Will.i.am is a hilarious addition to any television broadcast, whether he’s ruining CNN’s election coverage or condensing 50 years of Grammys into 90 unbearable seconds. And Bob Dylan is Bob Dylan, he could sell us bras and panties. So when we heard will and Dyl recorded a new song for a Pepsi commercial premiering during the Super Bowl, we were like, “Perfect.”
Turns out Bob appears only via archival footage, along with Gumby and John Belushi. Will.i.am and Shrek and Jack Black cameo as their modern-day counterparts. But the music is new as promised — a remix of “Forever Young” featuring a rap from the Black Eyed Pea. The tagline? “Every generation refreshes the world.”
The spot was created by TBWA\Chiat\Day. When you see it Sunday, act surprised because it cost $6 million just for the airtime. When you factor in Dylan’s fee and the free soda for will.i.am’s entourage, that is one expensive commercial.
Of course I prefer the original:
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wow. will.i.am is SOOOOO our generation’s bob dylan
hell no, kurt. have you been smoking your socks?
yet another reason to get out of the house on sunday.
Despite will.i.am’s existence in this ad, I dug it. The whole concept of our generation doing the same things as last generation, I can get behind.
will.i.am is no Dylan, though.
what’s refreshing about doing the same thing as the last generation?
Good call – I thought we were supposed to think up new and better things to advance our civilization, not just repeat the same things with fresh noo remiks beetz. Wat a sec… *thinks*… man, we really ARE screwed as a culture!
Yeah! We, too, can leave our kids with an enormous national debt, a credit crisis, an impending depression, and a consumer culture totally bereft of any redeeming values! And then we can make an ad for a high-fructose-stoked soda that makes us look even better!
I was a fan of this commercial until _____.
no no no pepsi …wyclef is this generation’s dylan (or maybe gen x’s or y’s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17cmBnziQw4
This idea probably sounded SO good on paper! “His name is Poochie!”
william having a career is the most confounding thing ever
Just when Obama brought hope into the hearts of Americans, Will.i.am takes it away.
sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.
what confuses me most is…do people really consider Will this generation’s Bob Dylan?
Bob Dylan is one and only. and that’s a fact.
Really, I think equating Will.i.am with Bob Dylan is on par with some of the war crimes committed at Guantanamo.
will.i.am with Dylan… is Oprah behind this?
One more reason that Coke is WAAAY better.
William and Bob Dylan are both pieces of shit.
oh, we’re always at war. cool
The use of cellphones instead of lighters at concerts … I really don’t like that shit.
I don’t understand the Will I Am hate.
What has he done that’s so bad. He just likes making feelgood music. Even outside of BEP, if you take a look at his producer credits, he’s done a lot of great shit. Compton, off The Game’s second album. American Boy. Hip-Hop is Dead. Common’s I Want You.
nah, I have no qualms with Will.I.Am. Is he Dylan? No, damn it. Dylan is Dylan. But Fergalicious is still a damn jam.
Nothing you mentioned was a “damn jam”. Will.i.am is a bad man.
It all makes sense now!!
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/25/barack-obamas-ipod-bob-dy_n_109093.html
2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY
3.http://www.odwyerpr.com/blog/index.php?/archives/365-Pepsis-New-Logo-Has-a-Familiar-Feel.html
i already am a pepsi hater, now i have a solid reason.
83% of all Stereogum readers hate black people. The other 17% enjoy TV on the Radio in moderation.
Oh shit here comes a negative 35 score for me.
Those statistics are made up. I call shenanigans.
No, it’s true. I totally hate black people.
There is one thing Will.I.Am is very good at – getting attention. I wonder who his manager is… but more importantly who is Dylan’s manager? Dylan in advertising just seems, well, sinful.
Dylan likes money and hates his fans. He’s also awesome.
Likes money and hates his fans? You’re thinking of Billy Corgan.
beat generation > our generation
i too am surprised at the hate for will.i.am
but then again, some of you find lil wayne talented.
the dylan and will add was one of the best. eat it haters.
Yeah nice nostalgic imagery and all but, NO!!! Bob is the voice of every generation, but with all due respect to Will.i.am, i don’t think he is the Bob Dylan of our era( actually nobody is)!
I guess writing “here comes a -25 score” always get you a positive score on thing
Maybe next year’s commercial can parallel Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane crash and Black Eyed Peas’ impending submarine accident.
Not sure why pepsi feels the need to make social commentary… just let us drink our soda in peace.
I’m 47 and this was my favorite.super.Bowl.ad.EVER. Even better than coke’s “i’d like to teach the world to sing”
GO hope and CHANGE.
open your ears haters
When I heard this version of Forever Young, I was kind of into it. When I heard Will I am ‘s “Yo, Yo, Yo” I had to laugh. Not a bad idea for an ad, but a few criticisms:
Cell Phones as Lighters – kind of lame
Shrek? That was like 10 years ago? How about something a little more recent.