Apple celebrates 40 years of business with ad-inspired music playlist

Apple continued its 40th anniversary celebration Tuesday with the release of a new Apple Music playlist that collates songs featured in and inspired by the company's colorful advertising history.

The playlist — aptly titled Apple 40 — runs for 2 hours and minutes over its 40 tracks. Nearly every genre is represented, from rock to electronic and soul.

In what is either a stunning coincidence or a well thought out nod to late Apple chief Steve Jobs, the playlist begins with Jobs favorite The Beatles and ends with a single by Beatles co-frontman Paul McCartney.

The latter, McCartney's Dance Tonight, was featured in one of the most famous iPod ads of the portable music player's heyday. The colorful spot features McCartney dancing down an illustrated street in a suit and Chuck Taylors while strumming a mandolin.

Other artists featured include The Rolling Stones, Gorillaz, Blackstreet, Jet, Eminem, Adele, Coldplay, Muse, Cream, and Bob Dylan.

Earlier this year, Apple debuted a 40-second spot celebrating its birthday. The company subsequently celebrated by running up a replica of the original Mac team's pirate flag and then threw a beer bash DJed by Apple Music's Zane Lowe.

9 Comments

cali 11 Years · 3494 comments

About 8 years ago

Ha the Eminem track is in there.
Dr. Dre's protégé got mad that they used his lyrics in a commercial. The lyrics were in a track produced by Dre.
Dre now works for Apple.
the song is featured on Apple Music along with other iconic commercial music.
funny how the world turns.

mac_128 13 Years · 3452 comments

AppleInsider said:

In what is either a stunning coincidence or a well thought out nod to late Apple chief Steve Jobs, the playlist begins with Jobs favorite The Beatles and ends with a single by Beatles co-frontman Paul McCartney.

What would Steve Jobs listen to now, eh?

40 is not the big anniversary. Not really sure why Apple is spending so much time on it anyway. This is one area I can say without a doubt that Steve Jobs would not have cared for Apple promoting. He was outspoken about his philosophy of forward thinking, and thought so little of Apple's past that as soon as he returned to Apple he ordered all remnants of it removed and destroyed until he was convinced to donate it to Stanford.

2 Likes · 0 Dislikes

mcfrazieriv 11 Years · 71 comments

mac_128 said:

AppleInsider said:

In what is either a stunning coincidence or a well thought out nod to late Apple chief Steve Jobs, the playlist begins with Jobs favorite The Beatles and ends with a single by Beatles co-frontman Paul McCartney.

What would Steve Jobs listen to now, eh?

40 is not the big anniversary. Not really sure why Apple is spending so much time on it anyway. This is one area I can say without a doubt that Steve Jobs would not have cared for Apple promoting. He was outspoken about his philosophy of forward thinking, and thought so little of Apple's past that as soon as he returned to Apple he ordered all remnants of it removed and destroyed until he was convinced to donate it to Stanford.

I agree with you. The Apple of today seems to care more about what they have accomplished then what they will accomplish. Nods too much to the past than toward innovating for the future. Tim Cook runs a very different company. A company that looks more and more like Microsoft and less like Apple.

1 Like · 0 Dislikes

bobschlob 12 Years · 1074 comments

Ha! Take THAT! all you trolls who say Apple is just an advertising company.

6Sgoldfish 10 Years · 108 comments

Remembering what Steve had said in light of the proposed 30yr anniversary: "Apple is focused on the future, not the past". Not anymore apparently. *sigh*