The Citroën DS-3 is being promoted with the slogan “Anti Retro.” In keeping with this, footage is shown of Lennon criticizing people’s nostalgia for the 1960s and 70s. He says “Once a thing’s been done it’s been done. Looking backwards for inspiration, copying the past – how is that rock ’n’ roll? Do something of your own. Start something new. Live your life now. Know what I mean?”

The footage is from a June, 1968 interview for the BBC arts program ‘Release.’

What was Lennon really saying?

The footage is of course manipulated, with a fake voice over. For those who want to know what Lennon was really talking about before the footage was altered, I’ve tracked down the original, undoctored footage and put together a comparison video.

Although Lennon’s original words were far removed from the voice over on the Citroën commercial, it’s fair to say that the voice over does ring true as something Lennon might say. It’s a similar sentiment to these words from his 1980 interview with Playboy:

“If the Beatles or the Sixties had a message, it was to learn to swim. Period. And once you learn to swim, swim. The people who are hung up on the Beatles’ and the Sixties’ dream missed the whole point when the Beatles’ and the Sixties’ dream became the point. Carrying the Beatles’ or the Sixties’ dream around all your life is like carrying the Second World War and Glenn Miller around. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy Glenn Miller or the Beatles, but to live in that dream is the twilight zone. It’s not living now. It’s an illusion.”

Fans call for Citroën boycott

Some John Lennon fans are now calling for a boycott on Citroën cars and there is a war of words on Twitter between fans and John’s son Sean, who has defended Yoko’s decision to allow the footage to be used. He notes that the move was not about making money, but about helping to maintain Lennon’s public presence. Given the huge exposure The Beatles have received in the last year with the album remasters and the Rock Band game, I think that explanation is a little flimsy.

Whether Yoko’s motive was financial or to raise Lennon’s profile, I think this is all much ado about nothing. Sometimes fans can get a little precious about Lennon and to me the ad is fairly innocuous. That said, I wouldn’t advocate excessive or tacky use of his image of the kind the Elvis Estate can sometimes be guilty of.

Do you approve of the use of Lennon’s image for such overtly commercial purposes? Let us know. Please note, comments are moderated so there is a short delay before they appear.