In 1971, when Asha Bhosle crooned Dum Maro Dum , it took India by storm. The song became an anthem overnight. On Tuesday night, the 50-year old cult classic song was resurrected by a cult brand – Apple, which used bits of it during the global launch of iPhone13 as well as in the ad for the much awaited phone.

The iPhone 13 ad titled “Everyday Hero” features a young man negotiating his way in a city on his motorcycle to deliver packages crossing wet and muddy patches. The ad juxtaposes the challenging conditions with various features of the new iPhone such as water resistance and protective ceramic shield among others. For Indian watchers, however, it was the background music that immediately struck a chord – the ad features the prelude of “ Dum Maro Dum ”, a sort of retreaded version, as a part of the ‘Work All Day’ song by artiste Footsie.

Also read: The Apple Event recapped

Twitter was abuzz with users vocalising their excitement at hearing the familiar note. Filmmaker Ken Ghosh tweeted, “Did I just hear a #Dummarodum inspired tune at the iPhone launch? #iphone13series #iPhone #californiastreaming”

The guitar-riff was also played during the event.

Putting all doubts to rest, on Wednesday morning, Vikram Mehra, Managing Director of India’s oldest record label, Saregama confirmed that it was indeed the “ Dum Maro Dum ” tune. In a Linkedin post, he wrote, “Apple licensed and used Saregama's song ‘ Dum Maro Dum’ for iPhone 13 launch event and ad....another indicator that Indian music has arrived at the global stage and more importantly retro music rocks”

Read more: Apple to bring iPhone 13 line-up to India from September 24

Speaking to BusinessLine , Mehra said digitisation is fuelling the consumption of Indian music and content in international markets. He said the fact that Apple used a 50-year old song indicates that Indian music is being sampled by international consumers just as Indian consumers are increasingly accessing international content. “Saregama is now sharing its massive content repository with the global audience,” Mehra said.

Last year, Saregama had entered into a global deal with Facebook to licence its music for video and other social experiences across Facebook and Instagram.

With the Apple deal, the vintage record label is hitting yet another high note.

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