C'MON, BABY, LIGHT MY FIRE

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

We often associate music with the special times in our lives--the ballad that was playing at the close of our high school prom, the love melody at our wedding reception, the trip-hop song that was blaring as we picked up boxer shorts at Banana Republic...

Banana Republic? Yes. If a growing number of companies have their way, there will be a lot more memories like that. Retail chains are working hard to link their brands with the music younger customers want to hear. In recent years the Gap, Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret, the Pottery Barn and others have produced their own CDs and sold them at their checkout counters. Last week a new player was announced: Philip Morris, the world's largest cigarette maker.

Most brand-name CDs have been uneven compilations of previously released songs by big-name stars (Michael Bolton for Victoria's Secret) or up-and-comers (folk singer Gillian Welch for Starbucks), selected because their style fits the image the company is trying to project. The CDs can be big business, luring customers who shun record stores. Some of Victoria's Secret's titles have sold 1 million copies.

Which is probably one reason Philip Morris has started a new record label, called Woman Thing Music, after the ad slogan for its Virginia Slims brand ("It's a woman thing"). The company intends to launch new female performers by underwriting their albums and sponsoring live performances. Its first release, due this spring, is a six-song mini-album by 27-year-old Martha Byrne (who plays Lily on the TV soap As the World Turns). But here's the catch: the album will be available only in a package along with two packs of Virginia Slims (cost: around $5.00).

Critics say this is an attempt to get pop music-loving kids to smoke. "Ninety percent of smokers began before age 18," says Brian Ruberry, spokesperson for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "As FDA rules take away more weapons, tobacco companies need to find a way to reach kids."

In fact, a new FDA rule scheduled to go into effect in August will prohibit tobacco companies from selling or giving away products with their brand names or logos on them. Philip Morris is challenging the rule in court. A hearing has been set for February, but appeals could drag on for more than a year.

And how is Byrne's CD? Most of the songs on the CD, produced by Nile Rodgers, sound like limp imitations of Alanis Morissette. An advertorial track, It's a Woman Thing, doesn't help either. Byrne is a nonsmoker, but recording for a cigarette company doesn't bother her. "The exposure is tremendous," she says. Unfortunately for many young women, that exposure could be dangerous to their health.

--By Christopher John Farley. Reported by Elizabeth L. Bland/New York

With reporting by Elizabeth L. Bland/New York