Jimi Hendrix’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’ Featured in New Chanel Commercial
When you're trying to sell perfume that promises "a view into the eyes of a man" and is designed for "a man who knows his freedom has no limits," who can you turn to for your commercial soundtrack? Jimi Hendrix, of course.
The legendary guitarist's classic cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" has been licensed to Chanel for the fragrance giant's latest commercial campaign for its Bleu scent, providing a soundtrack for the one-minute "film" you can watch above, which stars French actor and model Gaspard Ulliel.
The new clip's debut comes shortly after the debut of a previously unreleased Hendrix song, "Station Break," which arrives as part of the new archival collection You Can’t Use My Name: Curtis Knight & the Squires (Featuring Jimi Hendrix) – The RSVP/PPX Sessions. Hendrix fans can also look forward to a 7" single release in conjunction with Record Store Day 2015, featuring "Purple Haze" backed with "Freedom."
The Chanel spot is just the latest in a growing collection of Hendrix-assisted ads, which includes the Citi commercial that used "Purple Haze" in 2014 and a Pepsi clip that aired during the 2004 Super Bowl. It's all part of an effort by Experience Hendrix, the company spearheaded by the guitarist's sister Janie, to keep his music in front of the public decades after his death.
"For us," Janie Hendrix told Variety in 2013, "it’s really about being hands on and being on the inside and working on projects to make sure that they’re done in an authentically correct way. I think we’ve been able to continue that. … What we do for Jimi is definitely 24-7, and we’re constantly thinking of new ways to put him out there and have people hear his music."
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