Music licensing is one of those tricky situations for both brands and audiences. A great song can make even the most mundane pitch memorable and there are countless advertisements that have achieved cult status thanks to excellent music supervision. Some have even helped resuscitate the careers of the featured musicians. Volkswagon's "Pink Moon" spot pretty much reinvigorated Nick Drake's career, turning the cult folky into a very prominent and influential force in contemporary music.

However, there are plenty of examples that have curdled the blood of viewers, who have been appalled to witness a beloved song or artist become a promotional tool. Nike's use of Gil Scott Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" comes to mind as one striking example.

In a strange new twist on this familiar story, the AARP formerly the American Association of Retired People has been running spots with "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" by seminal UK punk act the Buzzcocks.

Whether the song selection was incredibly canny or horrid depends on your perspective. On the one hand, one of the most iconic bands of the original punk explosion is now hawking post-retirement advocacy. For profit. And on the other, the AARP realizes that in the very immediate future, legions of OG punk rockers will cross into their 50s and begin doing things like use their senior citizen discounts at the movie theater. Why not bring these generation-defining folks into the fold as the AARP continues to adapt to old age in the 21st century?

Noting both the comic potential of this partnership and commenting on the strange new twist the eternally bratty punk scene has produced via the AARP adverts, the Chicago Tribune recently ran an interview with the original bassist of the Buzzcocks, 49 year old Steve Garvey, who is now a carpenter with rotator cuff injuries, bum knees and college tuition bills up the wazoo. It's a far cry from those beer soaked, safety-pinned days when being punk meant being an outsider.

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