caljn From United States of America, joined Oct 2007, 173 posts, RR: 0 Posted (3 months 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 5601 times:
Took a few flights these past weeks where a new safety video, starting with the "welcome aboard" greetings in several languages, had a music bed that was barely perceptible and sounded like a Rhapsody in Blue wanna be.
In that there seems to be little left of PMUA visually, I think it would be a big mistake for UA to "change their tune".
RiB, while always a pleasure to hear, is also United Airlines. I certainly hope they are not abandoning it.
Does anyone know if this is the case?
FWAERJ From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 3172 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (3 months 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 5516 times:
Absolutely not.
You may hear different orchestrations of Rhapsody in Blue from the original, but it is not going away. In fact, they seem to be using it just as much if not more post-merger than sUA did.
26point2 From United States of America, joined Mar 2010, 666 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (3 months 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 5362 times:
It WAS a nice tune but UA have ruined Rhapsody in Blue for this traveller. Reminds me of the bad old days when we used to call the reservation center on the phone to book a flight. Now anytime I hear the first few bars of that tune I feel like I'm waiting on Hold.
The song has run it's course and is burned out. 20 years now? Too bad. I used to like it.
CODC10 From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 2167 posts, RR: 8 Reply 3, posted (3 months 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 5322 times:
The new safety video has a more traditional arrangement of Rhapsody than the previous iteration, thankfully. The post-merger video used an electronica hack job that I could barely stomach.
intermodal64 From United States of America, joined May 2006, 101 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (3 months 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 5285 times:
It's time to respectfully retire Rhapsody in Blue. Every time I hear it I cringe because I associate it with such negative experiences: long delays, broken and overcrowded DC-10's, stressed out cabin crew, I'm tired and I want to go home . . . For me it has come to represent the lowest point in United's history -- the summer of 2000. I literally quit flying United for over 10 years after that. (Now I'm back w/ UA as a happy customer w/ platinum status.)
TWA772LR From United States of America, joined Nov 2011, 755 posts, RR: 1 Reply 5, posted (3 months 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 4988 times:
As much as I love the song, I think it is time to move on. I hate how UA has butchered it so much recently. They should just launch a whole new rebranding and ad campaign.
There's nothing like the smell of Jet-A in the morning. It smells like... VICTORY!!!
FWAERJ From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 3172 posts, RR: 1 Reply 7, posted (3 months 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 4845 times:
If UA decided to abandon "Rhapsody" and wants a more contemporary song, I've always thought that "Snow" and "Escape Velocity" (used together) by The Chemical Brothers from their 2010 album "Further" (tracks 1 and 2 to be exact) would fit UA's new image. And though electronic dance music is the genre of the moment right now and The Chemical Brothers are EDM artists, these songs aren't what you would get from David Guetta or Skrillex (playing the latter on a plane could freak out some passengers).
"Snow" has only one piece of lyrics (repeated several times) that are fitting for an airline: "Your love keeps lifting me (repeat 3x), lifting me higher (repeat 3x)", though they are not the same (by a long shot) as the 1960s Jackie Wilson song "Higher and Higher" (which sounds to me like something PMCO would have used when Kaplan Thaler was their agency). "Snow" could be used for situations where a song with vocals could be appropriate (replacing Rhapsody for phone hold music, TV commercials, and such). And "Escape Velocity", the sister song, could be used for instrumental-only usage (safety video, ORD T1 B-C tunnel, and other such uses), plus part of it has that "jet taking off" feel. Listen to them on Spotify, download them from iTunes or Amazon, and see if you'll agree that these songs would be a good fit for UA.
Oh, and I hope someone at UA agency of record mcgarrybowen is listening (pun intended).
SHAQ From Panama, joined Jun 2007, 284 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (3 months 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 4779 times:
Rhapsody is so awesome, I doubt they'll just drop the theme.
BTW, They use it in the recent Airline videos you find in here: https://hub.united.com/en-us/Videos/Company/Pages/Mobile-app.aspx
So, Rhapsody in Blue is here to stay.
tommy767 From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 6172 posts, RR: 9 Reply 9, posted (3 months 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 4754 times:
Quoting 26point2 (Reply 2): It WAS a nice tune but UA have ruined Rhapsody in Blue for this traveller. Reminds me of the bad old days when we used to call the reservation center on the phone to book a flight. Now anytime I hear the first few bars of that tune I feel like I'm waiting on Hold.
I actually miss that phone hold 1980s rendition of Rhapsody in Blue. They only replaced it 6-8 months ago with the crappy garageband version that you hear in the safety video.
"Folks that's the news and I'm outta here!" -- Dennis Miller
ThePinnacleKid From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 672 posts, RR: 9 Reply 10, posted (3 months 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 4740 times:
Unrelated, apologize in advance... any idea the new track American is using for their adds and livery merger launch videos? It sounds proprietary.. but not sure
PI4EVER From United States of America, joined May 2009, 599 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (3 months 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 4731 times:
"Miles Away" from Madonna's Hard Candy album, rename Mileage Plus to Miles Away and a new uniform for female F/A's would include Viking breast cups and stiletto's. Better yet, it could be a unisex uniform to cover all the bases....and Madonna fans.
AA737-823 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 5338 posts, RR: 11 Reply 13, posted (3 months 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 4411 times:
Quoting FWAERJ (Reply 7): If UA decided to abandon "Rhapsody" and wants a more contemporary song, I've always thought that "Snow" and "Escape Velocity" (used together) by The Chemical Brothers from their 2010 album "Further" (tracks 1 and 2 to be exact) would fit UA's new image.
Quoting FWAERJ (Reply 7): (playing the latter on a plane could freak out some passengers).
Having listened to both tracks now, at your suggestion, I would respectfully submit that you have, either, horrible taste in music, OR you have some sort of interest in a plane full of passengers undergoing mass hysteria and rage at the same single note being played for over five minutes at a time, without a break. Snow? What is that "bad phone connection" screech that continues, unabated, in the background for the full length of the song, and WHY would you want it selected as hold music or boarding music or walking-through-the-tunnel-at-O'Hare music?
RyanairGuru From Australia, joined Oct 2006, 2502 posts, RR: 2 Reply 14, posted (3 months 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 4411 times:
Quoting tommy767 (Reply 9): I actually miss that phone hold 1980s rendition of Rhapsody in Blue
Coming from the CO side, I had never held with UA prior to the merger. I had therefore never heard it before, and it was IMHO the best thing to come out of the merger!!! Unfortunately they ditched it...
That said, I understand what some PMUA people are saying about it being from another era.
chicawgo From United States of America, joined Nov 2011, 41 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (3 months 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 3903 times:
Actually I had my first flight this morning with the new safety video and immediately remarked that it is MORE Rhapsody in Blue than before. I distinctly heard all of the main themes throughout the video. I was a nice surprise.
type-rated From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 4344 posts, RR: 20 Reply 17, posted (3 months 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 3774 times:
I think "Airplanes" by David Usher would be an appropriate song for the new UA. It's definitely more upbeat than Rhapsody and I think the lyrics fit UA's current situation better anyway.
captainstefan From United States of America, joined May 2007, 338 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (3 months 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 3557 times:
I don't think RiB is going anywhere - It's so intertwined with their brand and recognition that I think (as hackneyed as it may seem to employees and some FFs) it would be really detrimental to their image to ditch it. I think if you played some of the more popular riffs from it on the street and quizzed people on the associated airline, a good number would be able to name United. Take the commercial music from any other airline and you'd be hard pressed to find the same results.
VC10er From United States of America, joined Feb 2007, 2425 posts, RR: 9 Reply 21, posted (3 months 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 1291 times:
It is the single BEST example of sonic branding. If or when the new United becomes Americas preferred airline it will be associated with that and not the parts of United's checkered past.
It's faboulous.
The world is missing love, let's use our flights to spread it!
Transpac787 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 3139 posts, RR: 14 Reply 22, posted (3 months 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 1232 times:
Quoting FWAERJ (Reply 7):
If UA decided to abandon "Rhapsody" and wants a more contemporary song, I've always thought that "Snow" and "Escape Velocity" (used together) by The Chemical Brothers from their 2010 album "Further"
Oh my.
Where do I even start?? For one, the name "Chemical Brothers" alone would likely be enough for UA, or any airline, to never play any of their music.
For two - when I decided to actually listen to this song "Snow", I thought for a few seconds that my computer's speakers and/or YouTube were having a rather serious technical malfunction and that all I was getting was high-pitched, obnoxious static. Eventually I realized it was actually the 'song'. Regardless, who wouldn't love to hear music that is easily mistaken for static and equipment malfunction during the entire duration of the boarding process?!
And finally - I think the final nail in the coffin on the idea of this music as the boarding music - it would likely increase our inadvertent slide deployments several times over. Though in these particular cases, it would be more or less deliberate evacuation, not accidental deployment.
tommy767 From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 6172 posts, RR: 9 Reply 23, posted (3 months 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 1205 times:
Quoting VC10er (Reply 21): It is the single BEST example of sonic branding. If or when the new United becomes Americas preferred airline it will be associated with that and not the parts of United's checkered past.
It's faboulous.
Unfortunately the wonderful song imprints a certain image in most consumers brains -- and it's sure as hell not a globe lol
"Folks that's the news and I'm outta here!" -- Dennis Miller
kordcj From United States of America, joined Mar 2011, 71 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (3 months 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 1166 times:
If they are going to change to anything it should be to the Bolero by Ravel. Imagine the boarding process; as boarding starts they begin the music, and when the door closes, it's the end of the song. That way passengers would know once you hear that final note, you've missed your boarding opportunity. Make for a more enjoyable boarding process.
The most obvious proof for intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't tried to contact us.
25 RDH3E: These guys summed it up, I just wanted to add: x3, and I even listen to EDM, there is no way I'd ever consider playing a moment of those songs unless
26 FWAERJ: Sounds like the answer to this "what if" scenario is a resounding no. That said, I do like Rhapsody in Blue. It screams UA even more than the tulip d
27 Highflier92660: When Boeing finally works the battery bugs out of the 787 I suppose United could go briefly with the ever popular Also Sprach Zarathustra... providing
29 caljn: That is rich. All must be boarded and seated by the time Bolero is finished...musical chairs for the adults if you will. Mix in the double entendre a
Sponsor Message: 
From United States of America, joined Oct 2007, 173 posts, 
From Panama, joined Jun 2007, 284 posts, 
I hope it stays!
From Australia, joined Oct 2006, 2502 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
