Catch the Wind

For this weeks ad journal I want to focus on the readings about echoic memory and the Broca’s area of the brain. When I read the article about echoic memory and the use of song, timing, rhythm, and the human voice, I thought about General Electric’s commercial concerning wind power featuring “Try and Catch the Wind,” by Donovan.

The music is what makes this ad so successful because of rhythm, timing, the words and most importantly Donovan’s historical context and voice. I first want to use a quote from the chapter “Secrets” because I feel that it ties in nicely with my analysis.

“Just as it takes an unusual combination of words to engage the listener’s imagination, it requires an unusual combination of notes and rhythm to surprise and enchant the mind. A powerful tool, Music is the language of the soul in the hands of a master, but counterproductive in the hands of anyone else.”

I disagree that it takes an unusual combination of words, rhythm, notes, and imagination to surprise and enchant the mind. I disagree because musicians like Donovan and his American counterpart, Bob Dylan have written incredibly simple lyrics and “usual” melodies to “enchant” the mind. I do however agree that Dylan and Donovan have mastered music, the language of the soul because they have stood the test of time, unlike Brittany spears for example, who’s career has died along time ago.

When I first saw and listened to the commercial I immediately thought about the historical context of Donovan’s time. Donovan and Dylan came onto the music scene right around the same time and created a lot of music that was in lot of ways the soundtrack of the “hippie” movement. To put it simple terms, the hippie movement was a failed attempt to change the world in terms of the environment and peace. The commercial uses one of these old songs that carry that same sort of hippie mentality, except that this time in 2007 we’re pretty serious about making alternative energy I viable institution. The commercial shows that we are actually doing something about the environment rather than just sitting on our butts singing songs and doing drugs. The commercial is linking an old movement with new hard science to create a feeling that finally we are doing something.

Another point I would like to make is that Donovan and Dylan’s voices almost sound the same. And bringing up from the reading about sound recognition makes me think that it doesn’t matter if Dylan sang the song or if Donovan did, the link and the message are the same.

The last point is how the lyrics of the song have nothing to do with the environment, in fact it’s a love song, but the simple phrase “try to catch the wind” works beautifully with the imagery and the plot of the commercial. It’s strange how the commercial is able to make us focus on one specific verse of the song when clearly if you listen to it has nothing to do with wind power.