Back in February, Tone Deaf reported on a widely talked about Nissan ad that run during the NFL Super Bowl in the US. The ad distracted everybody from Katy Perry’s now infamous halftime performance thanks to its bizarre music choice.
The car company’s ad depicted a race car driver’s relationship with his son throughout the years as he suffers, wins, losses, and a terrifying crash on the track, set to the sounds of Harry Chapin’s 1973 folk rock classic ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’.
The ad was very heartwarming, except Nissan’s marketing department were apparently oblivious to the meaning of Chapin’s song, as well as, uh, how he died. ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ was in fact about a neglectful father and Chapin was tragically killed in a car crash in 1981.
Music can be a potent emotional trigger, which is precisely why we all love it, but it means it’s important to remember things like propriety and tact when picking what songs to play in a given situation. That is, of course, unless you’re a major troll.
As some readers may be aware, Queensland AFL team the Gold Coast Suns are currently embroiled in a drug scandal. As the Herald Sun reported back in February, an intelligence report on drugs in sport identified a cocaine ring at the Gold Coast Suns.
Player Karmichael Hunt was soon facing court on four counts of supplying cocaine and a new twist was given to the scandal when, as Yahoo news reports, it was alleged Hunt had named past and present Suns players as cocaine users in a report to police.
Clearly, drugs, in particular that Bolivian marching powder, are kind of a touchy subject with the AFL and particularly the Suns at the moment. So what did a band tapped to play outside of Metricon Stadium during a game between the Suns and North Melbourne decide to play?
If you haven’t guessed yet (probably because you don’t want your co-workers to hear you shouting out “Cocaine!” in the middle of the office), the band churned out a rendition of the J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton classic ‘Cocaine’ as the Suns warmed up on the pitch before the game.
[include_post id=”448299″]
As 3AW reports, the band’s choice of song has sparked some controversy among fans of the team, who went on to defeat North Melbourne by 55 points despite playing just days after the scandal that has rocked the club reached tipping point.
“I’m told the song choice was a coincidence, in the sense that it was an accident,” 3AW‘s Sam McClure explained on Sports Today. “I was there, the band didn’t know the team was warming up at the time,” said Dwayne Russell.
Even so, guys, the club is currently in the middle of a highly publicised cocaine scandal and a band decides to play a song called ‘Cocaine’ whilst performing outside of their home stadium? Call it an accident if you want, but we call that next-level trolling.
It worked, too. Fans took to Twitter to express their befuddlement and bemusement. “Of all the songs the band could have played while Suns did their warm up Sat – ‘Cocaine’ should not have been it!” wrote one user, while another called it “a bit inappropriate”.
Perfectly executed troll. Well done… whoever you are. Actually, we don’t know who this band was, but we’re really hoping they come forward so they can receive the pats on the back that they’ve earned. Someone help us find them! Same goes for QLD Police’s social media person.
@dksreid Garry Lyon just said while players warming up at GC Suns game this weekend, the cover band played 'Cocaine' #poorchoice
— Elizabeth R (@telip1977) July 6, 2015
Trackwatchers confused to hear JJ Cale's "cocaine" playing by the band outside Metricon when the Suns ran onto the ground for their warm-up.
— Sam McClure (@sam_mcclure) July 6, 2015
@RoyDT @CalvinDT Of all the songs the band could have played while Suns did their warm up Sat – 'Cocaine' should not have been it!
— Fiona (@maccapower) July 5, 2015
@WarnieDT May have been a bit inappropriate that the band was playing 'Cocaine' while the Suns were doing their on field warmup today!
— Fiona (@maccapower) July 4, 2015
