Nissan Rogue ‘Commute’ 2013 Commercial – What’s the Song?

Commuting and fighting traffic in the morning just to make it to your office to start the work day sucks and drains one's life force. But the Nissan Rogue 'Commute' commercial reminds us that commuting can be fun when you have a sweet set of wheels.

Sure, most of what happens in the spot -- like a car riding atop a speeding subway train -- is fantasy, but whatever works! The commute is rough, but exciting, and needs a song that matches its intensity. What's the song in this spot?

Surprisingly, it's M.I.A.'s 'Y.A.L.A.' from the recently released 'Matangi.' The letters stand for 'You Always Live Again,' which was her response to Drake's 'Y.O.L.O.,' which stands for 'You Only Live Once.' It also references the concept of reincarnation.

It's shocking to us that M.I.A. agreed to use the synthy song for such commercial purposes, since she is so anti-mainstream and iconoclastic when it comes to her art. A placement such as this doesn't quite fly with her idealism, but it's not the first time she has loaned a song out in such commercial fashion. She got quite a boost when 'Paper Planes' was used in 'The Pineapple Express.'

Remember, M.I.A. flipped the bird to the camera while performing at the Super Bowl two years ago as part of Madonna's halftime spectacular. She's a rebel and, well, rogue. Natch! Maybe therein lies the connection.