Along with starring on the big screen, some musicians have also taken on small screen roles to promote everything from food, beverages, cars, and more.
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In 1984, Lou Reed starred in a Honda Scooters ad with his 1972 classic “Walk On The Wild Side” playing, while Sting sang his 1999 song “Desert Rose” for a more posh ad for Jaguar cars. Pepsi also tapped everyone from Michael Jackson, Madonna, Ray Charles, Robert Palmer, Mariah Carey, Dr. Dre, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and others for their commercials from the 1980s through the 2000s.
A surprising twist came when Bob Dylan appeared in a Victoria’s Secret commercial in 2004 while his song “Love Sick,” off his 1997 album, Time Out of Mind, plays. Former Sex Pistol John Lydon even promoted the British butter brand Country Life in a 2008 commercial that aired in the UK.
[RELATED: Remember When Bob Dylan Was in a Victoria’s Secret Commercial?]
Promoting everything from model trains, motor oil, burritos, insurance, banks, and more, here’s a look at seven iconic artists who didn’t mind lending themselves to commercials on television.
1. ABBA for National (Panasonic)
Reworking their lyrics to their 1976 hit “Fernando,” ABBA advertised for the Australian electronics brand National, which would later become Panasonic. In the commercial, ABBA’s Benny Andersson uses a portable cassette player, while Anna-Frid Lyngstad (Frida) uses a National flash camera to take photos of Agnetha Fältskog riding a bike, and Björn Ulvaeus says the company is “slightly ahead of our time.”
2. Johnny Cash for Lionel Trains, STP, and More
Beginning in the 1970s Johnny Cash was all over television, acting in ads for Lionel model train sets and STP motor oil. By 1985, Cash returned to the small screen to Canada Trust Bank and even sang a special theme song for his appearance in a Taco Bell commercial in 1992.
3. Willie Nelson for Taco Bell
Just like the Man in Black, Willie Nelson also sang a tune of his own for Taco Bell in the early 1990s. At the time, Nelson was in the middle of a multi-million dollar tax debt, and working with Taco Bell helped him settle his $16.7 million bill with the IRS in 1993.
The country legend even sang a jingle for the ad about “The Woman In The Rose Tattoo.” In the commercial, she encourages a hitchhiker to try the Taco Bell Steak Burrito Supreme, the Zesty Steak Melt, and the Steak Soft Taco.
He had never had anything like it, sings Nelson in the commercial, and he’d always be indebted for the rest of his life to the woman with the rose tattoo.
4. Ringo Starr Reunites The Monkees for Pizza Hut
To promote their new stuffed crust pizza in 1995, Ringo Starr starred in a commercial for Pizza Hut as he tried to get “the band” back together. In the ad, Starr manages to reunite a band—Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Davy Jones of The Monkees—and says, “Wrong lads.”
In retrospect, the commercial was an odd choice for Starr, who never takes a bite of the pizza in the ad, since he has been vegetarian for decades and eats a predominantly plant-based diet.
5. David Bowie for Vittel Water
Walking room to room in a house, David Bowie revisits all his former personas from Ziggy Stardust— his “Ashes to Ashes” clown, Station to Station Thin White Duke era, and more in the 2003 French ad for Vittel bottled water. Before he escapes his past and walks out, Bowie, who never says a word during the entire commercial, comes across Diamond Dogs-era self laying on the floor before he exits.
6. Alice Cooper for Staples
Covered in his signature eye makeup, Alice Cooper walks into Staples to buy some school supplies for a young girl who resembles Wednesday Addams. When she questions if school is out forever, Cooper corrects her and says “No, no, no, the song goes ‘school’s out for summer’—nice try though,” before his 1972 hit “School’s Out” starts playing.
7. Iggy Pop for Swiftcover Insurance
Even though Iggy Pop is a U.S. citizen, that didn’t stop him from sitting up in bed, under the covers, near a marionette in his likeness to promote the British car insurance company Swiftcover. In the commercial, Pop and his “partner” are working on a crossword puzzle that spells out the words “Swift” and “Cover” before mentioning that the insurance company offers a quote in 60 seconds. The commercial ends with Pop saying, “Get a Life. Get Swiftcovered.”
Photo by Nils Meilvang / AFP via Getty Images
