If you don't know I'll make it very clear

#3) The Hives, "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S."
Despite appearing in more than its fair share of ads, the 2007 jock-jam "Tick Tick Boom" failed to make a dent on any chart - maybe the video should have been set in a sports arena instead of an art museum. Corporate enthusiasm apparently waned to the point that I only know "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." was a single because Wikipedia told me. This is a crime - Pharrell and the Swedes crafted a crossover theme song that could have been their "Miss You," their "Rapture," their real one-hit. Maybe some charitable trailer producer will overlook the self-aggrandizement and exploit the beat.


#4) Julian Casablancas, Santogold & Pharrell Williams, "My Drive-Thru"
Not sure the Strokes or Santogold gave Converse any noticeable cachet, but this sure was worthwhile for the artists. Whether it was the guarantee of moolah or the novelty of working with a Neptune, Casablancas reaches for unprecedented effects as a singer, his energy almost startling after the decay suggested by First Impressions Of Earth's sluggish howling. Santogold has never sounded more assuredly pop, with her "we all want to dance" beating Nelly Furtado at her own game.

Pharrell keeps the groove eccentric without succumbing to his NERDish insularity, and assumes a supporting role more graciously than I knew he could. He says making the jingle was "completely refreshing" and it sounds like it. When I say I hope it's a sign of things to come, I'm not talking about an increase in corporate commissions for hipsters.