Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[Brattinella]

The latest SPCA ad makes me very sad and angry.  They are showing far more badly injured animals, and we already give to them.  That is a horror that will surely turn off some people who might want to donate.

[Moose135]

On 7/26/2019 at 6:01 PM, Browncoat said:

Dear Ford,  Stop telling people to run if they're chased by a bear!  Running from a bear will get you killed, and I feel certain you don't want to equate running to the local Ford dealership to buy a car with being mauled by a bear.

You don't have to outrun a bear - you just have to outrun your friend...

😜

[TattleTeeny]

Agree, @Brattinella! Intersperse some success stories to show donators that it’s not all in vain.

Edited July 28, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[janie jones]

5 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Agree, @Brattinella! Intersperse some success stories to show donators that it’s not all in vain.

They should do split screens with the emaciated (or whatever) animals on one side and the same animal after being adopted on the other.

[Gramto6]

The Little Caesars cheese  in the crust pizza ad with the family saying "Cheeeeese!" over and over again is beginning to grate on my last nerve! And the family changes positions like it is cute or something...just stop!

[ams1001]

I gotta admit, I kinda like the Allstate(? I could be wrong) ads on youtube where one of the characters encourages you to hit the "skip" button (because they're embarrassed by whatever situation they're in that will necessitate an insurance claim). Happy to oblige! (Gee, maybe that's why I'm not sure of the company.)

[smittykins]

30 minutes ago, janie jones said:

They should do split screens with the emaciated (or whatever) animals on one side and the same animal after being adopted on the other.

Pedigree dog food did something like that years ago.

Echo before adoption:

Echo after:

[friendperidot]

I recently posted on FB that if the charitable organizations think we Americans have enough money to feed the Holocaust survivors in the Ukraine and Russian and the people of Israel and the children in Africa and take care of all the abused animals, I think we may have enough to feed the people coming to our country asking for help, feed the people already in our country, feed the homeless veterans, feed military families, feed everyone who needs to be fed, no one should be going hungry. And when we stop abusing animals, can we stop putting babies in cages? And I just really think Putin ought to step up and feed his own people and maybe Israel should take some of the billions the US gives it and feed their people, the Jewish and the Palestinian. Ok, I'll get off my soap box now. All those commercial irritate me.

[TheCrankyCreative]

12 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Doesn't bother me, though the first time I saw it, I was kind of like, "Whoa, hey!" But I trim (just "normal," no hearts...but also no judgment; do what you want with your junk!) because I don't like hair but regular shaving upsets my skin bad. I wouldn't buy that thing though, for other reasons. 

For other reasons? 😯

My reaction upon first seeing the ad was similar to yours. As I said in my review, "As a married man in his late forties, my days of contemplating the nether regions of nubile twenty-year-olds ought to be long over."

But of course, this ad is not for me.

The ad works well for its target audience, I think, which helps to explain why it's been on the air for four years. And having looked at it closely for the purposes of the review, I appreciate the ad's more subtle and humorous touches, such as the girls' facial expressions and the interplay between them.

Bottom line, I think it's more fun and flirty than offensive.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, @TattleTeeny.

Edited July 29, 2019 by TheCrankyCreative

[TattleTeeny]

Other reasons = animal cruelty practices. I realize that one probably can't avoid all responsible entities (and their parent companies), but I do my best with the knowledge I have.

While I don't disagree at all with whoever said they should just flat-out say what's what in the ad, I think it does a reasonably good job of walking the line between blatant and subtle, I guess. We know what it's for but a 6-year-old probably doesn't. Haha, it's better than other ones that say "bikini area" and show a lady running up the front of her thigh! People shave their junk; I don't need to see it but I do think it's silly for some stations not to run it because OMG JUNK!

Edited July 29, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[funky-rat]

On 7/27/2019 at 12:37 AM, andromeda331 said:

I keep joking that they must really be selling drugs or something if their earning enough to make all that their claiming to have made and that fast. Cars, fabulous vacations, and an entire wedding. All from selling their old clothes? Yeah, that sounds legit. 

I've mentioned before that I've purchased a few things off of Poshmark before.  All small purchases, and nothing that would be any type of prestige brand.  I buy Betsey Johnson bags because I love her quirky style.  She offers two lines - one you can get at places like TJ Maxx and Marshall's, and another that you order directly from her, or higher end stores like Nordstrom or Macy's.  Sometimes the higher end stuff goes for more money than I want to spend on a non-leather small purse that I may only carry a few times a year, so I check the secondary market (eBay, Mercari, Poshmark, etc) to see if I can get something barely used.

Some of the stuff that shows up on Poshmark is store returns or display items (they're often marked as such).  I got my Bestsey "Ring Me Up" purse because it was a display model, and they had to toss the handset for sanitary reasons.  I paid $25 for the purse (tags still on it) and I bought a handset for under $10, so total was no more than $35 for a purse that was on her website for $95.  So people who work in stores are likely buying up stuff cheap and re-selling.  Also, thrift stores in better areas can be an invaluable place to pick up decent stuff for cheap to re-sell.

And yes, some of the stuff on there is fake.  Betsey often says that if you see jewelry of hers with Hello Kitty, or Minions, etc, on it that it's fake, because it's extremely rare she does anything with licensed characters, and there's no shortage of that stuff out there.  I also see Thirty-One bags/accessories marked "Used" or "Display" and state that there are no labels (not tags, but the logo label) for that reason.  Red flag there for being fake.  Also, the closures are often wrong (the real item may have beads at the end of a cord, where the fake ones are just a knot, or the item came with a branded removable clip but the fake ones always have the clip missing), and sometimes the stuff comes in patterns that were never an option for that particular item.

So these people either work at stores, are heavy-duty thrifters, are really bad with spending, or are selling fakes.  Or a combination of all 4.

Edited July 29, 2019 by funky-rat

[Tom Holmberg]

20 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Well, you're there shooting the commercial and surely have food services, just feed the woman.

Apparently it's not their job to feed her, it's their job to collect our money.

[mmecorday]

More importantly, it's their job to exploit her.

[funky-rat]

1 hour ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Apparently it's not their job to feed her, it's their job to collect our money.

22 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

More importantly, it's their job to exploit her.

I tried looking it up to see if it was legit, but all I got were a few scary Holocaust Denier type sites, and I quit looking (and I didn't open any of the sites).

[Tom Holmberg]

1 hour ago, funky-rat said:

I tried looking it up to see if it was legit

Apparently it is legit, according to charity rating sites.  The main criticisms I saw were on religious and personal grounds that have nothing to do with their charitable work. 

Edited July 29, 2019 by Tom Holmberg

[janie jones]

6 hours ago, funky-rat said:

So people who work in stores are likely buying up stuff cheap and re-selling.  Also, thrift stores in better areas can be an invaluable place to pick up decent stuff for cheap to re-sell.

I'd say garage sales, too.  And there are also people who just use coupons and stuff to get items for cheap.  We used to have these two women shopping at my store that we called the "eBay ladies" because they very openly stacked as many discounts as they could when they shopped so that they could turn around and sell the items for full price on eBay. 

[OpalNightstream]

The lady in the national floors direct commercial wrinkles her forehead so much to emphasize how unbelievable the deals are that I keep thinking she’s going to surely pop a blood vessel. 

[LoneHaranguer]

On 7/29/2019 at 1:54 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

Apparently it is legit, according to charity rating sites.  The main criticisms I saw were on religious and personal grounds that have nothing to do with their charitable work. 

Legit, but they're spending almost as much on fundraising as the grants they give for assistance, and the ads are somewhat dishonest and manipulative in singling out the elderly Holocaust survivors when most of the aid goes to other needy people. I know other charities play the same "what's the most heart-wrenching thing we can put in the ad?" game, but my immediate reaction is to question whether there are enough needy Ukrainian Holocaust survivors to justify such a fundraising effort, and to assume the worst about where the rest of the money they raise is going.

[janie jones]

3 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

but my immediate reaction is to question whether there are enough needy Ukrainian Holocaust survivors to justify such a fundraising effort, and to assume the worst about where the rest of the money they raise is going.

And even if someone weren't assuming the worst, they might think, there aren't that many Holocaust survivors left, and fewer impoverished ones, so this organization doesn't really need my money that badly.

[funky-rat]

18 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Legit, but they're spending almost as much on fundraising as the grants they give for assistance, and the ads are somewhat dishonest and manipulative in singling out the elderly Holocaust survivors when most of the aid goes to other needy people. I know other charities play the same "what's the most heart-wrenching thing we can put in the ad?" game, but my immediate reaction is to question whether there are enough needy Ukrainian Holocaust survivors to justify such a fundraising effort, and to assume the worst about where the rest of the money they raise is going.

That was my concern.  I'm 1/8 Jewish, and I absolutley care about Holocaust survivors, but my thought sadly went to things like advertising and overhead, and how much aid really gets to those who need it.

[catlover79]

There is a PSA that runs on the radio between innings of the Indians games. The gist of it is to clean up after your dog(s). But this is all told by this annoying little girl who reminds us that "dogs POOP!!!" Thank you so much for your scintillating analysis, kid. 😠

I guess there's one thing to be grateful for. It's not a TV ad (at least, as far as I know)!!

Edited July 31, 2019 by catlover79

[Ubiquitous]

An insurance company whose name I forgot has a new campaign featuring a snowflake millennial behaving like a baby that's getting on my nerves. It was amusing the first couple times, but I'm tired of it.

[sempervivum]

Since I'm seeing some comments on charity ads- is anybody else troubled by the Save the Children ad that seems to run interminably on some channels (WE in particular)? The one in some clinic where the staff speaks French? We meet 'Kyenbee' (?) who's almost 2 years old, but weighs half of what he should; the nurse says it's a case of severe malnutrition. But Kyenbee's mother looks like she's been eating regularly. I have a strong reaction of 'If my child were starving, I would damn well be giving him most of my food, and I'd be the skeletal one'. I also roll my eyes at the scene of a tiny scrawny infant who-for some reason- is being fed milk or something from a GIANT spoon, which the poor little thing can't even get in his/her mouth.

BTW, I actually do donate to them (they have a very good rating).

[Tom Holmberg]

21 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Legit, but they're spending almost as much on fundraising as the grants they give for assistance

According to the Charity Navigator site they spend 75% on its program and services

Program Expenses (Percent of the charity's total expenses spent on the programs
and services it delivers) 75.4%

 Administrative Expenses 10.1%

 Fundraising Expenses 14.3%

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3889

Charity Watch considers a charity to be highly efficient when their end calculations produce a Program % of 75%

https://www.charitywatch.org/charitywatch-criteria-methodology

I still find the ads questionable.

[Madding crowd]

On 7/27/2019 at 10:07 AM, BigBingerBro said:

My mute button is nearly worn out because of this friggen commercial too.   It's actually sending a really good message about protecting your skin, but whoever decided to use that music needs to be locked up.

And the truth is every one will have sun damage by the time you reach a certain age. Even people who use sunscreen religiously will have skin damage by age 50 or earlier. I think the message to use sunscreen is good but to suggest you will look different if you use it and then get scanned is not completely true.

[funky-rat]

23 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

And the truth is every one will have sun damage by the time you reach a certain age. Even people who use sunscreen religiously will have skin damage by age 50 or earlier. I think the message to use sunscreen is good but to suggest you will look different if you use it and then get scanned is not completely true.

Plus you don't need exposure to the sun to get skin cancer.  I just had a small mole removed from my stomach.  Because of a history of melanoma in my family, I get seen once a year, and the dermatologist takes photos of things she feels needs monitoring.  We've been watching that one for 3 years and she made the decision to take it off last week.  The pathology just came back that it's atypical, but we got it all, and we're good.  That area of my stomach has likely never seen sunshine.

[iMonrey]

I've got two new ones to bitch about. The first is the Jimmy John's commercial where the delivery boy on a bike smashes into an invisible barrier because Jimmy John's only delivers within a five-mile radius of their location. So why is the delivery boy trying to delivery beyond that boundary? Did Jimmy John give him the wrong address or does he not know where he's going? Neither speaks well of their service.

The second is a more serious ad for cancercenters.com. The unlucky patient in this commercial is named . . . wait for it . . . Job. I kid you you not. Yes, just like the Job in the Bible. Who on earth would curse their child with the name of the most famously unlucky person in all history? Weren't they just asking for it?

[proserpina65]

On ‎07‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 11:32 PM, friendperidot said:

Since I don't care about name brands in clothing and most other stuff, it goes over my head about how much they make on how much they've spent on clothing. But I keep starring at Vanessa, I think she's one of the Poshmark people, she has the widest mouth! And emphasizes it with bright red lipstick. And then there's 3 dancing models on the Real Real. I don't even notice much about what they are wearing because they are awful dancers, especially when they do that "roll 'em up, roll 'em up" move. I've been playing patty cake with a toddler, so that's all I can see.

The current three Real Real dancers aren't quite as bad as the original one, but they're still bad.

On ‎07‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 6:32 PM, biakbiak said:

The Poshmark commercials where they have people talking about how they have made thousands of dollars and financed cars and fabulous vacations by doing it. It’s rare that used clothing actually increases in value so most of these people claiming to have “made” all this money are ignoring the fact that while they have recouped some of the money they initially spent on the clothing they aren’t actually profiting so could have done all these things earlier if they hadn’t overshopped on clothes in the first place! 

I have coworkers who've sold some things on Poshmark, but they're not making hundreds, let alone thousands, of dollars.

On ‎07‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 2:05 AM, Maverick said:

 Ok, just like the skin on the people in the commercial, I'm done.  I'm sick of the Walgreen's commercial with the people who have baked themselves like a potato.   It runs all the damn time, the Melanom-A-Vision is creepy and the song is annoying as fuck.   Instant mute every time I hear that grating piano intro.

I do kinda like the song, though.  But it doesn't really go with the message.

On ‎07‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 11:57 AM, Ubiquitous said:

You know what commercials are getting on my nerve? The ones for the food delivery services featuring gluttons ordering several dozen foods and putting them on display in front of him. Yeah, like you're going to eat all that nasty tempid food you bought...

The longer version does show other people, but it's still a lot of food.

On ‎07‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 2:54 PM, peacheslatour said:

I worked with a woman who had three daughters. They all love artichokes but she never told them about the hearts. She'd serve the artichokes and then take the plates into the kitchen to "clean up", there she would hog all the artichoke hearts to herself.

A woman after my own heart.  (Yes, pun intended.)

[friendperidot]

I paid attention when the one with the lady who says "namel" and I think she says that too. And there is something about her voice that is annoying.

But one on the cheap channels that is getting on my nerves lately is the Netspend Card. First up is the young man that sends his mother flowers and she's happy because she gets flowers and he's happy because he gets...something. I'm so focused on that he looks like Josh Duggar and wonder why they want a Josh Duggar look-alike in their ad. But the next up is a woman who says she uses her card and "boom it's there," and her husband uses his card and "boom it's there." I don't know why but she annoys me more than the Josh Duggar look-alike.

[proserpina65]

On ‎07‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 3:50 PM, Sun-Bun said:

Dear god, she sounds like she has post-nasal drip...never mind the annoying vocal-fry, what the Hell is wrong with her entire voice period?! She seriously sounds like she’s stoned on cough meds. And if she’s a “banker” then why is she styled like she’s a barista at a Portland coffee shop?  No joke, I’d seriously like to know who “Michelle” blew to get that commercial gig. 

Here’s my most hated commercial of the moment, considering it’s seemingly played every 3 minutes here:

Thanks for bastardizing a once harmlessly fun random Amy Winehouse song, kid and old dude. And why THAT particular song? Desperately trying to connect with sentimental millennials who like to sing that old shit at karaoke?? Such a random yet oddly irritating choice of a song for a kid and his grandpa to bond over; something tells me Amy never would’ve let her music make it into a cheesy commercial like that. And can we expect Amazon to use some random Nirvana tune in its commercials to hawk the dot next?

Every time I see it, I pretend I'm Alexa suggesting songs either titled Valerie or with Valerie in the lyrics.

I watched/listened to every example of vocal fry that anyone has posted and I still don't hear it.  I guess I'm lucky that way?  :-)

[LoneHaranguer]

4 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

According to the Charity Navigator site they spend 75% on its program and services

It looks like Charity Navigator is one year up from what the site I used had. Program expenditures are up about $20M for FY 2017 with about $10M less in contributions, greatly improving their stats. That kind of variability may be why CN has them rated at only 3 stars.

[ams1001]

7 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

An insurance company whose name I forgot has a new campaign featuring a snowflake millennial behaving like a baby that's getting on my nerves. It was amusing the first couple times, but I'm tired of it.

That's Progressive. "Act your age, dump your parents insurance company!" There are at least two (guy on a date ordering cereal and grape juice to spill on the carpet, and guy in the kid seat of a grocery cart making a mess in the store).

I'm 43, I have my very own insurance policy with the same company my parents use. Two, actually - car and homeowners. I guess I'm not a grown-up, despite the fact that I own both of these things. (A couple cars ago I was chatting with the insurance guy at the dealer while we waited for the sales guy to bring some paperwork -- their insurance guy will call your insurance co to get the new vehicle added, but they also sell insurance through one of the big name companies, and he flat-out told me they'd never beat my company's rates. I'm not giving them up.)

[Prevailing Wind]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I watched/listened to every example of vocal fry that anyone has posted and I still don't hear it.  I guess I'm lucky that way?  🙂

Listen to this chick. Listen to the creaky sound in her lower notes.

[Kelloggirl]

On 7/27/2019 at 3:50 PM, Sun-Bun said:

Here’s my most hated commercial of the moment, considering it’s seemingly played every 3 minutes here:

Thanks for bastardizing a once harmlessly fun random Amy Winehouse song, kid and old dude. And why THAT particular song? Desperately trying to connect with sentimental millennials who like to sing that old shit at karaoke?? Such a random yet oddly irritating choice of a song for a kid and his grandpa to bond over; something tells me Amy never would’ve let her music make it into a cheesy commercial like that. And can we expect Amazon to use some random Nirvana tune in its commercials to hawk the dot next?

I dislike this commercial too, but for more nitpicky reasons. So the old guy says to Alexa "Alexa, play the song that goes "Valerie"" which to me implies that maybe Alexa can hear you sing some lyrics or a melody and use magic AI to figure out what the hell you're talking about, like in situations when you're talking to a friend and you're saying, "You know?!?!? That song that goes la-da-da-di-da duh duh duh dum Yeah Yeah Yeah?" and your friend is like "Whatchoo talkin' about Willis?" Now THAT would be great if Alexa did that! But either Alexa doesn't do that, in which case why didn't the old guy just say "Alexa, play Valerie" since he doesn't even sing the name??? And if Alexa DOES do the magic thingy, then they should have definitely highlighted that! (Although then maybe you would gotten into SNL "Alexa for Old People" territory...)

Edited August 1, 2019 by Kelloggirl

[Kelloggirl]

Oh and while I'm here... I have to share my hate for the new Drive Time commercial spokeslady in the green suit. She's SO loud, strident, and humorless. Can't stand her! WHY why why did they replace these two adorkable goofs? 

Original Drive Time ad: Turned Down for What?

New Horrible Ad

Also, just cause it can't be said enough: I HATE Liberty Mutual commercials, every single one of them. I have to assume that they're purposefully horrible in the not even so bad they're good, but I don't know for what reason.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Kelloggirl
Sorry I can't figure out how to embed video

[janie jones]

I'm so tired of Wawa Hoagie Fest, and I'm tired of hearing people in the commercials spelling it.

[Prevailing Wind]

I guess that makes me glad we don't have Wawas in Metro Atlanta. 😄

[LoneHaranguer]

15 hours ago, Kelloggirl said:

So the old guy says to Alexa "Alexa, play the song that goes "Valerie"" which to me implies that maybe Alexa can hear you sing some lyrics or a melody and use magic AI to figure out what the hell you're talking about, like in situations when you're talking to a friend and you're saying, "You know?!?!? That song that goes la-da-da-di-da duh duh duh dum Yeah Yeah Yeah?" and your friend is like "Whatchoo talkin' about Willis?"

It's not magic if Alexa lets you set up a playlist and looks for a match there first, although it sounds like the old guy picked a different version from what his son was singing. Either he's tone-deaf or whoever added the music to the ad said "hey, this other version of Valerie is a lot cheaper to license".

[funky-rat]

I don't know what version the kid is singing, but the one on the Alexa is Amy Winehouse.

[proserpina65]

18 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Listen to this chick. Listen to the creaky sound in her lower notes.

Nope, still don't hear it.

7 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I guess that makes me glad we don't have Wawas in Metro Atlanta. 😄

The commercials are bad, but the hoagies are good.  I figure it's the price I have to pay.

[funky-rat]

10 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

The commercials are bad, but the hoagies are good.  I figure it's the price I have to pay.

I'd put up with it to not have to drive 1.5 hours to a WaWa.  I'm firmly in Sheetz country.  🤢

[Dbolt]

If someone says the song that goes “Valerie” I think Steve Winwood. 

[funky-rat]

3 minutes ago, Dbolt said:

If someone says the song that goes “Valerie” I think Steve Winwood. 

Either that one, or "Valleri" by The Monkees.

[mmecorday]

Quote

I'm firmly in Sheetz country.  🤢

Yeah, me too. The coffee is good, though.

Topic? "Trelegy. It's easy as 1-2-3." And annoying AF!

[LoneHaranguer]

1 hour ago, funky-rat said:

I don't know what version the kid is singing, but the one on the Alexa is Amy Winehouse.

It could be that the kid is just a lousy singer, and the only reason the old guy bothered with Alexa is that he was tired of hearing him screw up a song he likes.

[funky-rat]

3 minutes ago, LoneHaranguer said:

It could be that the kid is just a lousy singer, and the only reason the old guy bothered with Alexa is that he was tired of hearing him screw up a song he likes.

Very possible.  I think that whatever song the kid is singing is vague on purpose.

[meep.meep]

On 7/28/2019 at 8:39 AM, andromeda331 said:

See now that would make more sense. I'm disappointed that we don't really get to see Grandpa enjoying having the Alexa. He shows a little interested when he hears his grandson set the timer for favorite dessert and then it goes to the scene of him asking Alexa to play Valerie when he sees his grandson coming and giving him the look when he comes in like he now likes it. But we don't see him doing anything with it. Asking questions, playing music, or something. I like the grandpa and grandson but I really wish we got to see Grandpa enjoying it or realizing how much Alexa can do for him on his own before his grandson comes back.

Have you seen the Saturday Night Live sketch with old people using Alexa?  It's programmed to respond to any name that starts with A.  And they all end up telling Alexa:  "Well, we'll see about that!"

[friendperidot]

4 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

So the old guy says to Alexa "Alexa, play the song that goes "Valerie"" which to me implies that maybe Alexa can hear you sing some lyrics or a melody and use magic AI to figure out what the hell you're talking about,

I don't use Alexa, but the ice cream truck plays a wide variety of tunes that I know from my childhood and teen years, I don't think kids today know Turkey in the Straw or Ruben and Rachel, maybe they know Freres Jacques. But there was one tune that really liked, I couldn't remember what it was called, but I knew it was an instrumental from the 60s and the title had "ballerina" or "dancer" in it. So I went to Youtube and searched "60s instrumental dancer song." And Youtube delivered, the song is called "Music Box Dancer." So if Youtube can find the song based on my very vague description, why not Alexa?

Edited August 1, 2019 by friendperidot

[Silver Raven]

20 hours ago, Kelloggirl said:

I dislike this commercial too, but for more nitpicky reasons. So the old guy says to Alexa "Alexa, play the song that goes "Valerie"" which to me implies that maybe Alexa can hear you sing some lyrics or a melody and use magic AI to figure out what the hell you're talking about, like in situations when you're talking to a friend and you're saying, "You know?!?!? That song that goes la-da-da-di-da duh duh duh dum Yeah Yeah Yeah?" and your friend is like "Whatchoo talkin' about Willis?" Now THAT would be great if Alexa did that! But either Alexa doesn't do that, in which case why didn't the old guy just say "Alexa, play Valerie" since he doesn't even sing the name??? And if Alexa DOES do the magic thingy, then they should have definitely highlighted that! (Although then maybe you would gotten into SNL "Alexa for Old People" territory...)

You can do that with Google.  "Hey, Google, who sings ..." and just give a line from the song.  And they'll find the song and queue it up for you to hear.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Silver Raven said:

You can do that with Google.  "Hey, Google, who sings ..." and just give a line from the song.  And they'll find the song and queue it up for you to hear.

Or you can just Google the title or a snippet of lyric.