Grammy ads

AND NOW A WORD FROM ALL OF OUR SPONSORS: Sure, it’s fun to hear about who won Grammy trophies and who performed. But it’s time to get down to what really powered the evening: the ads. The music/brand-synergy thing was in full effect for last night’s broadcast, and the following list is probably not exhaustive because hey, we had to go take a leak sometime. But we definitely saw Shakira teasing her Target exclusive, Katy Perry and P!nk shilling for Cover Girl, Katy’s “Roar” in a Citi ad, Justin Timberlake hawking Target and MasterCard, Austin Mahone’s “Mmm Yeah” (now #6 at iTunes) in a spot for Aquafina Flavorsplash, Paul McCartney’s “New” for Microsoft’s Surface 2, John Legend selling Chevy, The Band Perry at the red mic for Target, Pharrell’s “Happy” selling the Beats Pill, a horrific Pepsi-Super Bowl ad with football stars crooning Pop hits, AWOLNATION (whose label seems to have a beverage concession, also called Red Bull), Aloe Blacc hyping Lincoln, Sara Bareilles doing the Bing thing, and an evocative introductory spot from Beats Music. Oh, and don’t forget Lana Del Rey’s vocals in the Maleficent teaser, Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” in the Legos Movie spot and Motley Crue ticking off a bucket-list item by synching for Coldwell Banker. In a related story, we suddenly have an unbidden urge to get a new car, tablet, portable speaker and soft drink. (1/27a)