Forgotten Classic Video of the Week

The the classic video this week is from The The. This is this is "This is the Day," from the the 1983 release Soul Mining.

I was fairly familiar with the song, but had never seen this video until a few weeks ago on VH1 Classic. No doubt it's resurfaced because of its current use in M&M ads. What this song has to do with candy-coated chocolates is beyond me. Although, by now it's probably seeped into our collective unconscious to the point where the song will elicit a Pavlovian response in us all and we'll soon be a nation of M&M guzzling fatsos. But, so what? We'll be happy and in love.




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Comments

Johnny Yen said…
It's excruciating for me to hear that song in the M and M's commercial. Along with "Uncertain Smile," also from Soul Mining, it's one of my favorite songs of the eighties.
7/11/2007 12:10 AM
LoraLoo said…
I had never heard that song before. I also can't imagine why it would be used for any commercial???
7/11/2007 8:14 AM
deadspot said…
I, for one, would appreciate it if advertising executives would stop strip mining my youth in their pursuit of filthy lucre.
7/11/2007 9:29 AM
Barbara Bruederlin said…
Good to hear The The again, even if they were too lazy to finish naming themselves. Can I get those M&Ms deep-fried?
7/11/2007 11:27 AM
cube said…
I'm with deadspot. Can't the advertising execs oh, I don't know, maybe pay some songwriters to make up jingles for their products?
7/11/2007 12:06 PM
Anonymous said…
"...and we'll soon be a nation of M&M guzzling fatsos..."

You mean we aren't now? That is the collective we by the way. I include the Canadas.
7/11/2007 12:06 PM
Anonymous said…
cube - That is how Barry Manilow got his start. Do we want another Barry Manilow?
I though not.
7/11/2007 12:08 PM
Joe said…
I used to love that song, then I forgot about it. I was actually pleased when that M&M commercial came out and I heard it again for the first time in years.

Thanks for the video!
7/11/2007 1:34 PM
Cup said…
Good thing I don't eat M&Ms. I'd hate to chomp away my principles.

Soul Mining is one fan-f*cking-tastic album. Both David Bowie and I declared "Uncertain Smile" as the best song of 1983 ... he in Rolling Stone, me to anyone who would listen.

Oh, and I got up and danced to the entire video. Just in case you were wondering.
7/12/2007 12:35 AM
Cup said…
We need more accordian in songs ...
7/12/2007 12:36 AM
Martin said…
I'm a huge fan of Matt Johnson's early stuff. The main thing that I like about the video is that you get to see him with hair (Aquanet anyone?) A version of the song (remixed and called "That Was The Day") also wound up on the Threesome soundtrack as well.
7/13/2007 6:03 AM
Scott said…
I once had to locate a picture of The The for my company's website. There will never be a more difficult internet search than that.
7/14/2007 10:56 AM
Malcolm said…
Another great tune by The The is "The Beat(en) Generation". As for "This Is the Day", I remember when it was also used in a commercial for Docker's few years ago.

My theory about the use of the song in commercials is two-fold. The ad execs think that by picking a song that's hip, consumers will consider their product hip. Also, these ad execs realize that many people who grew up in the 80s have disposable income. As a result, they are choosing songs from that era to use in their commercials. The execs who chose "This Is the Day" were probably "children of the 80s" themselves and 1st heard the song back then.
7/15/2007 6:19 AM
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