Here's Why The Song In Allstate's Duet Commercial Sounds So Familiar
"You've got the brains, I've got the looks, let's make lots of money."
You've probably heard the alluring tune from Allstate's "Duet" commercial wafting through your TV speakers. So why does the anthemic song sound familiar?
From GEICO's iconic "Clogging Problem" ad to the "Drake from State Farm" commercial that actually stars Drake (not to mention the ever-handsome Paul Rudd), insurance ads have reached new heights of artistic excellence. Seriously, can we get a Golden Globes category just for ads? At the very least, commercials like these have certainly found a way to spark joy, even if they're really about switching policies. And Allstate's "Duet" ad is becoming (catchy) canon too.
Debuting in February 2021 and airing during Super Bowl LV (via Billboard), "Duet" sees a driver, played by Devere Rogers, rocking out to an '80s-sounding jam as his smartphone lights up, alerting him he's saved a bundle of cash by switching to Allstate. But then, in an M. Night Shyamalan-level plot twist, the camera zooms down to the car's hood ornament, who harmonizes beautifully we might add, with the actor. Together they duet, driving off into the horizon.
"When a duet so short was so good, that viewers are demanding a extended version, you're doing something right," one YouTuber commented. Indeed, Allstate's "Duet" is "Islands in the Stream"-level excellence. But what is that backing track?
Drive on down (and "make lots of money") to find out.
The song is an '80s hit by Pet Shop Boys
Why does the song from Allstate's "Duet" commercial sound familiar? Perhaps because it's a classic! The song is "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" by Pet Shop Boys, a 1980s English techno duo helmed by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe who, during their heyday, had five Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. "Opportunities" spent 16 weeks on the chart and peaked at No. 10 in August 1986. But it's since re-emerged on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart. So perhaps Allstate's commercial will "drive" the group to a full-fledged comeback!
That being said, an insurance ad may not be the most ideal way for the Pet Shop Boys to be getting new attention. According to The Guardian, the song, "was [intended as] a satire of 80s excess." As Tennant told The Quietus, "That's [the song is] about Thatcherism. He continued, "I think pop music works as a commentary to society, and to attitudes, and that's the Pet Shop Boys. We wrote a song called 'Shameless' ...which was about celebrity culture... I like writing songs with an element of humor about them as well. There's a whole strand of Pet Shop Boys that's social/political commentary." That mocking of consumerism and '80s optimism surely comes off in their other hits too.
So, while that very well may be, the duo did approve "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" for this hilarious, buzzed-about commercial. A little ironic, but oh well!