I have wondered, especially over the course of the last year, if it is at all possible to make a great political album and still have it matter.

What prompts this, you ask? OK, strap in.

Green Day are an excellent band. Simple, pull no punches, pretty much devoid of bullshit. I like that in musicians. I haven’t always dug their stuff, mind you… but I loved what they did with American Idiot back in ’04. A sharp, witty, surprisingly intelligent concept album that has good hooks, melodies, and a mainstream nicety that is oftentimes lost on me. Bravo, boys.

Having said that, I’m more than a bit perturbed at the fact that every hit single off the album has somehow found its way into the sad commercialism that is the American culture. I remember several months ago seeing “Holiday” featured in ads for Sprint’s ringtones. I remember “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” being used in the trailer for Lords Of Dogtown. I’m also pretty sure that at least one song has been used during previews for The O.C. And somehow I really doubt all of this is what Billie Joe Armstrong had in mind when he penned this baby. Wouldn’t you agree?

Admittedly, I’ve always had somewhat of a problem when it comes to music being used commercially. It absolutely drives me mental when I hear Aerosmith, Zeppelin and Hendrix being used to advertise automobiles. And I was none too happy when Michael Jackson used McCartney’s “Revolution” to peddle Nikes. I realize that to some extent it’s almost unavoidable these days, lord knows some artists (such as Jet and their iPod stint) have used music to kickstart their potentially limp careers. I understand that exposure is key when it comes to longevity, so it may be something of a double-edged sword. And Green Day are certainly no strangers to having their material used beyond the music world. “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” has been used in God-only-knows how many final sitcom episodes (most notably the last episode of Seinfeld), so it’s not like this is something new for them.

However, it’s an altogether different story for me when it comes to songs of a political nature. This bastardization and seemingly endless barrage of adverts peppered with songs against the man is seriously beginning to piss me off. And it’s not just the ear-friendly tones of Green Day that are getting watered down in the monetary current of the mainstream. Put it this way… when the title track of one of the greatest albums ever gets used to sell Jaguars, something is very wrong. I’m glad Joe Strummer isn’t alive to see “London Calling” being defecated on like this. The one that really blew my mind, though, was seeing the trailer for The Fantastic 4 for the first time and hearing “Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums” by A Perfect Circle being played in the background. Now APC isn’t much of a commercial band, certainly not to the level of Green Day or even the Clash. And eMOTIVe is about as politically charged as it gets. So this had me worried.

Then again, should I really be all that surprised? Shit, Rage Against The Machine’s music was being used in freakin’ Tony Hawk video games years ago. Similarly, Megadeth’s “Peace Sells” has been used in both the Grand Theft Auto and True Crime game series. Christ, how many U2 songs have you heard in commercials and film trailers?

Sadly, as long as artists are writing catchy lyrics and solid hooks, commercialism is always gonna be aching to eat up a few tunes for the sake of promotion. It’s just a shame that the political messages intended will be lost on everyone while they’re watching The O.C.

Goodnight, and have a pleasant New Year.