Eric Clapton: “Wonderful Tonight” (1978)

Clapton’s immortal portrait of Patti Boyd is the prettiest thing he’s ever done.

Kronomyth 7.2: Tonight we’re going to make it right.

Okay, let’s settle this once and for all. Is it morally wrong for an advertising company to use a familiar song to sell a product on television? Let’s not address where the culpability lies (agency, artist or industry) and focus on the act itself. First of all, commercials use original music to sell products all the time. Since the emergence of the merchant class, commerce has been a steady patron of the arts. This relationship doesn’t always produce the best art, but it does foster an art industry that sometimes produces great artists. So, relationship between art and commerce: okay. Is music art? Sure it is. Can existing art be re-sold and taken out of its original context? Yes, says Andy Warhol, and I agree. Art is partially defined by its relationship to its environment, so we’ll admit that using Led Zeppelin’s “Rock & Roll” to sell SUVs alters the song’s artistic composition for that moment, but do we as a society have a moral obligation to protect art in its original context? No, we’ve handed off that responsibility to the original artist. If the artist or the individual(s) representing the artist’s estate wish to re-sell the rights to a work of art, we assume (as non-artists) that it is done in a spirit of responsible stewardship that protects the interests of both art and commerce. Sometimes they just want the money, but a good society rewards its artists. So, yes, you can re-use an existing work of art (a song) in a commercial venture (advertising). However, advertising is an admittedly nefarious little business that relies upon subliminal messages to sell products to (sometimes) unsuspecting consumers. Watching Genesis play “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” while shots of Michelob and hot women in bars flash on the screen means that if a girl sees you drinking Michelob at a bar you’ll score. Listening to Led Zeppelin while watching an SUV splash through the mud promises that you can feel young again by driving this vehicle. The advertising agencies know that particular songs resonate with specific demographics (the artists must know this as well), and these ads in many cases target the artist’s original fan base. Is this much different than a musician selling the mailing list for the fan club to a direct mail company? Yes, because with a mailing list you’re selling a known quantity. Re-using a song is a much riskier proposition for advertisers; some listeners (like myself) have an adverse reaction, others may identify with it, still more may be hearing the music for the first time. In the case of “Wonderful Tonight,” which is being used to sell SBC’s Internet service, the advertisers even borrowed some of the Eric Clapton legend (how the song was written) for their commercial (it’s actually a very clever commercial). It’s the “commoditization” of celebrity, perhaps, but not of the listening experience itself (the original artist/audience relationship), which remains uncorrupted. If an artist can profit from the re-presentation of their art on stage, why not on television? If it’s okay to use an existing song in a movie (itself more product than art), why not a short advertisement? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like advertising or television, but it’s the manipulation of minds I’m worried about, not the perceived sanctity of some old piece of plastic.

And if you actually came here to read about “Wonderful Tonight,” there’s some wonderful stuff on Songfacts.

Original 7-inch single version

A1. Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton) (3:13)
B1. Peaches and Diesel (Eric Clapton/Albhy Galuten) (4:48)

“Stardust” 7-inch single reissue
A1. Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton) (3:41)
B1. Lay Down Sally (Marcy Levy/Eric Clapton) (3:48)

“Timepieces” 7-inch single reissue
A1. Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton) (3:42)
B1. Promises (Richard Feldman/Roger Lynn) (2:59)

CD single reissue (Germany)
A1. Wonderful Tonight
A2. I Shot the Sheriff
A3. Layla (full version)
A4. Wonderful Tonight (live version)

The Plastic

Released on 7-inch single in April 1978 in the US (RSO, RS 895) and New Zealand (RSO, 2090 289). Also released as promotional 7-inch single in 1978 in the US (RSO, RS 895) feat. A mono on flip. Reached #16 on the US charts (charted on May 13, 1978 for 17 weeks).

1. Re-issued w. “Lay Down Sally” on back-to-back hits 7-inch single in the US (RSO, RS 8020) and Canada (Stardust, URC 1296).
2. Re-issued w. “Promises” on B2B hits “Timepieces” 7-inch single in 1982 in the US (Polydor, 871 836-7). Reached #4 on the UK charts.
3. Re-issued on CD single in 1988 in Germany (Polydor, 887 754-2).