“We want to like RIM. We want a turnaround for a company that, perhaps more than any other technology firm, was responsible for the development of the modern smartphone. It’s also really hard to be mad at Canadians for very long,” Damon Poeter reports for PC Magazine. “But RIM isn’t helping matters when it decides to create a cringe-worthy, tech jargon-littered remake of a popular song, just like that famous pair of button-down bankers did with U2’s ‘One’ several years ago.”
“As with the BofA version of ‘One,’ RIM’s tweak of ‘Keep on Loving You’ [REO Speedwagon] is made more awful due to the fact that technically, it doesn’t actually suck,” Poeter writes. “On the contrary, the singing is quite capable, the musicians can all play their instruments competently, and the song sounds pretty much like the song is supposed to sound—if you blank out the lyrics, that is.”
Poeter writes, “If these were really execrable, bad-night-at-the-Karaoke-bar types of performances, they’d almost be more forgivable. Instead, the talent of performers makes it that much more jarring that they’d squander it by transforming songs about universal human circumstances into vehicles for the most banal sort of corporate messaging.”
Read more, and see the BofA video, in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Carl H.” for the heads up.]
Good bey RIM, it was nice never having bought your crappy products!
From a Canadian……..
I thought the video actually was pretty accurate in portraying — when it showed the audience reactions shots — the number of people actually waiting for and wanting Blackberry 10.
Top this first:
At least the DOS 5 upgrade video was informative and entertaining…unlike the RIM video.
I still prefer the “Developer, Developers, Developers” rap!
Well, that was dumb!
Did anyone else think the guitar player looked a little like Steve Jobs?
OMG.
RIP.
What a joke! I bet M$ rips it off.
I’ve always worked for myself. If there is anyone here that is in upper management at a large company, please explain what the thought process is for putting out something like this. Does anybody actually think that something this embarrassing will lift morale?
How about skipping the “corporate messaging” and produce a product people want to buy?
This made me smile.
I think Damon Poeter needs to get a sense of humor. I doubt anyone makes these things with a sense of seriousness. They’re done for kicks.
Wow! Looks like they are all laughing while they go down together. Good positive attitude 🙂
Billy Joel – Goodnight Saigon
Sorry, I thought that was the version that didn’t have photographs.
I was looking at that thinking how could you find musicians that look so totally nerdy and un-ool as that, why didn’t they dub it over cool modern looking guys who might improve their image. And then it is revealed its because they truly are nerdy uncool techies, talk about shoot yourself in the foot… both feet arm and head indeed not that it seems they have a brain to damage thinking this was a good idea. Simply hilarious and says everything you need to know about RIM and what any sane management would not at any cost want you to know.
Okay, time to invade the Canadians.
Oh, wait . . . Apple already did that.
The lyrics were bizarre, ludicrous and idiotic. That said, I think those RIM employees did a great job performing; if only it was the real song.