It’s always occurred to me that, of all of the car brands there are, popular songs seem to mention Rolls-Royce a disproportionate amount of times. It sounds like everybody who’s anybody wants to buy a big, blocky sedan with more amenities than your average hotel, and, boy, do they want to tell you about it.
At long last, Bloomberg confirmed my suspicion: For the past three years, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has been the most talked about brand across all of the songs that earned a spot in Billboard’s top 20. Notice that sentence said brands, not just car brands. These rich people—or people who became rich by serenading a car company—really love their Rolls-Royce(s).
Bloomberg sifted through lyrics of every top-20 song from May 2014 to May 2017, all for a 12-item list of brand mentions. That’s dedication. But amazingly enough, two-thirds of that list was made up of car manufacturers. Ferrari took second to Rolls, Porsche was fourth overall, Chevrolet and Lamborghini tied for fifth, while Bentley, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz all tied for a spot on the back half of the list.
From the story, which has a lot of interesting breakdowns on brand mentions and the reasons for them, and can be read in full here:
Particularly with the ascension of hip-hop, brand references became a shorthand for aspiration and status. As such, they’re also a good barometer for your brand’s cool factor, or its imminent dilution, depending on your marketing strategy. ...
Rolls-Royce tops the list, featured in 11 different tunes by such artists as Future, The Weeknd, and Kodak Black. Ferrari is a close second. Chevrolet, Lamborghini, Bentley, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche each get touts in several songs.
It’d be cool to have the status to brag about my custom Rolls-Royces all day, but, if we’re completely honest here, there aren’t any in my garage. Not even one. I’m plagued with the lackluster life of carting myself around in either a Hyundai Elantra or a manual Honda Civic, not being chauffeured to my destination in the latest Ghost.
Now, if I had to produce music (I would never produce music, my singing ability is at the same level as a chicken’s) about my possessions and life as a mediocre human whose most treasured asset is her home—which cost less than most of the Rolls-Royces you hear about in these songs—it would go a little like this:
Damn I’ve got grass to mow and shit
Can’t pay anybody to do it ‘cause those monthly mortgage payments are a big hit
Got my fridge for a good deal
Helps keep food fresh for my average and inexpensive meal
I don’t think I’d make it into the top 20.