BBC trailers, and miscellaneous advert music
Posted by: Richard in BBC, Formula 1, Media, Music, PersonalGoogle Search Results
I always feel quite chuffed when I recognise a piece of music in an advert, especially if it’s from somebody more obscure. Saab are, I think, using one of Aphex Twin’s tracks (”Shiny Metal Rods”, from Selected Ambient Works Vol 2), I think we all discovered a new talent in José González with the Sony Bravia adverts. Also, More4 are using “No more sweet music” from Hooverphonic’s album of the same name, for their trailer for “The Swenkas”.
“They” say that every one of Moby’s tracks from “Play”, was used in an advert in some capacity, primarily car adverts I think. Also, a real shame about ITV’s choice of music in their F1 coverage - out of context from Moby’s album, and utterly inappropriate for F1 I think: It’s too “airy” and “inspirational”, rather than down, dirty and a spot more aggressive: Bring back Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”! Even the rather lacklustre Jamiroquai track they commissioned was better.
But most recently the BBC’s music selector seems to have fallen quite sizeably for Sigur Rós, in that they’ve made huge use of various tracks from their album Takk for Planet Earth, the Wimbledon build up, and - spotted this morning - a new nature program. Funny. Well worth checking the band out though. Excellent stuff.
Update
- http://www.commercialbreaksandbeats.co.uk is a great website for more information about music on adverts that folk might find of use/interest.
Tips on searching for your advert
- Comments are now most-recent first, as that’s people are frequently most interested in.
- There are a lot of comments, so use your browser’s search feature to find the track you’re after. If it’s not on the page you arrived on, open the complete post by clicking here, and then search in your browser by hitting CTRL-F (or Option-F if you’re on a Mac) and type in a keyword about the advert and click OK!
- There may be some other links available which could be helpful.
- Remember many of the tracks you read about here are available in the iTunes Music Store
- There’s another thread on this very website with more adverts and answers!
Comments
- I’m sometimes away from a computer, and sometimes disable comments. If you’ve got an answer to somebody’s question, or want to ask one yourself, please first try to use the ‘Leave a Reply’ form at the very bottom of the page. If that’s not there, try using the Contact form on the top-right of the page to let me know the details of the track, and I’ll post them when I get back.

Entries (RSS)
December 1st, 2008 at 11:44 pm
I found my own query: It is some sort of remix of John Carpenter’s The Fog. Turns out that a lot of searching through horror movie soundtracks is instructive.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I have been searching for the music that was played during BBC London Morning News’ story on starlings in Rome this morning at roughly 8.54 am. It’s suspenseful piano music, so it’s not got any lyrics to search for, and I know it’s not tubular bells, though it is evocative of it. I am considering emailing the BBC and asking them what it is called, but am at a loss to figure out how to contact them.
December 1st, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Hi could anyone please tell me what the name of the beeping song is that starts at around 0:51 on this video, i swear i have herd it on an advert before in fact i hear it often on tv so could someone please tell me what the song is it can be heard at 0:51 on the link…
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ub_t8bUqJ3Y
Thx
December 1st, 2008 at 6:52 pm
For Liz, Paul, and everybody else asking about the iplayer advert with spooks, clarkson, little dorrit et al crying, the question’s already been answered by phil j (answer 973):
http://www.leyton.org/2006/07/08/bbc-trailers-and-miscellaneous-advert-music/comment-page-20/#comment-24687
r.
December 1st, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Like Liz from ireland can somebody please put me out of my misery- what is the music on the
trailer of ‘ crying’ with spooks and ending on Clarkson blubbing. Its doing’ my head in’.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:31 am
Could someone please tell me the title/group who’s music is used for the i-player adverts on BBCshowing scenes from Little Dorrit, Spooks, Jeremy Clarkson, etc crying. Sounds a little like Coldplay but don’t think it is.
Thanks
December 1st, 2008 at 10:29 am
Hi Sam
The music used on the bbc “where were you” ad is Gustavo Santaolalla ” When our wings are Cut , can we still fly” from the film soundtrack 21 grams. He also wrote the score to Motorcycle diaries and Babel , he’s well worth checking out ..
November 28th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Does anyone know the piece of music played in the bbc news advert “Where were you”, it has the death of President Kennedy, Elvis, Nelson Mandela and the Berlin Wall coming down featuring in the advert. Its a piece of music i think rather than a pop song???
November 25th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Easy one I hope! What is and who did the current BBC Iplayer trailer song (with all the smooching)?
November 22nd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
thank you so much to those who told me the song was
“One Day Like This” by Elbow from “The Seldom Seen Kid””
i’ve been trying to find this tune for ages.
thanks :D!!
if you’re looking for a tune from an ad. at least listen to this, cos it’s a [ehem] tune mate.
November 14th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
can anybody help me out please… ive been searching for a song, its on an advert that appears just before hollyoaks on E4, its a load of teenagers dancing under an umbrella on a rooftop in the rain, and i cant really give lyric hints because they’re quite fast haha
reply soon thanks x
November 12th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Does anyone know what the song//tune is called used on the bbc 2 Heroes season 3 advert with Hiro in it?
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bdv_gcwLTS0
I’ve seen it a few times and rreeeeaalllyyyy like it. It’s bugging me loads.
Thanks x
November 12th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
hallelujah is performed by Jeff buckley on the bbc trailer.
this is the youtube link to watch him sing it.
hope this helps.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ
November 12th, 2008 at 3:15 am
Hi, does anyone know the music that was played on the BBC1 montage shown right after Saturdays Strictly Come Dancing on November 8th 2008, i’ve heard it before but for the life of me I cannot recal who its by, its akind of instrumental theme and I think in the chorus were the words ‘are you ready for this’…? Any ideas…?
November 11th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Hi, I’m looking for this song from the Restaurant.
I’ve been looking for it for ages.
Here is a video I posted on Youtube with the song playing. It’s an instrumental song.
Thank you
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9q_C39h0gHE
November 10th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Hi
does anyone know the music used in the BBC broadcast of the programme about Deborah Meaden, on iplayer it is at 18 minutes and she is on her helicopter zooming over the countryside… its beautiful think its in C minor, a repeated pattern of 4 notes slightly varying each time
sounds like coldplayish thing… but its not… oh woe
thanks so much!
Topaz
November 10th, 2008 at 2:07 am
Thanks James. I’ve had a listen to both and although they sound similar I don’t think they’re the same. Thanks for trying though.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Wanted: music for THIS version of the BBC autumn drama trailer. No, it’s not Elbow and it’s not Polyphonic Seeds.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-IrO9Ud1isQ
Thanks a lot !!
November 8th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Does anyone know who is singing Hallelujah on the bbc iplayer advert shown tonight on bbc2? Thanks.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Hi, can anyone name this song? I think Andrew and Nick were looking for it earlier. It is driving me absolutely insane. Cheers
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9q_C39h0gHE
November 4th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
not sure but the bbc autumn advert could be
death by white lies
November 4th, 2008 at 2:09 am
Hi,
Does anyone know what music the BBC have used for the autumn drama trailer on their press office website? It’s different to One Day like this by Elbow.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/09_september/01/drama.shtml
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Hey Odhran - think it is the Knife’s version of Heartbeats - here is the youtube link
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zUGyFYUlquo
Sounds like a cracker in full!!!
Thanks for all your help.
Slan
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Hey Lena 958, The song you heard on Channel 6 heroes advert was a cover of heartbeats, by Jose Gonzalez. Im tryin to find who coverd it myself so if i find out who ill let you know. Take care
November 1st, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Hello,
Does anyone know the name of the song that is used at the moment to advertise the BBC one dramas. I saw it yesterday its to advertise spooks and other various programmes currently on the channel??
October 31st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Hi,
Does anyone know the song played in “The worlds strictest parents”, it was played during the one where they were reflecting back on their experiences
the song was usually played at the junction (However short) after they have shown how easy they have had it, to the location where they where going to get
It sound like an action picece of a movie.
October 29th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
i am looking for the song that plays in the background to the look magazine advert? can anyone help? its a raw scatch punky song, think its minor threat but not sure can anyone confirm that? thanx
October 28th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Hi was watching TV3 and seen the new advertisement for Heroes on Channel 6 (Ireland) and was wondering does anyone know the song it is playing - sounds a bit like an electro sounding song with a girls voices think partial lyrics are “put your hand up above ” but I could be wrong on them. It is driving me crazy and have tried everywhere to find it. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 27th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Hi all, really hoping one of you might know the name of the tune that plays over the Valentine Warner iPlayer advert? Noone else seems to have asked; maybe its that obvious but Im clueless! The lyrics sound a bit like “Oh baby heres trouble”. Its got a kind of dirty guitar garage rock sound in maybe a 50s girl band style. The thing is the version of this I want is a different one with a brassier drunker sounding girl singing but MUCH clearer music behind it, maybe some brass ie trumpet also. Wow I just read back over this and I sound absoutely incoherent but thats musical longing for you I suppose. Thanks, murgatroyd
October 21st, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Sorry - don’t know if I should be asking here or not, but I’ve been dying to find out what a certain song is for a long time.
First time I heard it was on a trailer for a BBC series, which I think was Elizabeth (or certainly to do with her). It was simply guitar music, but seemed to be building, not unlike Snow Patrol.
Then happened to be wathing Jamie’s Ministry this evening and it was there in the background again for a while.
Any pointers gratefully received.
Thanks.
October 21st, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Hi,
Im sorry if somone has already said but…
Does anyone know the song that they play on The restaurant when one of the couples is about to go out?
Thanks a lot
October 20th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
hi people after much searching i got nowhere so i listened to every oasis tune and found it to be -Bring it on down- what a tune!!!!
October 19th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
RE 937: Good question Jill and well answered everyone.
It had me beaten all weekend until I read these replies !!
October 19th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
hi…. does anyone know the song off the advert for best friends rehab on channel 5
thanks
Harry
October 19th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
hi please could someone tell me which oasis track is played on the bbc electric proms advert as its driving me mad