“Billboard” Looks Back On Pop’s Proud Tradition Of Doling Out Free Advertising
Billboard continues its coverage of the 50th anniversary of its flagship singles chart, the Hot 100, with a look at songs on its recently compiled all-time Hot 100 that have engaged in lyrical brand-dropping. Not surprising, there are a few hip-hop songs in the rundown (“Gold Digger,” “Low,” “Yeah!”), but a couple of older radio staples are also in there: the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” which name-checks The New York Times; Chic’s “Le Freak,” which mentions the New York nightclub the Savoy (confidential to Billboard–pretty sure the lyric is about stomping, not stopping, at the nightclub); and Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” which incorporates the Saratoga race track and the Lear jet into its lyrics. [Billboard]
