Pass It Along

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"Pass It Along"
Song by Chumbawamba
from the album WYSIWYG
Released2000
Length3:24[1]
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Chumbawamba
Producer(s)

"Pass It Along" is a song by English rock band Chumbawamba, taken from their 2000 studio album WYSIWYG. The song mocks gated communities and a lack of public spaces, as well as Microsoft and its founder, Bill Gates. Its chorus is based on the Microsoft slogan "Where do you want to go today?" The song was originally released as a CD single in 2000 in Europe and the United States, and met with favorable critical reception. In 2001, the group released a remix of the song as a free digital download; the new version included samples from numerous pop songs and public figures.

In 2002, General Motors paid the group between $70,000 and $100,000 for the right to use the song in a television commercial for the Pontiac Vibe. Chumbawamba, despite having turned down some previous song-rights offers, accepted the payment from GM, and then donated the money to two consumer advocacy groups which dedicated the money to launching anti-GM information campaigns.

Composition[edit]

Bill Gates looks out into the audience at the 2001 World Economic Forum
Among the targets of criticism in “Pass It Along” was Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

"Pass It Along" is performed in the time signature of 4/4, and its tempo is 90 beats per minute.[2] They recorded the single edit of the song at "Shabbey Road Studios" in May 2000.[3] The group was inspired to write the song, which criticizes gated communities, after reading City of Quartz, a book about Los Angeles.[4] In the liner notes for WYSIWYG, they elaborated on their inspiration for the song, lamenting the lack of public spaces.[5] The song's chorus mocks Microsoft's "Where do you want to go today?" slogan.[1] Billboard reported that the song, along with "WWW Dot", "address(es) the growing influence of the Internet and the need to ensure its positive application."[6] In keeping with their criticisms of Microsoft and Bill Gates, the group originally sought to have the cover of the song's parent album, WYSIWYG, feature a photo of Gates being hit in the face by a pie; the label ultimately overruled them.[4] In a review of WYSIWYG, AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine deemed the song’s lyrics, along with those of other tracks on the album, "a little obvious."[1]

The group's "MP3 Mix" of the song, released in 2001, is a sound collage that includes references to and samples from Noam Chomsky, Jello Biafra, Madonna's "Justify My Love", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", and Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady".[7] The remix also envisions a "beyond-the-grave" conversation between John Lennon and Elvis Presley, which features an exchange in which the former says "The best things in life are free" and the latter responds "Well it's a-one for the money".[7]

Release[edit]

The song was included as the third track on Chumbawamba's 2000 studio album, WYSIWYG.[1] CMJ New Music Report named the song a "recommended track" from the album.[8] In Europe, EMI Group released the song in 2000 as a three-track CD single with the single version, in addition to the "Jeep Reference Version" and an acoustic edit.[3] A single-track CD single was released by Republic Records in the United States.[9] In 2001, the group released a new version of the song, titled the "MP3 Mix", and posted it on their website as a free download.[7]

Media use[edit]

Initial offer[edit]

A gray compact car is parked on a street
General Motors offered Chumbawamba at least $70,000 to use the song in commercials for the Pontiac Vibe.

In January 2002, General Motors expressed interest in using "Pass It Along" for its latest advertising campaign for its Pontiac line of cars, specifically the Vibe;[10] the campaign's slogan was "Pass It On."[11] The company offered the group a sum of money that has been reported as $70,000, $100,000, and £70,000 for the rights to the song.[11][12][13] Chumbawamba had previously rejected some requests for the rights to their music, having previously turned down offers of $700,000 and $1 million from General Electric and Nike, respectively, for the use of their music in commercials for an X-ray machine and the 1998 World Cup; the group had, however, consented to license their music for use in the motion picture Home Alone 3, a video game, and a dancing gorilla toy.[11][12] Boff Whalley, a Chumbawamba member, stated that the group considers the company's politics and labor practices in deciding to whom to grant rights to their music.[11]

Group response[edit]

Upon receiving the offer from General Motors, the group consulted with Indymedia and Corpwatch, two "corporate jammer" activist groups whom the band supported, to get their advice.[14] Following their conversation with the activists, Chumbawamaba agreed to General Motors's offer, and then donated the proceeds to the two charities.[11][14] The organizations in turn used the funds to finance "an aggressive information and environmental campaign" against the automaker, criticizing the company for supporting climate change deniers and refusing to revise production techniques.[15] A Philadelphia activist with Indymedia told Salon that the organization was initially reluctant to accept the money, given that it had been indirectly provided by a company whose practices they opposed, but they ultimately decided to accept the donation, viewing it as "coming not from GM but from Chumbawamba."[11] Chumbawamba had previously made similar use of money from licensing deals with Renault in Italy and Ford in South Africa.[12] The band acknowledged, however, that their decision to grant GM rights to the song was also influenced by the increased exposure their recordings might receive.[13]

Following the group's announcement of their use of the money, General Motors declined to comment to Salon.[11] A publicist for GM's Pontiac told the Guardian that "I didn't know that. I did know [the band] had quite a political background in England. That's very interesting."[12] Jacobin reflected on the group's decision, calling it "their most subversive use of corporate money".[16] Their donation of the money was also compared to that of electronic musician Moby, who in 1996 had donated money to an environmental advocacy group after being paid for the use of his music in a car commercial; he had said in an interview that "There's something perversely satisfying about taking money from a car company and then giving it to organizations which work to protect the environment".[17]

Track listings[edit]

Personnel[edit]

Adapted from WYSIWYG and CD single liner notes.[3][5]

  • Lou Watts — vocals, keyboards
  • Harry Hamer — drums, vocals, programming
  • Danbert Nobacon — vocals, banjo
  • Dunstan Bruce — vocals
  • Jude Abbot — trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
  • Boff Whalley — guitar, vocals
  • Alice Nutter — vocals
  • Neil Ferguson — bass, keyboards
  • Baader-Meinhof — sleeve design

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: What You See Is What You Get - Chumbawamba". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. ^ "BPM for Pass It Along (Chumbawamba song)". Get Song BPM. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Pass It Along" (European CD single liner notes). Chumbawamba. EMI Group. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ a b Weisbard, Eric (May 2000). "Thumping Up the Volume". Spin. 16 (5): 137. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b Chumbawamba (2000). WYSIWYG liner notes (Liner notes). EMI.
  6. ^ Bessman, Jim (18 March 2000). "Chumbawamba Aims New Social Barbs on Republic/Universal Set". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 12. p. 14. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Wolk, Douglas (February 2001). "Sound Files: February Meta-Madness!". Spin. 17 (2): 112. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  8. ^ Jacks, Kelso (20 March 2000). "Chumbawamba — WYSIWYG". CMJ New Music Report. 61 (658): 24. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Pass It Along" (US CD single liner notes). Chumbawamba. Republic Records. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). "Chumbawamba". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. London: Omnibus. p. 133. ISBN 978-0857125958. Retrieved 29 January 2022. In a surprise move they then accepted $100,000 from General Motors for 'Pass It Along' to be used in a television advertisement for the Pontiac Vibe, although this was qualified by the fact that the band gave all the money to activist groups.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Aitch, Iain (31 January 2002). "General Motors gets tub-thumped". Salon. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d Rowan, David (27 January 2002). "Chumbawamba's tune turns the tables on US car giant". Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  13. ^ a b NME (28 January 2002). "Chumbawamba Sells Out!". NME. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  14. ^ a b Goodman, Amy (19 October 2017). "The Untold Story of Chumbawamba: Dunstan Bruce on '90s Anthem Song "Tubthumping" & What Came After". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  15. ^ Ensminger, David (2016). "This Land is Punkland". The Politics of Punk: Protest and Revolt from the Streets. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 19. ISBN 978-1442254459. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  16. ^ Lake Smith, Aaron (13 July 2012). "Chumbawamba's Long Voyage". Jacobin. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  17. ^ Klein, Bethany (2016). As Heard on TV: Popular Music in Advertising. Abingdon-on-Thames: Taylor & Francis. p. 72. ISBN 978-1317178187. Retrieved 29 January 2022.

External links[edit]

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