It’s not that often when metal creeps its way into mainstream pop culture. So when metal/hard rock acts do actually pop up in beloved sitcoms, dramatic films, cartoons or even reality series, it’s kind of awesome. So in the weekly column Remember When, Metal Insider recalls the most random instances of metal’s elite appearing in front of the camera.
Even if you aren’t a fan of either team playing one of the biggest sporting events in the world (or sports in general, for that matter), there’s always at least one new commercial that’ll catch your eye during the Super Bowl. Yet it’s still hard to believe that Justin Hawkins of The Darkness was responsible for one of our favorite moments Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.
It all occurred during a commercial for Samsung’s Galaxy Note Superphone directed by Bobby Farrelly (yup, the same co-director half-responsible for comedy classics like Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary). It started off as a recurring commercial for Samsung, featuring “phone enthusiasts” waiting in line for the “next big thing” only to discover how great the Galaxy Note Superphone was. Then out of know where, Hawkins shows up to lead an entire block of people in a sing along of The Darkness’ big hit “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” resulting in a massive love fest (with a choir and all).
Nowadays, The Darkness have been a lot more active (touring occasionally and supposedly working on a follow up to 2015’s The Last of Our Kind back in 2015). But keep in mind that the UK band had only reunited a few months prior to the Super Bowl commercial airing. And while some fans will always have a special place for them in their hearts, it really had been a while since anyone truly cared about The Darkness or even remembered why we at one more were so infatuated with the band’s glam rock inspired anthems.
So when suddenly Hawkins appeared on TV screens around the world and belted out The Darkness’ biggest hit with his signature high pitch voice, it was extremely random … but also very enjoyable (maybe even more so than the car commercial with Motley Crue that also aired during the same Super Bowl game). The average metal and rock fan may still not take the band extremely seriously, but during the minute long, lighthearted commercial, we remembered how you could always rely on The Darkness to make you smile.
Relive one of our favorite Super Bowl commercials (just in time for Super Bowl LI this coming Sunday) below.
