#VintageVerse | Ever wonder what a Fried-Our-Kombie is? | Men at Work – Down Under

#VintageVerse | Ever wonder what a Fried-Our-Kombie is? | Men at Work – Down Under

To succeed, today brands must engage with their customers through story. The most successful brands become a part of the their customers story & through that perspective a part of “Pop Culture”.

In the dictionary: #PopCulture - “refers to the ideas, attitudes, perspectives and images that become part of our everyday lives”.

This blending of brand & culture can readily be seen in music lyrics. And a notable example is:

Men at works song: “Down Under”.

Lyrics:

Traveling in a fried-out Kombie (combie)

On a hippie trail, head full of zombie

I met a strange lady, she made me nervous

She took me in and gave me breakfast

And she said

Do you come from a land down under?

Where women glow and men plunder?

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better run, you better take cover

Men at Work – Down Under (Colin Hay, Ron Strykert) 

Other notable examples include:

Don McLean’s – American Pie

We all know the lyric:

“Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry”

Or

The kinks - lola

“You drink champagne and it tastes just like Coca-Cola.”

Although some legalities in the 70’s had some versions changed to “Cherry Cola”. I think Coca Cola at the time missed the boat on that one. That’s a topic for another post.

Brands and Culture are shaped by the stories we tell. The best brands are the greatest story tellers.

ANSWER: 

A “Kombie” is a broken down Volkswagen (VW) combination van & "fried-out" means overheated.

Volkswagen has become very good at embedding itself in pop culture. From the “Kombie” to the VW “Beetle” – think Herbie.

It has peeked my curiosity as to how many top 100 songs have referenced a VW vehicle. An idea for a future post. ??

#LinkedinCreators: What brands do you see embedded in popular culture today? Comment below.

#VintageVerse #002

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