John Lennon + Halo 3 ad = instant karma

by Kevin Kelly { Dec 8th 2006 at 1:25PM }

Following hot on the heels of the Gears of War remix phenomenon comes a stellar entry in new Halo 3 "Starry Night" remix/mashup arena. It's surprising how well John Lennon's "Instant Karma" works with this ad, and it just plain trumps the Halo music, sorry Marty. Please don't go all Yoko on our ass.

[Thanks, Eric]

Tags: Beatles, bungie, Halo 3, Halo3, Instand Karma, John Lennon, mash, mashup, music, remix, Starry Night

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

diamondxp @ Dec 8th 2006 6:50PM

It was ok. Not the best but not bad

shadowlight @ Dec 8th 2006 1:43PM

John must be an aquired taste. I definitely prefer Marty's score.

Iscariote @ Dec 8th 2006 1:43PM

On this date in 1980 John Lennon was shot and killed.

Good riddance.

alexander @ Dec 9th 2006 11:29AM

this is so sweet...love it

Ryan @ Dec 8th 2006 1:46PM

Wow, those are the saddest comments ive ever heard, why dont you go back to listening to linkin park while the rest of us enjoy the greats. And by the way, that song synchs up amazingly well, great find!

Marty @ Dec 8th 2006 1:48PM

its ok, I don't mind.... Oh.... your talking about another Marty.... ok.

ill trooper @ Dec 8th 2006 1:47PM

Amazing song, you (Iscariote) have no soul whatsoever, but you're probably 16, so I understand. Remeber what you said here when you get older, and you have a revelation as to how good a songwriter he was...

Nice mash-up.

Lone Starr @ Dec 8th 2006 1:54PM

"and it just plain trumps the Halo music, sorry Marty."

You say yes, I say no....

Jonathan @ Dec 8th 2006 3:07PM

RIP Lennon~ This does work quite well. Good work Eric.

crono141 @ Dec 9th 2006 11:58PM

The Beatles were great, but I will never understand the almost religious following they have.

John Lennon put his pants on everyday the same as you did.

Dallas @ Dec 8th 2006 6:37PM

Saying you're happy someone was killed because you don't like their music? Can you say "sociopath"? Enjoy your life of expensive therapy and crippling loneliness.

Filter @ Dec 8th 2006 2:00PM

psht, the america fuck yeah remix was much better imo

AnimalTaglits @ Dec 8th 2006 2:04PM

I didn't think it was that great. I think the Mad World song went better, lol.

Richard @ Dec 8th 2006 2:05PM

John must be spinning in his grave. One of the 20th centuries greatest peace activist used with one of worst war games ever.

*ducks plasma grenade*

Marc @ Dec 8th 2006 2:07PM

What's with the hate on John?

You still mad about the Beatles breaking up?

Then bust out the old CD (or record, whatever), and calm down. Cuz it's painfully obvious that you don't understand good editing or music.

I on the other hand, hate Halo (Nintendo 4 ever!) But I know a good video when I see one. And this makes me wish that this version of the trailer was on TV right now.

RIP John, you will be missed (by most of us anyway...).

Myself @ Dec 8th 2006 2:05PM

Hey Iscariote, John Lennon has more talent in his dead pinky than you can ever hope have. Have some respect for one of the most influential people to walk this earth.

Richard @ Dec 8th 2006 2:08PM

John must be spinning in his grave. One of the 20th centuries greatest peace activist used with one of worst war games ever.

*ducks plasma grenade*

Hiep @ Dec 8th 2006 2:11PM

Where can I see the other vids?

Mark @ Dec 9th 2006 2:09PM

Quality. Maybe they should have used this in the advert, might appeal to more people.

Marc @ Dec 8th 2006 2:14PM

"One of the 20th centuries greatest peace activist used with one of worst war games ever."

Uh, I don't think that John Lennon would take Halo seriously. (no one should)

Now correct me if I'm wrong but, isn't Halo a game about a war on some distant planet?

If a fairly reasonable man like Mr. Lennon actually would take this seriously, then people shouldn't regard him as such an intelligent peace activist.

jettoki @ Dec 8th 2006 2:21PM

This mix is so much better than the official trailer, and I'd love to see the music licensed for an ad campaign. Unfortunately, due to a general lack of musical taste, the Halo crowd wouldn't go for it.

See above comments for evidence.

Daniel Zuccarelli @ Dec 8th 2006 2:37PM

The comments on this site almost without fail are just negative and hateful. Why?

argyle @ Dec 8th 2006 2:42PM

Daily reader of Joystiq. Never posted a comment before now. I'm not even a Halo fan in the least.

However, that's just plain brilliant. Please author, move to SF or NYC, join an ad agency and make commercials move me like that.

Sycomunkee @ Dec 19th 2006 12:39PM

#16 its because its not a PS3 or Wii game, and because they all hate "M$" because they want to make a profit on all there products like every other company. My opinion is that Halo is truly a great game and has a very epic storyline, and many many secrets.

helio9000 @ Dec 8th 2006 4:18PM

The last 8 seconds work amazingly well...before that not so much.

Eric Andrikaitis @ Dec 8th 2006 2:44PM

Actually... I do work for an ad agency.

Brian (the REAL Brian) @ Dec 8th 2006 2:48PM

I don't think the music works well at all with the ad.

Side note:

Lenon was shot and killed on this date.
"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was also shot and killed on this date.

Spence @ Dec 8th 2006 8:07PM

That was really good. The lyrics and the timing worked out great. As another poster said, Iscariote, you have no soul. Ban him, seriously.

Shadow2k6 @ Dec 8th 2006 2:56PM

The song doesn't fit, metal fits more with Halo.

mymoustache @ Dec 8th 2006 3:00PM

ugh...metal goes with halo 2.

the monks do it proper.

Skwurl @ Dec 8th 2006 3:00PM

I'm the only one who thinks this song definitely does NOT go with this trailer - at all?

CYRiX @ Dec 8th 2006 3:10PM

no offense but that sucked, all he did was add the lennon track ontop of the trailer's track, he didnt even try to edit the trailers song out.

kabes @ Dec 8th 2006 3:12PM

Please stop posting these lame "remixes" a.k.a. dropping an mp3 onto a video file in windows movie maker and thinking you're the next Spielberg.

Just stop. Please.

Christ.

dvnt @ Dec 8th 2006 3:15PM

Good song, but fit Halo it does not.

woo yea @ Dec 8th 2006 3:30PM

16. The comments on this site almost without fail are just negative and hateful. Why?

Because they can't get laid.

Zozart @ Dec 8th 2006 3:35PM

"I'm the only one who thinks this song definitely does NOT go with this trailer - at all?"

No, I agree. It felt completely tacked on and out of place. Great song, bad usage.

Mad World sounded much, much better to my ears.

scott @ Dec 8th 2006 3:57PM

I don't like Halo or Halo 2. I'm not a huge Beatles fan. I didn't see the Halo 3 trailer before this post.

Those things said, I think this version definitely works. It's energetic, and almost makes me anticipate Halo 3.

The GOW/Marty video was good too. Apples and oranges though and completely different moods.

fester @ Dec 8th 2006 4:03PM

#2 you are one sick mf.

Jeff @ Dec 8th 2006 4:07PM

I think John Lennon would be a lot more concerned with one of his songs used to promote a commercial product (sanctioned or not) than he would be that the product in question is a game about a scifi war.

Lennon never allowed his songs to be used in this way, turning down many millions of dollars in promotional offers. That's why there was such an outcry over the use of "Revolution" in a Nike ad some years back. It really wasn't about the content of the ad not syncing with the song; it was about one of his songs being used against his explicit instructions to promote a product. Any product.

Obviously something like this is fair use and there's nothing he could do about it if he was still alive. But if you're a real Lennon fan, you don't honor his memory using his songs in this way.

JS Beckerist @ Dec 8th 2006 5:00PM

For whomever asked "Isn't it set on a distant planet?" No, not exactly. You see earth (briefly) in Halo 2 but Halo 3 is pretty much guaranteed to have at least 80% of it take place here, as the description provided by Bungie explicitly starts: "On a war-torn earth..."

Rick B @ Dec 8th 2006 4:29PM

PERFECT!

Joe @ Dec 8th 2006 4:34PM

ok, so i've never owned an xbox, or played either halo 1 or 2, but this video is sweet. and i love this remix

Spilli @ Dec 8th 2006 4:38PM

Yo Jeff you are the one that doesn't honor John properly.

Lennon Quote "Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it. "
and
"Possession isn't nine-tenths of the law. It's nine-tenths of the problem."

Piss off Jeff you don't know Lennon.

IB @ Dec 8th 2006 4:34PM

I don't think this was good at all. Same goes for all the other remixes of the gears of war trailer. Accepting the awesome extended edition of course. Leave the trailer how it is. Marty's music defines the halo series, so i don't think it should be changed.

Capta1n 0bv10us @ Dec 8th 2006 4:40PM

Alright, I'll confess that I and one of my friends, clivediggs, were guilty of perpetrating the GOW meme, and ended up in the top three viewed for the remixes.It was funny for about a week, and then we promptly forgot about them.

But sweet merciful crap, what's with the negative attitudes? Do I think I created a work of art? Am I going to forward my remixes to a professional editing company as portfolio pieces? Hell no! It was one night of my friend and I goofing around, using xbox live chat and throwing stuff up on YouTube to crack each other up. You know, having fun, and maybe giving other people a laugh at the same time. Isn't that what YouTube is for? Plus, if I do say so myself, [and I will], I thought my Mighty Mouse theme was pretty funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt-PzZyb7MM.

If people want to try it with the Halo trailer, why not? This one is pretty good, but, like some of the other comments have said, it might work better if you muted the original soundtrack after the kids are done.

swifti @ Jul 21st 2007 3:48PM

I'm sorry. Gregorian chants simply fit the ex post inefficiencies of war far better than classic pop rock.

ddm @ Dec 8th 2006 5:03PM

OK,I am not a lennon-nerd. However there is nothing worse than irony that is not intended. To echo previous comments, dropping an mp3 on some of your clips does not equal creation.

By the way, halo = snore

Zing @ Dec 11th 2006 6:05PM

Shit. Pure knock off shit.

Mad World wouldve worked better on it...but if the guy who made this video hadn't pressed the 'That was Easy' button and just slide a MP3 on it to make it look cool, then it would be halfway decent.

Also, the song is pretty blah imo.