| LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2014–Iconic multi-platinum rockers Loverboy are everywhere you look these days, as major companies such as Taco Bell and Radio Shack use the band’s image and music to promote their products to the ’80s generation which grew up on the group, and others who are just being introduced to their anthems. These days, Loverboy’s not just “Working for the Weekend,” but “Lovin’ Every Minute of It,” too.
It started with memorable mentions on 30 Rock in which Scott Adsit’s amateur musician Pete Hornberger revealed he was actually Loverboy’s original bassist, photo-shopped into vintage ’80s footage of the band wailing away on “Working for the Weekend.” The song is also known as the soundtrack for a classic Saturday Night Live skit in which Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze played Chippendales dancers who performed to it at an audition.
Now, corporate America is taking notice, first with Radio Shack’s Super Bowl commercial in which “The ’80s called… they want their store back,” and some of that decade’s most popular groups take over the retailer, set over a soundtrack of Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend,” which can be seen here. CNN praised the spot, calling it “pure commercial genius… a spot-on piece of creativity,” crediting it with “saving a lame” game.
Then there’s the widely-seen Taco Bell spot promoting their breakfast waffle taco, which features a prominent mention of a consumer “taking down his Loverboy poster” as part of an unabashed pitch to those who grew up in the ’80s and are now smack in the middle of the desired advertising demo. Check out the Taco Bell commercial here.
Loverboy’s just as relevant today as they were three decades ago, and they maintain a hectic touring pace. They have been delighting audiences around the world since forming back in 1979 when vocalist Mike Reno was introduced to local guitar hot shot Paul Dean, both veterans of several bands on the local Calgary scene, at that city’s Refinery Night Club. Loverboy has four multi-platinum albums, including the four-million-selling Get Lucky, and a trio of double-platinum releases in their self-titled 1980 debut, 1983’s Keep It Up and 1985’s Lovin’ Every Minute of It. Their string of hits includes, in addition to the arena-rock anthem “Working for the Weekend,” such staples as “Lovin’ Every Minute of It,” “The Kid is Hot Tonite,” “This Could Be the Night,” “Hot Girls in Love,” “Heaven In Your Eyes,” “Turn Me Loose,” “When It’s Over” and “Queen of the Broken Hearts.”
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