Paul McCartney “Dance Tonight” iPod Commercial (2007)

A former Beatle in an iPod ad

Paul McCartney appeared in an iPod + iTunes commercial that Apple began airing in mid-June 2007; MacDailyNews reported it on 15 June. In the spot McCartney walks while playing a mandolin and singing "Dance Tonight", the opening track of his album Memory Almost Full. Descriptions of the visuals differ in detail: one account describes a black-and-white McCartney on a colourful animated street, while another compares its building backdrops and animated shapes with Apple's 2005 Eminem commercial.

Background to the deal

Cult of Mac read the ad as a sign of a thaw between Apple and McCartney. In February 2007 Apple Inc. and the Beatles' company Apple Corps signed a new agreement ending their trademark lawsuit, and on 15 May 2007 the iTunes Store began an exclusive digital pre-order of Memory Almost Full. The same site placed the commercial in a run of spots in which established artists performed new material, alongside those with U2 and Bob Dylan.

Memory Almost Full and its single

Memory Almost Full was released on 4 June 2007 in the UK and 5 June in the US as the first release on the Hear Music label launched by Starbucks and Concord Music Group, and reached number three on the Billboard 200. "Dance Tonight" was issued as a UK download single on 18 June 2007, McCartney's 65th birthday. It peaked at number 26 in the UK and number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Its music video, directed by Michel Gondry, starred Natalie Portman and Mackenzie Crook.

Browse related sections

Browse iPod Advertising for other commercials. You can also visit Home or explore iPod Classic, iPod Mini, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, and iPod Touch.