Volkswagen "Pink Moon"
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2024
- This is the Volkswagen commercial I'm most proud of. We shot in the Bodega Bay area of Northern California and our directors were the amazing Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. (years before their "Little Miss Sunshine" fame.) The soundtrack was by Nick Drake. It was recently named one of the 10 best car commercials in the past 25 years by the OneClub.
When this commercial aired the Volkswagen dealerships were deluged with calls: not about the Cabrio, but about the song LOL
I bought a Jetta in 2002 and got a CD with this and other songs from Volkswagen commercial on it....four Volkswagens later still have it
haha I had never heard Nick Drake before!
I think I wanted that car when I was little just because of this commercial
Yup I emailed them and asked and got a very nice reply. 1999 back when the internet was Awesome!
@@WhimsyGalore likewise.😂 And now I drive a vw and even have nights like this where the music and ambience with friends makes the night feel like you never want it to end. And the fact that the car drives like a dream makes it all the better.
Now that I'm writing this and realizing I saw this commercial as an impressionable child I'm wondering.. Have I been programmed?? 🤯And if so.. Should I be saying thank you? 🤔🤯
This ad is the whole reason we rediscovered Nick Drake, one of the best musicians ever, and that's fucking awesome
90's VW ads had amazing music that didn't make any sense whatsoever in the context of the ads.
Nice one Olivia 😍
Agree!
How dare anyone use this song for a fucking commercial. Gfy.
@@TheRealSandorClegane I mean without it, it probably wouldn't be famous, also it's just a song in a commercial, don't need to be angry lol
Have we all just universally agreed that this is the best ad ever?
Absolutely.
Certainly the best VW ad of all time.
The Mona Lisa of car commercials.
I’ve never seen a better TV ad
Completely stole my heart. I raced to the TV when I heard Nick Drake, never imagining some genius would use him in a commercial. Still gives me chills rewatching it. ♥
This commercial is the only reason i know who Nick Drake is. Thanks anonymous ad guy.
It is absolutely impossible for me to watch this commercial and not tear up; I have watched it more times than I can count and it happens every time. The way it captured so many things (the beauty of youth, friendship, our wondrous earth, and on and on) was done so exquisitely. And, needless to say, the inclusion of Nick Drake (and the subsequent introduction to him for many folks, myself included) make it even better. I don't know if it's strange for a commercial to affect you so much, but I'll say it anyway: it forever remains my absolute favorite of all time
Ditto. Including the tears! T_T
Cosigned
I concur.
Hi Wilma! You are a romanticist, a great quality. Just my amateur view but I feel you see the short film for what it is and not as a commercial. If they didn't have the print on screen for VW, which is minor in comparison, it would be instead of 99% a 100% great music video of friendship and people in an unspoken way touched by the magic of nature and togetherness. You recognize that intuitively, a gift as not everyone sees or hears that as Nick's music moves the soul in that way you relate to. It reminds me of cross country skiing years ago when I lived in the north woods I miss so. We'd be skiing along and stop to rest, sit on a log etc and suddenly all would go quiet, not say a word for 15 minutes and just listen to the wind in the bare branches, or hear a nut hatch or a woodpecker... Nick does that with his music, the young adults in the film with the stars, the trees, the moon, and you do that too. Thanks for sharing your insights!
I feel the exact same way.
Still, for me the #1 most beautiful piece of advertising I've ever seen in my life. And I'm old. It's a poem.
Exactly how I feel. It's beautiful
In complete agreement, Miss Meow. It's beautiful./
Same.
I was a kid when Drake was recording, but would only know of him 30+ years later, because of that ad. It's a gem.
It’s the music. Not the ad.
This introduced my young self to Nick Drake. I'm eternally grateful.
me too ♥️
Me too.
from a car commercial? sad.
Eric Draven Nevermore so I guess better just to have ever heard him? Thanks.
Me too x
I remember walking into HMV after seeing this commercial. I could barely get the words “I saw this VW commercial…” out before the clerk reseponded (with a mix of boredom and annoyance) “Nick Drake, Pink Moon.” It was obvious he had been asked this question dozen’s of time in the preceding weeks. He helped me find a copy of Nick’s greatest hits. It opens with “Cello Song”. By the time the bongos come in I was enraptured. I’ve been in awe of his music ever since.
Oh, your comment floored me. One of the great joys of my life was being able to get to London for the first time in 1988 and discover the thrill of walking into HMV. I thought it was pure paradise. And then you practically introduce a “High Fidelity” moment where your clerk is Jack Black or John Cusack. So perfect. Thank you for sharing. I never recall seeing that ad. I just watched it for the first time this morning-after being a Nick Drake fan for years. I didn’t think it could live up to its fame. Well, now I see why it truly does. Finally, I didn’t expect such a tidal wave of this universal praise. Makes you think there is hope for humanity sometimes.
I remember exactly when I saw this commercial. On summer break from college in 2000, while watching MTV's "undressed". I can't quite explain why, because it's such a silly thing to feel this way about, but it brings me such joy to know that a lot of other people were affected enough by this commercial that they remember it 20 years later.
This commercial has haunted me for two decades. It makes me emotional - nostalgic for that era, melancholy for a wasted youth, regretful that I never had experienced moments like that with friends, hope that I can still have that moment, and just an ingraspable ephemeral feeling for the beauty you can find in life. All that wells up when i hear this song or see an old convertible cabrio.
Permanently affected. Takes me back and appreciate all we have.
The beauty of life! Being striked by what we think are the stupidest things
I certainly was. I could never get that song out of my mind. I was mesmerized when I saw that commercial.
@@lasttractionhero Thank you. I could never say this and you make it easy, again thank you.
The motion blurred, off-center shot of the girl looking over with her lips open and her hair blowing in the wind is what really hooks me with this ad. It's a fleeting moment, an iconic snapshot of the human condition.
@@nekopuella I watched it again just now and let out a little gasp when she turns her head. It's set up with that first shot of him looking at her. Great storytelling! And amazing how it can still make me feel that way even though I've watched it many times.
Yeah, you nailed it. Amazing commercial, but it's the last shot that seals it as a masterpiece.
I come back every 5 years or so to watch this, one of my favorite "things" put to film. (The Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" video is in the same vein.)
@@dalegreer3095 yes, a gasp. yes. it's so....perfect
You said it best. I have been looking for this commercial for years.
That last sentence is so well said.
20 years later, seeing this released decades of stress, frustration, workaholism, competitiveness, and made me feel like the optimistic, empathetic, and adventurous college student who saw this commercial for the first time. reading the comments, im happy many others had a reunion with their younger selves 🧡
This commercial was the reason why Nick Drake is known. Just imagine all the other musicians that are lost in obscurity never to be found
I appreciate what you are trying to say, but Nick has been known to many people a long time before this commercial.
I remember this commercial. You know it's a good ad when people are looking it up 20 years later. I wonder if it was shot day for night?
I did just that. Never forgot this commercial
Exactly.
Not only did I love this commercial and the song - I bought the car. Dark green with black top and interior - and we drove it nights in the Santa Cruz mountains of CA on summer nights and enjoyed our own pink moon as the song played through the stereo. Had that car for a number of years - great memories.
Highway 9...
why cant life be this beautiful again
I think about this commercial and your very question quite often. I remember being 18-19 when this commercial came out and now I’m 43😂😂 it’s gross😂😂
It can. Do it!
Hands down one of the best commercials of all time, if not one of the best pieces of film narrative in history. And not one word spoken. I get goosebumps every time I see it. Incredible.
Agreed. This and Why Do Fools Fall In Love/American Greeting Cards. Cool music goes a long way.
It’s great but quite a stretch. What makes this so good is Drakes transcendence
You should be proud of this spot -- it just might be the best car commercial ever made. I spent 20 years as a juicer, best boy, then gaffer doing commercials, and worked on some good ones -- but nothing like this. It killed me the first time I ever saw it on TV, and still kills me on TH-cam. Thanks for posting it...
I like the one where the terrorist blows the veeweee up and it doesn't break apart.. just annihilates the terrorist. That one's purty good! th-cam.com/video/xXzzmOZP_RI/w-d-xo.html
To be honest, it's maybe even the best of all of what can be regarded as films, including both movies and shorter ones like commericals.
Shout out to you
Oh my gosh this takes me back to happier times.
My grandmother said this was Luke skywalker singing this because she knew I really liked him so I just called it the luke skywalker song ever since.
RIP mama love you and miss you like crazy.
The creative is out of the park. Execution is an "A," which sweetens the whole thing, but the purity and simplicity of concept is almost mind blowing.
You folks are responsible for the resurgence of interest in Nick’s work with this commercial. I wish he’d been alive to see it.
If you've never driven an open-top car in the nighttime; well you should.
Beautiful comment. :)
Agreed. Try to do it after a summer rain.
Late summer or early fall when the night cool and clear....I am afraid I can only do a panoramic sun roof now.
I agree, just not in a sketchy neighborhood.
Any car journey listening to Nick Drake is great
This is one of my favorite short films of all time.
Still affects me when I watch it all these years later!
If there's a better car ad, I haven't seen it. When the reverse light came on... understated perfection.
One of the greatest adverts ever. It’s always stayed with me.
I first saw this when I would have been about 17 going on 18. It was then as it is now, an intensely emotional experience for me. To this day (and maybe this is not something I should admit to music aficionados), when I listen to Nick Drake's "Pink Moon", it makes me flash back to this commercial. To driving with the top open under a moonlit sky, to not needing to say anything to the people that are with you, and just quietly sharing this magically quiet but powerful moment.
Same
2022. I needed this. The last few years have been so crappy. I remember doing this with friends long, long ago. Peace ❤
You are exactly right, this song and video should be aired today all over the world
Same here. My years keep being crappy and even worse in the next future...ahaha...but i don't care, i smile and go on.
Whoever had the idea of using this amazing song in this commercial is a genius and I wish to thank this person from the bottom of my heart!❤
You don't have to own a VW to realize what this advert conveyed. I have a mint BMW Z3, it belonged to my wife of 18 years. She passed away in 2022 and I will always have and love her car because we enjoyed COUNTLESS days and evenings in it together. This ad is a culmination of those times we had.
I will never stop searching for more experiences like that for they are the things that make life full. VW was able to put into a one minute ad what it took me eighteen years to learn.
❤
That is beautiful. Thank you. I've shared some of the kind of experience you did with my late wife and our little car with a moonroof.
I can't believe a genius like Nick Drake was discovered 25 years after his death for a VW commercial.
Probably the most gorgeous commercial ever concieved. I almost feel ashamed of how spellbound and moved is was by an ad for a car. The people behind the commercial seriously deserve an award for this magical ad..
This is actually an PSA against smoking too much weed in the car before the party
Haha... And I thought it was just an epitaph for a consenus to leave a boring party early.
Now that you mention it, it does sound kinda, "Puff, the magic dragon-ish," albeit Peter Paul & Mary is a bit more mellow...UBËR-Stoney
I saw this commercial freshmen year of high school, right when I started learning to play guitar. Way before tablatures online were a thing. This commercial had such a profound impact on me as a young high school student who didn't go to parties, and would rather drive around with a few friends and enjoy the night sky. I sat in my room and tried replicating this song. I actually wrote one of my first songs in the style of Nick Drake, and I didn't even know that's who the singer was at the time. Flash forward to today, I look for the commercial and the nostalgia is so strong for this simpler time, and all because of this commercial and that beautiful song. Pink Moon by Nick Drake.
Watching this in 2024, I distinctly remember loving it over 20 years ago. Still looks great for a 25 year old commercial.
This commercial introduced me to Nick Drake's wonderful songs. It also took me back decades to when I was a boy in Texas, driving my first car out on lonely highways under the stars. Memories that bring that sweet little pain.
Crazy that commercialism revived the legacy of one of the most uncommercial artists of all time
Man I remember watching this commercial on tv. I liked it a lot! Sometimes I would just watch tv hoping Id catch it. Aaah memories of younger years full of hopes, dreams and happiness. I come to search for this video once a year when I need a very deep sigh.
“Pink Moon” is 50 years old today. Really have to thank you and your team for turning me onto Nick Drake, because my life is better for it. Still vividly remember the first time I saw this / heard his music.
Check out the book, White Bicycles by Joe Boyd. Great history of Nick and other ‘60s music.
The way she looks back at him at the end of the ad....
I was 21 when this commercial first aired and it still looks amazing today, youth is truly a gift from God
I used to stop everything to watch this. Then i bought Nick Drake cds.
That was you?? Damn. I saw this a couple times, asked around and found out about Nick Drake, and we all went on a musical bender.
I'm 65, my son is 18, we play music together and he introduced me to this song which we played tonight at a gig..we bridged the generation gap tonight..but then he told me about this commercial that I totally forgot about, very cool!!
Jay Munton 👍🏼
The opening shot of the moon on water timing with the car on bridge is probably the best shot ever done in a commercial. Using this song was genius. Late 90s was the peak of the auto industry.
JUST thought of this commercial.....and yup...I'm crying........60yo and still one of the best ads ever,
Been searching for years.... I can't believe I finally found it. I read some comments about how people remember this and searched for it. I am happy that I found folks like me...
me too. exactly the same. All I could remember to search was volswagen and "soysay"
Kevin Jones “saw it say”*
It's crazy looking back on your life and being able to pinpoint a single moment in time where your life changed. as schmaltzy as it may sound,
seeing this commercial for the first time was that moment in time for me. I was in the 10th grade when this commercial came out. This piece made me fall in love with marketing/advertising and filmmaking (Now in my late 30s and the Director of Operations at a prominent advertising agency).
It also introduced me to Nick Drake and sparked my obsession with VWs... (And yes, I do own a Reflex Silver Mk3.5 Cabrio). This commercial single handedly changed the trajectory of my life and made me discover passions I never thought I would have.
Thank you for this.
Yup I remember when this came out too...I had a beat up '86 Scirocco with a manual sunroof at the time, and took it out that evening on a drive just like this one (but solo) in the crisp Illinois Summer air, along the prairies west of Aurora. Just me and Nick Drake 🙂 The commercial is timeless
This just randomly made me cry on my lunch break
Also. Not a cell phone in sight …
This car commercial is way better than it has a right to be
I'm seeing this for the first time tonight. Love that ending when the tail-light lit up! I clapped
That shot was a nice touch.....
VW in the 90s-00s fed that youth market so well with 'future nostalgia'. I didn't run out to buy the song or get a Cabrio - I was already a German car fan for a while. But as a creative - I appreciated the storytelling and wanting to feel connected. This ad accomplished that.
I show it to interns at my job and ask them what they see. Most says "it's a car commercial". A rare few say something deeper.
Thank you for introducing a whole generation to Nick Drake. Iconic commercial.
What an amazing memory of a commercial that impacted so many. That song and the imagery in this commercial was lighting in a bottle. Because of this song so many of us either discovered Nick Drake and his music or rediscovered him all over again. Great memories of what seems now, simpler times….
I love TH-cam. Haven't seen this since it was on the airwaves in the middle nineties. Went directly to my favorite CD store "Yeah kid's we had stores that just sold music" and asked about this song and he said to me about the 50 other people that came in before me to tell them what it was. Well ordered it right there on the spot and when it came in I became an instant fan of Folk music. Nick Drake will always be specail to me for this one.
One of the greatest commercials ever made that as a passionate VW/Audi enthusiast yet heartbroken single/boyfriend/husband I visit with desperation each single awareness day over the past 25 years hoping I one fine day find that same gorgeous spark....Not ever going to happen. PERHAPS IN THE NEXT LIFE. Gotta love those cute Cabbys. My 16v turbo MK1 painted Audi Dolphin Gray is such an absolute gem of a machine. MACHINES ARE FOREVER.
The perfect night time drive on the perfect night time road with the three beautiful perfect friends I never had in the perfect convertible that I could never afford to drive. But that song ... it makes me nostalgic for my youth.
It does stick for all those reasons, doesn't it? Makes one very nostalgic indeed. If we were lucky, we had one or maybe two of :those" nights in our youth. It's my hope everyone gets at least one. A very special thing. Brilliant work.
Tonight is the Pink Moon, April, 2023. With a world in turmoil somehow this car ad is just what's needed. Look up tonight and see what the talented Mr. Drake sang of so many years ago.
Exactly! The moon was great in Los Angeles and my neighbor said it’s called a pink moon so I told him about the song and the Volkswagen commercial and looked it up and here we are
Its the best most moving commercial I have ever seen. I still think about the imagery decades after I first saw it. First rate.
I've been searching for this song/commercial for the last 10 years. Had a vw rabbit in the 80's. Forgot the singer/song. Today in the radio they said we're having a pink moon this month, just like the nick drake song and it all clicked back in my head. Great ad.
This commercial was effective in 2000 because I was 19 and it gave me nostalgia for the present. It's beautiful in 2024 because I'm 43 and it's making me nostalgic for the past
I am moved by the ad as well. It reminds me of when I was 20, and in a few weeks I will be 60. The local radio station plays this song from time time. That’s how I learned of Nick Drake. He is the Vincent Van Gogh of English Folk. His genius discovered decades after his passing.
This is film making gold. Every shot is so perfect. Each actor’s facial expressions - flawless. Gives me shivers. Darkly sweet and enticing. If there were an Oscar for a car commercial - start working on your acceptance speeches everyone. Wow
You do know how old this commercial is, yes? 🙂
mary smith yup. I had a Cabrio 20 years ago or so.
I saw this ad before a movie in Prague. I searched three years for the song. If anybody remembers KGBKGB it was how I found ho and where the song came from. Somebody said here that this commercial was a poem . I couldn’t agree more. I still tear up.
Exactly how i feel in 2020 during this covid-19 epidemic, just wanna get into my car and drive anywhere
Still my favorite car commercial. I check in with it every once in a while.
I do, too.
I had no idea that Pink Moon was ever used on a TV commercial for Volkswagen. Pretty cool.
After years and years of looking for this ad (because I wanted to know the name of the song) finally founded thanks to Instagram (saw a reel about 90's nostalgic ads)
Is Memorial day (May/27/2024) by the way.
First time I've ever seen this commercial, as I'm not a tv watcher. The woman turning her head in awe of the full moon, experiencing one the simple majesties of life was a great moment. Cool to hear how it gave more people exposure to Nick Drake, whose songs I have enjoyed for a long time.
Oh man, that's so weird to my brain! - you were born into a post-Nick Drake-discovery world.
Anyone over 30 will have a story about the first time they saw the commercial.
Absolutely best commercial of all time...unfortunately the car was terrible...but I still get tears in my eyes when I listen to this song and watch the commercial.
I was working in the VW customer care center at the time and calls were coming in daily with people asking about this song. I'm still a huge Nick Drake fan to this day.
Whenever I get in my VW, and I'm driving on a moonlit road, I honestly think of this commercial every time. Perfect use of "Pink Moon" as a soundtrack.
Just the incredible use of lighting to shoot this...then the story of wonder and awe of youth, companionship and the possibilities of love and life. The original VIBE CHECK!
This commercial is a deep endless metaphor, art that I can’t wrap my head around, most moving film I have ever come across.
A dated a girl when I was in HS who loved Nick Drake’s music…I of course had no idea who he was, but she loved a song of his called Northern Sky. When I first saw this commercial, hearing Drake’s voice brought back a flood of memories, some good, some bittersweet. But I still come back from time to time just to see this commercial and relive it all.
I bought my first convertible in 2000 after seeing this ad and I’ve had one ever since.
It’s because of this commercial most of us were introduced to the genus of Nike Drake
Thumb up for Nick Drake
Basically, everyone over 30 has their 'first time I heard the commercial' moment.
How perfect is this ad. How perfect is this song.
Are we allowed to speculate that Nick Drake would absolutely have approved of this ad? Maybe only his sister Gabrielle and maybe Joe Boyd are qualified to say so, though for sure, it supercharged the steady flow of interest in Nick's music into the deluge it has become. That, we can all agree, is a cause for great if bittersweet celebration.
Joy and deep companionship, long summer nights and full moons, perfect understanding and adventure. All of life's best in a minute and a half...
One of the best car commercials? One of the best commercials period.
If I had to pick an ad that's the "best of all time." Here it is. Exquisitely executed in every facet.
This commercial made me aware and in turn a lifelong fan if Nick Drake. Genius and respectful use of a great song in a memorable commercial.
How a commercial car advert managed to spur interest in a sadly long passed singer - it's the stuff of myth. But then again, Nick Drake and his abilities were mythical.
Beautiful and timeless, the music and this ad.
Legendary advertising I hope whoever came up with this idea got a raise
Back when commercials were longer than 15 seconds and could actually say something rather than just bash you in the face. Excellent spot - even more so because I still have a 1997 VW Cabrio :D I can't imagine a world without Nick Drake's music and truly wish he could have written more.
So, I was just watching Joe Scott and he referenced this ad as being the thing that made him seriously consider going from film making to advertising as, for the first time, he could see that it didn’t just have to be about the product, it could also be art.
Must be a heck of a feeling to know that an ad you produced didn’t just influence people to buy a car or listen to a given song but also affected people’s lives.
This is indeed a classic. One of the best car commercials of all time.
As much as this does a disservice to a song about the unstoppable force of death and time, it popularised Nick Drake and is, in and of itself, a brilliantly subtle and stylish film and one of the most jaw-dropping commercials I've seen.
I thought of this ad yesterday for the first time in years, and it still brought tears to my eyes. No ad has ever affected me like this one!
This was VW of North America’s peak. The early 2000’s was just an incredible time for the company. The cars, the advertising and the actual level of care that the company had for its customers. Just such fond memories for this period, the company will never be like this again :(
This is my favorite commercial of all time, and I had no idea it was shot locally (I live in Sonoma County). The look of the girl in the last shot takes this piece to an exquisitely magical place.
The girl in the end. Shivers still. A masterpiece.
This commercial reminds me of a really good time in my life - I was a young teen, a few years too young to drive, but I was enjoying middle school and really looking forward to the years ahead and this commercial takes me back to that time 🙂
Its as if this commercial is wired directly to my amygdala where it is free to stimulate my emotions. I am 62 years old and its remains the best, most moving commercial I have every seen.
This is THE BEST TV COMMERCIAL EVER!
I wish I had a less cliche phrase for this than "greatest commercial of all time," but I truly think it's in the running. Certainly top three. In addition to being fantastically lovely and memorable, I'm sure it 110% accomplished what the direction was from VW. I watch it again and again. What a triumph.
Couldn't agree more!
favorite ad of all time. I have given shot by shot breakdowns of the story telling in this add on many occasions. I could probably write a thesis on it by now. Maybe I'll do a youtube breakdown. Genius work here. It is unbeatable.
0:14
R.I.P Nick Drake🙏🏼🎶