Honestly, if you grew up with a TV in the late '90s or early 2000s, you probably have a weirdly specific memory of a silver car driving under a night sky while a hushed, ghostly voice sang about a "pink moon." You might not have known who Nick Drake was back then—almost nobody did—but that 1999 Volkswagen Cabrio ad basically changed how we listen to music in commercials forever.
It wasn’t just a fluke. Volkswagen has this uncanny habit of picking songs that shouldn't work for car ads and making them legendary. We’re talking about tracks that were obscure, "uncool," or forgotten until a VW marketing team decided they were the perfect vibe for a hatchback.
The Nick Drake Effect: When "Pink Moon" Went Viral (Before Viral Was a Thing)
The story of "Pink Moon" is kinda heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. Nick Drake died in 1974 having sold barely any records. Fast forward to 1999. The ad agency Arnold Communications is working on a spot for the VW Cabrio called "Milky Way."
They originally wanted to use "Under the Milky Way" by The Church. It makes sense, right? The song title matches the ad title. But the creative team, specifically guys like Lance Jensen and Shane Hutton, couldn't stop listening to this sparse, acoustic track by a dead British folk singer. It was risky. Car commercials in the '90s usually featured upbeat rock or high-energy pop. "Pink Moon" was the opposite—it was quiet, intimate, and a little bit sad.
The result was staggering. Before the ad, the album Pink Moon had sold maybe 6,000 copies in nearly 30 years. In the year 2000 alone, after the commercial aired, it sold 74,000. It didn't just sell cars; it resurrected a career from the grave. This is the gold standard for volkswagen songs in commercials. It proved that "vibes" were more important than a loud sales pitch.
🔗 Read more: How Old Is Paul Heyman? The Real Story of Wrestling’s Greatest Mind
Why Does "Da Da Da" Still Feel So Weirdly Cool?
Then there's the 1997 "Sunday Afternoon" ad for the Golf. You know the one: two guys driving around, picking up a smelly old armchair, realizing it stinks, and just leaving it back on the curb.
The soundtrack? A minimal, almost robotic song called "Da Da Da" by the German band Trio.
Basically, the song is just a Casio keyboard beat and a guy saying "Da da da" over and over. It was a hit in Europe in the early '80s but was pretty much a joke everywhere else until VW put it in that commercial. It worked because it was effortless. The ad didn't try to tell you the car had great horsepower or leather seats. It just showed two bored guys having a weirdly relatable afternoon, and that catchy, stupidly simple song made the whole thing feel like a short film instead of a 30-second sales pitch.
The "Mr. Roboto" Renaissance
In 1999, VW did it again with the "Crazy Guy" ad for the Generation VI Golf. It featured a young man (played by a then-unknown Tony Hale from Arrested Development) sitting in his car at a stoplight, doing a bizarre, stiff-armed robot dance to "Mr. Roboto" by Styx.
💡 You might also like: Howie Mandel Cupcake Picture: What Really Happened With That Viral Post
If you were a "cool" person in 1999, you didn't listen to Styx. They were considered "dinosaur rock"—the kind of music your uncool uncle liked. But Volkswagen leaned into the dorkiness. They picked a song that was so uncool it became cool again. Interestingly, the agency actually tested other '80s hits like "The Safety Dance" and "Rock Me Amadeus," but "Mr. Roboto" won because it was just so undeniably silly.
A History of Breaking the Rules
Volkswagen’s relationship with music goes way back, and it's always been about being the "alternative" choice.
- 1960s: While other car companies were using big orchestra swells, VW used minimal sound or even silence to emphasize their "Think Small" mantra.
- The 80s: They used a red Golf GTI and Queen’s "Don’t Stop Me Now" to signal that they were finally making cars that were actually fast, not just practical.
- The 2010s: They pivoted to pure joy with Pharrell Williams' "Happy," though by then, every brand was trying to replicate the VW magic.
One thing that people often get wrong is thinking these songs were always popular. In reality, VW often picked tracks that were on the fringes. They worked with music supervisors who were more interested in what felt "authentic" than what was on the Billboard charts.
The Logistics: Why These Ads Actually Work
From a business perspective, the strategy is brilliant. By using "undiscovered" or "forgotten" music, the brand avoids the massive licensing fees associated with Top 40 hits (though they’ve certainly used those too). More importantly, it creates a "discovery" moment for the viewer. When you hear a song you love but don't recognize, you associate that feeling of "newness" with the brand.
📖 Related: Austin & Ally Maddie Ziegler Episode: What Really Happened in Homework & Hidden Talents
Common misconceptions about VW's music choices:
- They only use old songs: Not true. They've used everything from MGMT's "Electric Feel" to tracks by Wilco and Spiritualized.
- It’s all about the lyrics: Usually, it’s about the tempo. The "Da Da Da" beat matches the rhythm of windshield wipers and turn signals. It’s a sensory trick.
- The artists always love it: Nick Drake famously hated commercialism, which adds a layer of irony to his posthumous success. On the flip side, Styx members were so stoked they actually re-recorded the bridge of "Mr. Roboto" specifically for the commercial.
What This Means for Your Playlist
If you’re looking to find that specific "Volkswagen vibe" for your own listening, you’re looking for music that feels human. It’s usually a bit quirky, maybe a little melancholic, but always rhythmic.
You can actually find curated "VW Commercial" playlists on Spotify that track the history of these spots. It’s a wild ride through genres—folk, synth-pop, indie rock, and even classical.
To really dig into this legacy, start by looking up the work of Arnold Communications from 1995 to 2005. That decade was the "Golden Age" where the brand defined what it meant to be a "driver" through the speakers of a Jetta or a Beetle. Next time you see a car ad that feels more like a music video than a commercial, you can probably thank a silver Cabrio and a guy singing about a pink moon for starting the trend.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Watch the "Milky Way" ad (1999): See if the Nick Drake track hits you the same way it did audiences 25 years ago.
- Check out the band Trio: If you like "Da Da Da," their other stuff is equally weird and minimal.
- Research the agency "Doyle Dane Bernbach" (DDB): If you want to see where the philosophy of "less is more" in VW advertising actually started in the 1960s.