A couple days ago I was watching some late night TV (it wasn't really that late - like 10:30 or 11 pm - but whatever). As I was waiting for the advertisements to take a break from air time, a commercial for the well-known Victoria's Secret Christmas sale campaign came on. Usually it is very unfitting for a young, single Christian man to stay tuned on the channel for various reasons...reasons that are unspoken yet understood at the same time. However, I was drawn this time to the commericial. It was odd and against my good sense of integrity, but yet I did not fight back. It was the music. The music was so cool and rockin' and I've heard it before...I even sang along with it in my head (there was no lyrics). The rhythm, the guitar riffs, the bass lines - they were all so very familiar. I named the song within seconds...then my jaw dropped when I named the band within a few more seconds.
"What was the band?" you ask. I will tell you...
It was SWITCHFOOT!!!
Yes, you read those big, fat (but cleverly tasteful) letters right. Switchfoot's intro guitar riffs to their beloved Adding to the Noise track was helping women rock out in clothing inappropriate for television.
Sometimes you love something blindly. Sometimes you love something even if you see their faults. And sometimes you gotta question why you love something when they start puting their music to Victoria's Secret commericials.
Friday, December 16, 2005
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25 comments:
Well, they are Victoria Secret "ANGELS". It's somewhat spiritual.
=O)
Hey man, girls listen to Switchfoot too. And girls need underwear!
sellouts.
I just googled this, and found a lot of people up in arms about it.
maybe the 'adding to the noise' is an underhanded way of rebelling against what they are helping to sell? yeah. what if that. huh. huuhh... .. i gotta check this out. (c;
Awesome, Switchfoot is smart. Maybe they can start dating some of the models.
The question is:
Did Switchfoot purposely let them use their song?
OR
Did the secular producers use it?
A sad byproduct of a secular label.
Hmmm... Sigh* Now, I'm skeptical about the band.
Sellouts.
Kuya, I read that forum that you posted, and I thought most of it was ridiculous. I especially liked this one by AldoDaldo:
"Jesus did dine with sinners did he not? For one thing half of the girls that you know probably wear Victoria's Secret, they are associated with VS so does that mean that they are going to burn in hell also. I think not! Does Switchfoot have to be glorifying Jesus with every move they make? Do you? Why do you expect more out of a band, they are human also and they need to pay the bills. Sure Jesus wouldn't PROMOTE a commercial but he also wouldn't condemn it, Paul would do that."
Thoughts, anyone?
AldoDaldo is a complete dumb f, what an idiot.
This brings up some prickly issues. Sure, the commericals are tawdry, so does that make anyone who shops there culpable as well? What about other stores with questionable business practices... WalMart, Disney, Gap, etc? We, the consumers, are the ones keeping companies alive with our money. Such are the compromises we make. So it's true, maybe it isn't the wisest move on Switchfoot's part, but most people aren't any better, whether they realize it or not.
I agree with Oli.
"Jesus did dine with sinners did he not? For one thing half of the girls that you know probably wear Victoria's Secret, they are associated with VS so does that mean that they are going to burn in hell also. I think not!"
That part (above) makes sense. I can dig it. There's nothing at all wrong with Victoria's Secret. It just doesn't need to be seen in public.
This part (below) made me gag.
"Does Switchfoot have to be glorifying Jesus with every move they make? Do you? Why do you expect more out of a band, they are human also and they need to pay the bills. Sure Jesus wouldn't PROMOTE a commercial but he also wouldn't condemn it, Paul would do that."
St. Paul, an inspired commentator on Jesus' life and sayings, by the Holy Spirit (the third person of that trinity that Jesus is also part of), is a good indication of what Jesus would condemn. Also, to that first question in the above quote: the answer is yes.
We shouldn't be all that surprised that some of our beloved Christian bands have crossed over to the mainstream (and selling their music for tv commercials). Once they sign with a major secular label, it becomes a free-for-all. However, we shouldn't judge Switchfoot. So what if a 15 second clip of their song was used for a VC commercial? It's just underwear, fellas. I bet all your moms own a pair of something from Victoria's Secret. What does that make them?
Like Al Pacino's cash
Nothing last...
Their credibility is GONE.
I don't think anybody thinks that Victoria's Secret is itself bad, just that their ads are inappropriate.
i dunno. I think it is a weird industry in the first place. It's about decency and VS seems counter to it. Modesty?! what is that? sure we aren't really going to see girls wearing what they buy there (in most normal situations), but then again, I do see a lot of thong straps at school and elsewhere and I think it's kinda crude. Indecent. I feel like underclothes have their place in part of a department store, but as a whole 'classy' department store? nah. I don't like VS.
what's with that person on BUBBS classifieds who keeps putting VS as the selling title?!
why the heck do you guys care so much about this? it's kind of dumb that you guys are even debating this. victoria's secret is only what you think it is. if you think it's wrong...then it's wrong...if not, then what the heck. it really isn't our business. if God thinks it's wrong then He'll deal with it...but for us, we should just do what we need to do...LOVE. is switchfoot now bad because of this? all of us have had our share of mistakes and we are still heirs of God's Kingdom...nothing can take that away from us so we really have no right to judge others. who knows...maybe they're doing the right thing. a lot of people do stop to watch that commercial. POD did the same thing...played with bands like Korn and all them hardcore bands and that's how they reached the crowd. so...let's leave 'em boys alone.
daniel malabuyo
I heard Bill Gaither will be doing a "Viagra" commercial.
BWAHAHAHAH! I'm going to hell.
Say hi to Switchfoot for me...
Just kidding.
We care because we shouldn't just be nomalist Christians and just keep to ourselves and never have a say in anything or never get involved. It's important that we state our opinions, according to God's word. We expect more out of each other, fellow Christians, especially those in the spotlight because they are representing Jesus Christ. God calls us to a HIGHER calling, to live above this fallen world. As Christians, we are held to higher standards, God's standards. Yes, we do make mistakes and we do sin, we are sinful and that's gonna happen, but it doesn't mean we are to just sit back and accept it! We aren't to make excuses beceause of out sinful nature, God expects more of us, we are to STRIVE to be like Christ, be committed in living holy and blameless, set apart for God apart from this world. Switchfoot, to many people are role models, a band who is Christian and despite their faith, has been able to reach the secular world. It IS our business when we see fellow Christians not representing Christ well. We are brothers and sisters in Christ and we are not only called to love each other, but to rebuke one another when one needs encouragement and advice. In the case of Switchfoot, we don't know the circumstances, but regardless, their music being played as marketing sex on a Victoria Secret commercial isn't exactly the principles and standards the Bible calls us to live to. No offense Daniel, but when you say "If YOU think it's wrong, then it's wrong. If not, what the heck?" That's a pretty dangerous thing to say, sounds very close to relativism, to "whatever you think is fine and whatever I think is fine." That's not a good place to be or to be thinking, esepcially in this post-modern world of "whatever is ok as long as you beleive in something." We shouldn't be thinking that way at all. There are absolutes in this world, there are standards that God holds the whole world to live by. Yes, we are to LOVE people, but I think we often forget a little part about God, that he is not ONLY love, but he is also JUSTICE. And just as Christ loved on people, he also rebuked them and pointed out the sinful, the wicked, and those living in sin and what they should be doing and what they shouldn't be doing. Let's be Christians that aren't sitting around waiting for Christ to come again, but be active in our faith in all aspects in life, whether its politics, church, ministry, at work, in our conversations, discussions, and even the music industry. God calls us to impact this world for Christ, to go out into the ends of the world and spread His word, let's do that and not just love and love whatever, whoever, and whenever. The Bible has a lot in it other than love, love is a big thing, the main thing, but in love also includes being just, rebuking fellow Christians, helping and challenging them in their faith.
whoah...i understand everything you said. all i was trying to say is that...my relationship with Jesus and your relationship with Jesus is totally different from each other. that goes with switchfoot. public unrest, as an example, wrote songs about how bad most churches are these days. is that going to be my thing also...no. God has a completely different work in my life. who knows...God may have put in switchfoot's heart to play their song in the commercial. for what? we may never know...and it really isn't our business. maybe they're just trying to find other ways to reach more people...the secular world. Paul, the apostle, even wrote about this. when he was with the gentiles, he bacame a gentile...when he was with the jews, he was a jew...and it goes on. was it be bad for public unrest to play with secular bands in a secular concert? no...they were just trying to reach the kids. POD played with KORN, METALICA and many other secular bands...is that a wrong representation of Jesus Christ? no...they were just trying to reach more people. same with switchfoot.
the point...let's quit pointing out others faults and look at ourselves first. we disappoint God everyday we live...why dont we concentrate on that? and if you really want to pick on christians bands who "fail to represent Jesus"...why dont we talk about how churches work these days? churches fail to represent Him all the time. what about the many "Christians" out there who dont live like they follow Jesus. tell you what...this is where my heart really is about this whole thing...all of us who commented on switchfoot about selling out, we're just a bunch of hypocrites. who in here saw movies like KILL BILL, BRAVEHEART, and many others? these movies promote hatred, sex, violence and all sorts of other garbage yet we all supported it by watching it. you see...it's so easy to point out other's faults and here we are, Christians, doing the same exact thing.
oops! that was me...daniel m.
Heh, I like those movies.
Me too!
yeah...those are some of my favorite movies...that's why they were mentioned.
daniel
the big thing here is, their comercials are pretty much pornographic! I never saw the one with the Switchfoot song, but come on...they're gross!! I have to change the chanell when my little brothers are in the room? THEY DON'T NEED TO ADVERTISE THAT WAY!! Girls know that their underwear is nice. They don't need to get pornographic about it, and Switchfoot doesn't need more money, or more publicity, I think this was a bad move, and yes, it was wrong.
Obviously, guys will watch the commercial, if only to hear the song. It was stupid of them to do, and I'm really dissapointed in them, not to mention they only sing about fluffy stuff now. Its not even close to what it used to be...but I'll be Praying for them.
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