osteoporosis, AIDS, High Cholesterol or whatever issue you may or may not have.
And remember, the generic and OTC market for Drugs is just as lucrative.
Automotive – Also a big user of music. Cars are much more of a lifestyle product. When the song is cool or memorable, it fits with your perception and that mental picture you see of yourself driving it. A remember at some point last year, I found myself singing the song America, by Simon and Garfunkel over and over again. When I then noticed it in a Volkswagon commercial, I had to be disgusted.
Insurance, Lawyers, et al – HUGE players in the advertising field. They have high priced products that take a lot to get you hooked.
THEN . . .
Consider where you are seeing the commercials. Everyone knows that the Superbowl and the Oscars are 2 of the most expensive ad slots during the year. Who advertises there? Pay attention.
CNN, MSNBC – who is advertising to liberals?
Fox, CSPAN – Who is advertising to conservitives?
Lifetime – Who is advertising to women?
And it goes on and on.
Please play over the weekend and in the next weeks. I will revisit with my own findings next week.
Won’t be playing this game Andrew as I only turn on the TV in the early morning to get a glimpse of what the weather may or may not be like for the day. I’ve been aware of the programming that goes on with this piece of equipment that most of us have in our homes for awhile now. Your game should be quite revealing. Cheers!