Manwich Commercial

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Just wondering if anyone else is offended by the Manwich commercial that uses the music of a hymn of praise to God to praise Manwich instead. Goes, something like, “Manwich, manwich we adore you…”
 
CAROLOFTHEBELLS said:
Just wondering if anyone else is offended by the Manwich commercial that uses the music of a hymn of praise to God to praise Manwich instead. Goes, something like, “Manwich, manwich we adore you…”
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I haven’t seen the commercial, but the words that you quoted fit the melody of one of the famous themes from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

If this is the case, I wouldn’t call this melody a hymn, but merely a theme from a pieceof secular classical music. It only became a hymn after various Christians from several denominations used it as the melody for their poetry.
 
CAROLOFTHEBELLS said:
Just wondering if anyone else is offended by the Manwich commercial that uses the music of a hymn of praise to God to praise Manwich instead. Goes, something like, “Manwich, manwich we adore you…”
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No, it doesn’t offend me. It’s the fourth movement from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and I would be willing to bet it doesn’t bother Beethoven either.

The actual music (with words as Beethoven wrote them -parts of which were a Schiller poem ) is also being used in a current Lowe’s home store ad.

It’s very popular.

:harp:
  • Joy, beautiful sparkle of the gods,
    Daughter of Elysium!
    We enter, fire-drunk,
    Heavenly one, your shrine.*
From Beethoven’s Ninth (English translation from the German)
 
the lyrics, which do ape a Christian hymn set to that music, are indeed offensive, sic the Catholic League on the manufacturer
 
puzzleannie said:
the lyrics, which do ape a Christian hymn set to that music, are indeed offensive, sic the Catholic League on the manufacturer
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Catholic League
450 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10123
(212) 371-3191
Fax: (212) 371-3394
 
Cat said:
If this is the case, I wouldn’t call this melody a hymn, but merely a theme from a piece of secular classical music. It only became a hymn after various Christians from several denominations used it as the melody for their poetry.
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Yes, but in baptizing the Ode to Joy, Christians changed the lyrics. The phrase “xx we adore thee” is from the Christian version, not from Schiller or Beethoven.
 
I think we come off as hypersensitive and weak when we “sic the Catholic League” on every silly ad we think might be offensive.

Ode to Joy started out as a secular piece of music. Christians co-opted it, which I am fine with BTW, but that doesn’t make it exclusively the property of Christians.

I like Manwich. My 7 year old LOVES sloppy joes. I can see him appreciating a commercial that expresses joy over sloppy joes! 😃 He would totally relate.

Now, if they took “How Great Thou Art” or “Lift High the Cross” and made a stupid ad out of it… then I might have a problem. But I still wouldn’t call the Catholic League and demand action. Let’s save the guns for the big battles, huh? Is Manwich the hill we wanna die on?

Plus, how many people will A) hear it B) pay attention C) recognize the song as one used in churches and D) care? I mute the ads on my TV, so if someone hadn’t posted this here, I would never have known it happened!
 
I agree that it’s not the most pressing battle we face. However, I would not be so much offended by the use of the “Ode to Joy” music as I would be by the lyrics that intentionally parody the lyrics of the Christian hymn. They are not mimicking the words of the original but of the Christian version.

For me, this does not rank that high up on the list of offensive things that are on TV. The people at Manwich probably weren’t trying to undermine Christianity, but only to use a familiar song to sell their product. But I can understand why someone would take offense to it.
 
Nope, couldnt care less.

I also think Manwich is nasty tasting

I use McCormick Sloppy jo mix when I want sloppy jos
 
my objection has nothing to do with the use of the music, but of the lyric quoted above, I was being sarcastic about the Catholic league, but OP asked if we were offended and I replied to that question.
 
I’m not offended but it is annoying. Last time I sang this song at church I was thinking about the Manwich commercial and chuckeled a little.
 
Does Manwich offer Elysiactic joy?

That’s a better concept but too high brow for their intended audience of potential customers to get.
 
I was able to find the lyrics from the commercial.
Manwich, Manwich we adore thee.
Fun and easy and sloppy too.
Napkins now unfold before thee.
Manwich, joy does spring from you.***

Here are the lyrics of the hymn.
*
Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!*

I didn’t realize until I just now searched for the commercial’s lyrics that it has caused somewhat of a stir not only among Christians, but among music lovers. I also viewed a complaint letter. The product is by Con Agra foods.

I think it is offensive. According to the replacement lyrics, joy springs from Manwich instead of from the God of glory. It may not be the same as using How Great Thou Art, but perhaps that will be the next hymn to have the words of praise to God taken away and replaced with words of praise of a product drummed in our heads. I seem to remember the* Halleluiah Chorus* from *Handel’s Messiah *being used in a Charmin commercial not too long ago. I was taught to stand when the *Halleluiah Chorus *was played, not wipe! It just calls to mind the phrase, “Is nothing sacred anymore?”
 
The melody, especially, and even the hymn lyrics are both extremely well known and recognizable. I find nothing wrong with being playful with familiar tunes. This isn’t a matter of some sort of serious disrespect. It may be distasteful (ooo, I bet Conagra would LOVE to hear that quip), but it is basically little more than drawing analogies.
 
CAROLOFTHEBELLS said:
Just wondering if anyone else is offended by the Manwich commercial that uses the music of a hymn of praise to God to praise Manwich instead. Goes, something like, “Manwich, manwich we adore you…”
Click to expand...
Y’know, that did cross my mind.
 
I’m not Catholic, but happened into this site while looking for an e-mail address for the Hunt’s Foods Co. I was surprised to see all these posts about the Manwich commercial. I wanted to congratulate their advertising department for reaching yet another low in commercials with this “Joyful, Joyful” ditty. Since their staff obviously couldn’t come up with something truly original, they took the easy way out by taking something that’s more or less sacred to a lot of people, and just spoofing it. Very high intellectual level indeed, very creative.

Sort of the same level as Charmin recently playing the Hallelujah Chorus while showing port-a-potties on the beach in their toilet paper commercial. I sent a “congratulations” note to the Charmin folks on that one as well, and to my surprise got a prompt reply saying mine wasn’t the only complaint they got about that commercial, and that they had withdrawn it, and would re-make it & use different music. And they did.

This sort of thing isn’t so much a queston of “religious” values per se, but just a matter of normal, reasonable respect and taste–or lack thereof.
 
chicago said:
What’s the new music?

“God mounts his throne to shouts of joy?”
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For the Charmin commerical? Oh, bad pun! :rolleyes:

I agree with Brent that the advertizers need to get some originallity going on and make up their own music!

Although, I remember waaaayyy back when Campell’s used the standard “Give Me the Simple Life” and then I “discovered” the real song and fell in love with it.
 
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