LEMMY Admits Money Was Sole Reason He Allowed 'Ace Of Spades' To Be Used In Beer Commercial

January 11, 2011

MOTÖRHEAD singer and bassist Lemmy Kilmister has admitted to Q magazine that money was the sole reason behind him allowing the band's classic track "Ace of Spades" to be used in a TV commercial.

Heineken U.K. brought Kronenbourg 1664 back to the small screens with the first TV support for the premium lager brand since 2006 with the launch of "Slow the Pace", a new integrated advertising campaign which broke last fall.

The first execution in the new campaign showed MOTÖRHEAD performing a slowed down version of "Ace of Spades".

30 years to the month since it was first written, the track was specially re-written by the band for a Kronenbourg 1664 campaign that encompassed TV, press and digital advertising, a short-film documentary and a social media activity.

"It's a sign that we got paid a lot of money by a beer company. They asked us to do it and I said yes," Lemmy said. "How much? None of your business."

"Slow the Pace" is rooted in the idea that Kronenbourg 1664 is a beer with a lingering complexity that deserves to be savoured slowly. The concept will be brought to life over the next year in a series of executions based on unique musical collaborations with leading artists commissioned to re-write and record a slowed down, chilled out version of one of their most famous fast tracks.

The ad, which launched as a 60-second TV execution, was shot in a French bar and shows patrons relaxing and chatting while MOTÖRHEAD play the new version of the song, with founder member and lead singer Lemmy on harmonica rather than his familiar electric bass guitar.

The film documentary charts the process of the band re-writing the track in the studio through to the ad shoot.

Lucas Bergmans, Senior Brand Manager - Kronenbourg 1664 at Heineken U.K., said, "Showing MOTÖRHEAD performing a memorably different version of their legendary 'Ace of Spades' track as they enjoy Kronenbourg 1664 is a powerful and innovative way to deliver the consumer message that Kronenbourg 1664 is a beer that is brewed to be enjoyed slowly — in any circumstances."

New version of "Ace Of Spades":

Commercial featuring MOTÖRHEAD:

Behind the scenes from MOTÖRHEAD's recording sessions for new version of "Ace Of Spades":

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).