Nokia's UK Music Benches Blare Beatles, Stones, More

How does Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung” go again? Sitting on a park bench/Listening to Dusty Springfield? No, that’s not it. That’s Nokia’s new advertising stratagem, which jacks legendary music into benches from London to Leeds to Glasgow. It’s an idea whose time has come finally come. Sedentary types chilling on benches make killer audiences for ad […]
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How does Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" go again? Sitting on a park bench/Listening to Dusty Springfield?

No, that's not it. That's Nokia's new advertising stratagem, which jacks legendary music into benches from London to Leeds to Glasgow. It's an idea whose time has come finally come. Sedentary types chilling on benches make killer audiences for ad campaigns from Nokia's Comes With Music digital service.

According to New Musical Express, benches are being built in cities like Liverpool, Bristol and beyond with embedded sound systems that will play targeted favorites culled from regional surveys conducted by Nokia. The mobile device maestro polled each city to find their sonic sweet spots, and is busy creating custom-designed playlists. This is why Manchester will be getting benches blaring Queen's operatic classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Liverpool will be hearing not The Beatles' "Day in the Life" but rather The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black."

Believe it or not, none of those rock lifers could compete with Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man," which polled highest across England. The nationwide top ten is as surprising: Making the list were songs like Michael Jackson's "Thriller," Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and Robbie Williams' "Angels."

WTF? Something is rotten in England.

this audio or video is no longer availableDon't get us wrong. This move gives new meaning to the phrase "sit and spin." But Whitney Houston? Really? Given the mind-numbing richness of the UK's musical output, which stretches from the Fab Four to Led Zeppelin to The Clash and My Bloody Valentine, it's hard to believe there weren't better tunes to love.

Maybe Nokia's Comes With Music service needs to expand its holdings beyond EMI. Or maybe the handset trend-setter needs to ask the Listening Post readership what songs should have been included. Post a comment and damn the torpedoes.

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