Bob Dylan’s song, “The Man in Me” is now the Rocket Mortgage by Quicken theme song. The song was released in 1970 on Dylan’s album, New Morning.
“The Man in Me” is a beautiful love song, written and performed for an American icon. The song was also featured in 1998 Coen Brothers film The Big Lebowski. It plays during the stylized opening title sequence and during the hallucination sequence after the Dude is punched and his rug stolen.
But is it the right song for this ad campaign?
Overlooking (for the moment) the idea that Dylan’s most important works are being bought and remixed to sell 30-year home loans, I do like the song for this campaign because of its melody. It’s dreamy and therefore it fits nicely into the storyline here. Let’s watch.
La la la la la la la…
“Push Button, Get Mortgage.” Hold it, what?
With a Rocket Mortgage from Quicken the act of home buying is made to seem simple, but I might suggest viewers wake from this dream sequence, as buying a home is almost always a long, stressful journey.
And once you close and have the keys to your new home, the real fun begins. On top of being responsible for property taxes, interest, and unexpected maintenance needs, you also get to mow the grass, call the plumber and so on.
Just don’t mow the grass or use your leaf blower while Ricky Fowler is meditating. That would be wrong.
In Related News, Dylan Does Whatever He Wants
Maybe Bob Dylan likes commercials. I’m confident that he likes appearing in them.
In this 2004 Super Bowl spot for Chrysler he doesn’t just lend his music, he is the star of the two-minute spot.
Dylan has also appeared in commercials for Apple, Pepsi and other top brands.
The Bluegrass Situation made this point in 2017:
Dylan’s relationship with advertising portrays the artist as a corporate shill, but the end of the story is this: Dylan seemingly doesn’t give a damn. His enigmatic career bends and curves at his will, and those of us who dissent simply don’t understand. Frank Sinatra cover songs? Check. Dyed blonde emo hair for a movie? Check. Fat paycheck from Chrysler? Check. Dylan does whatever the hell he pleases.
Doing what you please is the rebel stance. But I’ll offer a simpler explanation. Artists see media like a canvas on which to paint their masterpiece. Dylan makes albums, books, films, and commercials because it’s all media and media is how one person or group or artistic persons conveys its message to the world.
