Some die-hard fans were not pleased when The Rolling Stones sold the tune Start Me Up for about $4 million to Microsoft, which wanted the classic song to promote its Windows 95 launch. The Beach Boys sold Good Vibrations to Cadbury Schweppes for its Sunkist soft drink, Steppenwolf offered his Born to Be Wild to plug the Mercury Cougar, and even Bob Dylan sold The Times They Are A-Changin to Coopers & Lybrand (now called PriceWaterhouseCoopers).114 Other rock legends have refused to play the commercial game, including Bruce Springsteen, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, R.E.M., and U2. According to U2 s manager, Rock n roll is the last vestige of independence. It is undignified to put that creative effort and hard work to the disposal of a soft drink or beer or car. 115 Singer Neil Young is especially adamant about not selling out;

in his song This Notes forYou, he croons, Aint singing for Pepsi, aint singing for Coke, I dont sing for nobody, makes me look like a joke. What s your take on this issue? How do you react when one of your favorite songs turns up in a commercial? Is this use of nostalgia an effective way to market a product? Why or why not? L01