John Lennon’s selling power has yet to be exhausted.

The use of John Lennon’s words and image to promote a crappy French car has sparked horror and outrage amongst not just beatle fans but also the advertising community at large, who are shocked they didn’t think of it first. Adfreak call the ad “a blatant cash grab by Yoko Ono, completely unlike our beatles ad which is high art”.

Fans have called for a boycott of Citroën vehicles, especially since the new design is completely different than the original Fab Wagon which was approved by beatlemart in 2007.

On the corner is a banker with a motor car

Sean Lennon was quick to defend the use of the image, explaining, “It’s just hard to find new ways to keep dad in the new world….No new LPs, so TV ad is exposure to young.”

This is a perfectly understandable position, it’s been weeks since they’ve released a new Lennon movie, over a month since beatlemart re-released the entire fab four catalog and launched beatles Rock Band, days since the newest biographies have hit the shelves, hours since the latest John Lennon Festival has been announced, minutes since the last John Lennon LP or 45 has been re-released on vinyl (ironically it’s being released beside The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle), and several excruciatingly long seconds since the last TV show about the life and/or music of this soon to be forgotten soul.

The opportunity to hear his music without tracking down incredibly rare and hard to find tracks has dwindled to a near impossibility.

View for yourself the few remaining slivers of the rapidly vanishing Lennon legacy. Over the past few months the use of his music in films and television shows alone has dwindled down to a fraction of what it once was:

“Glee” (2 episodes, 2009-2010)
– Hell-O (2010) TV episode (writer: “Hello Goodbye” (uncredited))
– Hairography (2009) TV episode (“Imagine” (uncredited))

“Volver con…” (1 episode, 2010)
– Episode 1.10 (2010) TV episode (writer: “Imagine”) (performer: “Imagine”)
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (2010) (TV) (writer: “In My Life” (uncredited))
… aka “2010 Academy Awards” – USA (informal short title)
… aka “The 2010 Oscars” – USA (informal short title)
… aka “The Oscars” – USA (informal short title)

“20 to 1” (2 episodes, 2006-2010)
– Adults Only 20 to 1: Movie Monsters (2010) TV episode (“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (uncredited))
– Greatest Songs of All Time (2006) TV episode (performer: “Imagine”) (“Hey Jude”, “Imagine”)
“Live from Studio Five” (2 episodes, 2009-2010)
– Episode 1.111 (2010) TV episode (writer: “A Little Help from My Friends”)
– Episode 1.64 (2009) TV episode (writer: “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”) (performer: “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”)
“Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” (1 episode, 2010)
– Episode 1.179 (2010) TV episode (writer: “With a Little Help from My Friends”)

“The Amazing Race” (1 episode, 2009)
… aka “The Amazing Race 13” – USA (thirteenth season title (promotional title))
… aka “The Amazing Race: All-Stars” – USA (eleventh season title (promotional title))
… aka “The Amazing Race: Family Edition” – USA (eighth season title)
– Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound! (2009) TV episode (writer: “Help!” (uncredited))

“50 años de” (3 episodes, 2009)
– Calle (2009) TV episode (writer: “Hey Jude”, “Let It Be”)
– Una periodista de a pie (2009) TV episode (writer: “Imagine”) (performer: “Imagine”)
– Vacaciones de verano (2009) TV episode (writer: “All My Loving”)

“FlashForward” (2 episodes, 2009)
– A561984 (2009) TV episode (writer: “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” (uncredited)) (performer: “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” (uncredited))

– Scary Monsters and Super Creeps (2009) TV episode (writer: “Across the Universe” (uncredited))

“The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” (2 episodes, 2009)
– Episode 1.64 (2009) TV episode (writer: “Imagine”)
– Episode 1.61 (2009) TV episode (writer: “Birthday” (uncredited))
The Beatles on Record (2009) (TV) (writer: “I Am the Walrus”, “She Loves You”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Let It Be”) (“Ticket to Ride”)

Der Mann auf der Brücke (2009) (TV) (writer: “I am the walrus”)

“Dancing with the Stars” (2 episodes, 2009)
– Episode 9.5 (2009) TV episode (“Norwegian Wood” (uncredited))
– Episode 9.4 (2009) TV episode (“Can’t Buy Me Love” (uncredited))

Funny People (2009) (writer: “Real Love”) (performer: “Watching the Wheels”)

“So You Think You Can Dance” (1 episode, 2009)
… aka “S.Y.T.Y.C.D.” – USA (alternative title)
… aka “American Dance Idol” – Japan (English title)
– Two of 14 Voted Off (2009) TV episode (writer: “Blackbird”)

“Memòries de la tele” (2 episodes, 2007-2009)
– Episode 3.30 (2009) TV episode (writer: “Imagine”)
– Episode 1.10 (2007) TV episode (writer: “With a Little Help from My Friends”, “Yesterday”)
53 premis Sant Jordi de cinematografia (2009) (TV) (writer: “She Loves You”, “All My Loving”)
“Banda sonora” (11 episodes, 2007-2009)
– Episode 5.4 (2009) TV episode (writer: “A Hard Day’s Night”)
– Episode 4.10 (2008) TV episode (writer: “Martha My Dear”)
– Episode 4.9 (2008) TV episode (writer: “Michelle”)
– Episode 3.13 (2008) TV episode (writer: “Get Back”)
– Episode 3.10 (2008) TV episode (writer: “Got to Get You Into My Life”)
(6 more)
Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) (writer: “We Can Work It Out”)

It’s driving me mad, it’s driving me mad

And whats worse, it’s been nearly three months since Lennon was last used in a commercial. What we find truly appalling is the fact that the Citroën ad has doctored the original Lennon interview, replacing the audio with a voice over by a Lennon impersonator. Fortunately, we have the original audio, and have taken pains to repair the damage.

We here at SMB support the attempts of the beatlemart family trust to keep this under-appreciated, uncelebrated artist from vanishing into obscurity.