That Volvo Commercial with Pete Seeger

 Last year Volvo started a new ad campaign for their XC90 SUV. In two variations of the ad, a young couple finds out that they are having twins. The ad shows the couple as harried and tired from taking care of twins and all the requisite running around like chickens with their heads cut off. In both ads, the safety features of Volvo. In the ad running frequently in the United States,  titled "The Parents," the couple is rushing out the door with the kids in the back seat and the auto-braking feature stops the vehicle before exiting a long blind driveway:

In the what I assume is a European version, the woman is driving on a long highway at night, obviously tired, presumably heading home from a late evening diaper run. In this ad the safety feature highlighted in the lane assist that pulls the car back safely into the proper side of the road:

Both ads end with the words, "The car that looks after you, like you look after others."

The first time I saw the commercial, I heard that distinctive voice of Pete Seeger. The song is "Hard Times in the Mill." an old labor song that Seeger recorded in 1956 for album American Industrial Ballads. Let me say straight off that I liked it right away. And every time I hear it, I smile, not because of the commercial, but because it's Pete Seeger's voice.

Some people don't like it. They think Pete wouldn't approve of his music being used for a commercial, let alone a commercial for what is a luxury vehicle. They speak knowingly of how a Pete of a half century ago didn't want to advertise for a cigarette commercial. They speak of Pete rolling in his grave. They speak of the car being sold to rich yuppies. Etc.

I don't care. I still smile when I hear that voice. Every. Damn. Time. As I wrote last year when John Prine died, Pete wanted us to sing together. Pete wanted us to participate together as humans. He once said, “There is something about participating; it is almost my religion. If the world is still here in 100 years, people will know the importance of participating, not just being spectators.”

And that participation is all the more possible because of the song. The song is about hard word, whether it's in the mill or in the job of being a parent. The worker in the song and the parents in the ad are the same in that regard.

Yes, the Volvo XC90 is pricey. The average lifespan of a Volvo is 20 years, a pretty good investment. The vehicle is also available as a hybrid model, something the environmentalist in Pete would probably admire. Also, Volvo has pledged that their entire fleet will be all electric by 2025, something of which Pete would also approve.

.

Two possible monetary scenarios exist. One is that Seeger's estate, that is, his family sold the rights. What is wrong with that? The other is that the original publisher, Smithsonian Folkways, sold the rights. Given that the Smithsonian constantly promotes his music and the music of other traditions, the money earned from this can help them preserve this and other music. Again, what is wrong with that?

The truth is no one really knows if Pete would have done this. We don't even know if he owned the rights. Any suggestion is just conjecture.

The song is about hard work. The parents depicted are doing hard word. It's a good car that is safe for its owners and the environment.