Today’s Ad Ripoff Inclusion: Dell vs. Broken Bells

It has been some time since our last ad ripoff allegation, so why not dust this puppy off. Here’s an early summer ad for Dell that has come to light because the music sounds quite similar to the song “The Ghost Inside” by Broken Bells (the collaborative project from Dangermouse and The Shins’ James Mercer).

Granted, we don’t think it’s as egregious as the Microsoft Arcade Fire rip from earlier this year, but one Stereogum commenter takes issue and gets technical with it, saying, “Note that the melody is slightly different (and in D rather than E), but the drumbeat is exactly. the fucking same. Also, note how the chorus merely escalates rather than changes musically, offering further proof of comparison. And they threw in some dumb lyrics in the end as an effort to make it sound original. (‘I just like lookin’ in the sun?’) It’s not.” And yes, that is obviously Christina Hendricks from Mad Men in the Bells’ video (and yes, we’re checking to see if it’s a Y&R joint or someone else’s) Update: Y&R says it was not involved with this ad. See below:

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