Amazon "Ave Maria" TV commercial

Status
Not open for further replies.
HomeschoolDad

HomeschoolDad

Moderator
Staff member
Anyone else see this commercial yet?

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/oEnZ/amazon-prime-band-practice-song-by-schubert

I had to watch it a couple of times before I “got it”. The son is practicing some loud music, but the father is peacefully listening to Schubert’s Ave Maria, thanks to noise-cancelling headphones sold through Amazon.

At first I thought it might be at least mildly sacrilegious, but it seems not to be. And acquainting the larger public with a Marian hymn (with the verse “gratia plena”, no less) can’t be a bad thing.

Thoughts?
 
I think most people who have heard any classical music at all are already familiar with that song, and that’s why it was picked.

I also think most of them don’t know or care about the lyrics any more than they care about the lyrics to any other opera song not in English, to be honest.
 
It’s nice. I couldn’t tell if there was a Christmas tree in the living room or if it was a large potted plant. 👓
 
The creators could have chosen any classical music for this commercial. To use a beloved religious hymn to promote a product or service seems inappropriate to me.
 
I think it’s a funny idea.

And as an amazon prime member already, who lives with a noisy toddler and husband, I’m thinking about a product I’d never considered before… noise cancelling headphones. 😅
 
I am delighted and deep in prayer every time I hear this beautiful hymn in the ad. If they only knew how much it inspires others to listen to it! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:
 
I saw this and was really surprised that Amazon chose this particular song for their commercial.
 
Better to be a light and a leaven in the world than to be silent.
 
I questioned this as well, but I don’t think there was any sacrilegious intent, indeed, it’s entirely possible that a faithful Catholic ad designer might have used it to foster Marian devotion. Many people from a non-Catholic background have no idea that such a beautiful hymn even exists.

The anti-Catholic fundamentalist Christians could even claim that this was a satanic attempt to promote Marian “idolatry” (despite the fact that this verse is derived from the Bible). So it cuts both ways.
 
The Valiant Woman in Proverbs has a home business with international reach. Since Mary is associated with the Valiant Woman, I don’t think you can complain about Mary on a commercial unless it is bad in nature.
 
I got chills listening to this ,So beautiful! Elvis had an amazing voice.He did a lot of gospel music .
 
In my opinion, I think the choice of song was a very inappropriate for Amazon to use and I’m hoping if enough people voice their opinion Amazon will use good sense to pull it. I get what Amazon was trying to convey, but really??? I’m not one to comment on topics, but this just raised an eyeball with me…I guess nothing is sacred anymore in the land of consumerism…
 
smkatg said:
In my opinion, I think the choice of song was a very inappropriate for Amazon to use and I’m hoping if enough people voice their opinion Amazon will use good sense to pull it. I get what Amazon was trying to convey, but really??? I’m not one to comment on topics, but this just raised an eyeball with me…I guess nothing is sacred anymore in the land of consumerism…
Click to expand...
I was, and remain, somewhat of two minds about the commercial. On the one hand, there are people who know nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, of substance about Catholicism. I have been in environments more than once (work, family gatherings, etc.) where I am possibly the only practicing, faithful Catholic they have ever known, or at least ever talked to about religion. It fell upon me to be as articulate a spokesman as I could be. Many parts of the American South or Appalachia (these somewhat overlap) have very few Catholics, and there may be no more than a tiny mission church with a handful of parishioners and a priest who drives in from another county once a week for Mass. A non-Catholic in an area such as this might see the commercial, be struck by the beauty of the hymn, and wish to learn more about Catholicism.

On the other hand, it could be seen as taking liberties with Catholicism that they wouldn’t dare do about certain other groups. I can assure you that they wouldn’t have the man listening to Jack Jones’ “Wives and Lovers” (which some would describe as toxically sexist), nor would there have been Muslim prayer chant. I could cite other examples.

Ultimately you would have to ask the producer of the commercial why they chose that song instead of something else.

 
And though I can’t find a YouTube video of it, another somewhat tone-deaf TV commercial was for 7-Eleven in the 1980s. I recall that it dealt with “freedom of choice”, regarding the size of fountain sodas you could get there, and ended with that slogan on the screen with, IIRC, burning sparklers and drink cups.

Ever since Roe v Wade, “freedom of choice” has meant one thing, and one thing only, to many, many Americans of all political stripes. I had to wonder if this was an attempt by pro-choice forces to plant this concept in the mind of the public, and to establish it as a good thing. Personally, I found it pretty blatant.
 
I’m a Christian, but not a Catholic. That said, I understand the importance of Mary in Catholic theology. I must say, I’m surprised there is not more of an outcry that the Mother of God is being used for purely commercial purposes.
 
Not many places people are exposed to real, lasting beauty these days. I say more beauty and Christianity in the public square is a good thing, not a bad thing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top