Who ever the singer is in this commercial, I wish there was a release of him singing this song completely. I watched the extended version of the commercial just to get those extra seconds. Amazing voice to a classic song.
The first time I seen this commercial it brought tears to me! I absolutely love this and it totally captured my attention and my heart and every time it comes on I stop what I'm doing to watch him sing! No truer words said...."What the world needs now is love sweet love!" They all showed him...Love!!❤
The Janitor is the guy singing in the locker photograph. His career faded but he works in the theatre as it's still a link to when he once mattered as a performer. He is 'invisible', coming in when the public have gone home, and he is working out of the way of the staff. Thinking he is ignored, he sings to keep his passion alive in himself as everything else is gone (no modern photos in the locker). The staff buy the tuxedo jacket and ask him to sing, letting him know that he is not just a Janitor to them but someone worthy of an audience, that he has their respect, that they 'see him'. They acknowledge not only his purpose, but his passion. As heartwarming as it can come across as, Amazon's Christmas message regarding 'what the world needs now' would mean a whole lot more if they actually practiced what they preach.
Hi Joe, yeah I think you've nailed what they were going for! The aspect I can't get beyond is how if his co-workers see he thinks he's ignored, why don't they talk to him? Rather than surveilling from a distance. We might assume those stories about his past life and story since his days as a singer, but we are reading between the lines. We don't know because there's no relationship. Completely agree about the rather jarring nature of this coming from Amazon!
@@thegentlerebel That's storytelling though, leaving the viewer to do the heavy lifting. I once worked in a small hotel, and at Christmas I went through the staff list and bought a small gift for everyone, even those I had never met as shiftwork kept us apart. They were shocked that a stranger knew about them and actually cared. The worker who orders the Tuxedo jacket isn't the only one who sees his passion, but is the only one who acts on it, showing that it only takes one person to 'break the ice' to incentivize others.
@@thegentlerebel I disagree actually. There are times when someone who had moments of "greatness" then fade, get lost, and not sure how to get their "ego" or "mojo" back. People that are passively in and around them, notice their greatness. They then think of a way to "surprise" that individual and want to help them feel that greatness is still actually present and they want to feel that with him or her. But do it as a spontaneous organic experience. Planning it, yes, still having an impact but not the explosion emotional reaction. My impression of the folks sitting in the audience was again about giving him the spotlight and he getting that admiration he once clearly had. But that's just my view on it that is rather different from yours. I have watched this over and over and over and over. I cried the first time I saw it as I live in the US and let's just say we have lost the ability to be kind to one another (hopefully temporarily). All that being said, I loved that you had a different interpretation and respect it greatly. Big hugs from across the pond my friend.
@@rsanders1569 Hey there! Thanks for this perspective. I actually totally agree with what you say here! There is definitely a beautiful gift when you know it would be meaningful to the person and a chance for them to do what they love doing (singing on stage). I guess my issue with the way it comes across in the advert is the way people stay at a distance from him. There isn't any connection through the rest of the ad, he seems lonely and just observed/listened to from afar. Which compounds the sense of "us and them" I feel between the position of janitor and the rest of the staff. This is just how it came across to me - an implicit judgement put onto his job role. So yeah you've made me think - it makes more sense if the people listening are not paying attention because they are hearing him for the first time. Rather, they are hearing his longing to sing and entertain again - hopefully because they've had a conversation with him and know that to be true! Still, I don't imagine Amazon would ever allow anything like this to happen in one of its warehouses! Also, I'd love to say a big thanks for your communication style. A breath of fresh air in an environment when people often disagree with a brittle hostility. Your care and respect is much appreciated!
I thought I was the only one blown away by this advert. I was brought to your video after searching out the creation of it on TH-cam. I suppose its kind of a commentary on how dreams get lost .... for me it reflects a the need for more caring... and love of course.❤❤❤❤
This guy is taking something simple and wonderful and making it class warfare/culture war material just to make this video that has taken 20 minutes of my life that I can not get back.
@@jeromekelly7788 hi Jerome, sorry for wasting your time. I sometimes find it helpful to dig deeper beneath some of those things that feel simple and wonderful and ask why a company like Amazon might want us to feel certain things. And to try and figure out why things evoke certain unease in me (and others). I hope your day provides you with an extra good 20 minutes to make up for the bad one!
Thank you for replying to me directly. You are entitled to your opinion. Sometimes, it's better to just keep it simple and embrace the message. Happy holidays to you and yours.
The commercial is a wonderful reminder that even the lowly among us have greatness inside. And if they can't see it for themselves then we can help them find it. It's a reminder to always look for the best in those around us and celebrate it with them. I wish I was as quick to take action as the gal that ordered the Tux jacket. But if it had been me I would have probably gone to the place where I go to get my dressier jackets: the local Goodwill. Probably won't find a Tux there but a nice sports coat can likely be found (the janitor is still wearing his work clothes under the jacket). And that's what I like about the commercial, unlike so many other commercials I don't feel like Amazon is saying "you must buy from us to make this happen". In fact within the scope of the commercial the Amazon name and logo is fairly low key. Of course you're welcome to see this as some sort of Amazon hypocrisy but I see it as a great reminder that we all need to help others see the best in themselves.
Hi Bill, it's great to hear from you, thanks for taking the time to write! I completely agree with you about the joy of helping people see and celebrate the best of themselves in the world. I think the part that leaves me cold with this particular advert is the sense of disconnection I felt watching the nature of the interactions between the characters. It's obviously just my reading of it and I'm aware it's not the orthodox view of it! I saw the janitor as objectified (things are done TO him rather than WITH him), which spoke to a tendency we have to conceptualise our interpersonal relationships through a hierarchical/vertical lens rather than horizontal (seeing one another as friends/equals). I know hierarchy is inherent within certain structures and it's a helpful way of organising systems. But I felt the judgement of "lowly" here in the way the advert portrays the guy - as if he BECOMES valuable when his "greatness" (a talent) is noticed, and then it is platformed as an exception to the rule rather than a celebration of the inherent human greatness in the unique stories in every human. I guess it reminded me of the attitude towards groups of people on the lowest rungs of society, when those above decide they know what's best for them and attach assumptions and conditions to gifts without knowing what the other person actually wants, needs, or feels. I also appreciate it when human value is transcends particular talents. I know! Hard to do that in a 30 second commercial haha!
@@thegentlerebel Thanks for the response, you gave me more to think about. I think that to view this as something that is either done to him or with him is to narrow in scope. I see it as something they are doing FOR him, and they did it in a way that he could accept or reject. Perhaps you could see it differently if you see this as them coming up and yanking the mop away from him, shoving the mic in front of him and putting him in a situation where it would have been incredibly humiliating for him to back out and forced him to sing. And that would be the case if his co-workers had completely misread his desires. But the commercial is set up to pretty much make clear that this is what he would want and his co-workers knew it. He had the photo in his locker of him previously being a performer, he sang while he worked without regard for who might hear him. What his fellow employees did was based on a number of observable clues, and strong clues at that. And, assuming this was something he passionately wanted to do, it is something he could not do without the voluntary assistance of others. He could not work the lights, operate the sound system, force his co-workers to sit in the auditorium anxiously wanting to hear and observe him do that which was clearly his passion. You or other might have preferred that they had shown this done differently, that rather than the gal just ordering the Tux and putting this all into motion perhaps she could have first taken him aside and asked if this is something he wanted to do. And only after receiving his permission she and the other employees would help him to facilitate. But I believe this would have likely resulted in 2 things: Being humble he would have turned the offer down despite his desire to do it, and it would have killed the element of surprise. And I believe that element of surprise is something that amplifies how much that experience means to him. If she had gotten his permission first and told him to return in an hour so they could get everything ready, it would have been so dull. If it would have been me (I use to do vocal performances) I would have been waiting around, wondering how many peoples arms she was having to twist to get this set up and then rounding up people who might be sitting in the audience only as an excuse to take a break. But to have this come together the way it did demonstrated that his co-workers not only wanted him to live out what he passionately wanted to do but that they themselves wanted to enjoy with him. In other words, not only could he live out his passion but he would go away knowing that he was giving his co-workers something they would very much enjoy. So in a way I guess that in the end this was something they did WITH him. But I do see your point, there was a chance this would have backfired on them. And then you could say it was something done TO him that turned out negative. But I believe these are the types of things we have to consider every day. A while back I was in line at the grocery store and the person in front of me was using one of the courtesy scooters the store provides. And she was obviously struggling to get the stuff out of the front basket onto the conveyor belt. I asked her if she would like some help and at the same time, perhaps presumptuously, started moving stuff from her basket to the belt. She yelled "NO" and tried to slap my hands away. What I thought would have been a welcomed gesture turned out to be an embarrassment to both of us. Probably I should have waited for her response before helping, but as I continued to observe her and the way she treated the gal who rang her up I'm pretty sure I would have gotten the same response for just offering. I took a risk and it backfired. But it's a risk I had taken many times before and will continue to take. And that's part of the message I take away from this commercial. Is there a risk this could have backfired? Of course not, it's a scripted commercial! But if this had been real life I agree there was a small degree of risk. But was it worth it? You could look at my example and say that it's different because I was trying to help someone do something that was a necessity of life rather than something that was purely for pleasure. But is there a difference, isn't pleasure a necessity of life? In the end that gal I tried to help was able to get checked out on her own. And perhaps some would see my effort to be an affront to her dignity, her ability to show she could do it on her own. But to me it's worth the risk of offering to help because of the 99 out of 100 people out there who would so much appreciate my offer of assistance. And if I had the opportunity to do what the gal in this commercial did (and had the creative inspiration she had) I would not hesitate for a moment to do it. BTW - I'm making my comments based on the 90 second version of the commercial here on TH-cam. I don't know if that would make a difference, but not being an avid TV watcher I have not watched the 30 second version all that closely.
To me the advert seemed sentimental but only in the most corporate way possible I can imagine the board meeting which led to its creation and it just makes me cringe a little on the inside , good video deserves a lot more views
This gentleman blew my mind away when I saw this commercial with his glorious vocals and range to an old song classic song everybody knows. He gave it so much life! It was so refreshing to me Loved that he was a senor Gentleman too representing well!. Absolutely loved it! :))
Good to hear from you. Yes, Amazon have compiled all the components for an evocative ad that hits all the emotional buttons. Not sure if you're aware that the vocals are provided by Max Milner (a young guy) - they are lip synced in the advert itself.
Very triggering, hitting an old trauma. Not your video but the advert. He is invisible and not really a part of the crew, until his special talent, singing, is revealed. Then he was suddenly accepted and admired. On the surface a lovely, moving story, but even before listening your thoughts about it, it made me feel very uneasy and sad deep down. I hope he was content before and after this 'festive' happening 🙂 Anyways, I would love to work in that kind of environment, where it is possible and allowed to do these kinds of nigh time (voluntary) gatherings without surveillance.
Hei Tuula! This is such a powerful point. The story that you are only worth seeing if you have a "special talent" and earn acceptance. That's a tough watch. I love the idea of working somewhere with a culture of come-if-you-want after-work lock-in jam sessions where everyone can have a go. No surveillance, no judgement, just play!
Well… I’ve only seen the last few seconds of the commercial… not sure if I just ignored the beginning or what happened. I didn’t get it.. I thought it was the singer that dies ‘God Bless the USA’, and jyst thought he forgot his costume so they ordered him a suit….. it’s not a very well done commercial because every time I think… I don’t get what I just saw….
No, Max Milner is a young guy. It's Richard Goodall doing the singing. He was a winner on America's Got Talent. He is an actual janitor with a beautiful voice!
@marymatulaitis5903 I’m going by Amazon’s press release about it. They’ve released a version of it with Max Milner too - www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-holiday-ad-2024
Who ever the singer is in this commercial, I wish there was a release of him singing this song completely. I watched the extended version of the commercial just to get those extra seconds. Amazing voice to a classic song.
@@ttemplarknightt309 it’s strange, the official release (max milner) is not the same version. It’s somewhat limited.
I actually went looking for the extended... NICE.
The first time I seen this commercial it brought tears to me! I absolutely love this and it totally captured my attention and my heart and every time it comes on I stop what I'm doing to watch him sing! No truer words said...."What the world needs now is love sweet love!" They all showed him...Love!!❤
The Janitor is the guy singing in the locker photograph. His career faded but he works in the theatre as it's still a link to when he once mattered as a performer. He is 'invisible', coming in when the public have gone home, and he is working out of the way of the staff. Thinking he is ignored, he sings to keep his passion alive in himself as everything else is gone (no modern photos in the locker). The staff buy the tuxedo jacket and ask him to sing, letting him know that he is not just a Janitor to them but someone worthy of an audience, that he has their respect, that they 'see him'. They acknowledge not only his purpose, but his passion.
As heartwarming as it can come across as, Amazon's Christmas message regarding 'what the world needs now' would mean a whole lot more if they actually practiced what they preach.
Hi Joe, yeah I think you've nailed what they were going for! The aspect I can't get beyond is how if his co-workers see he thinks he's ignored, why don't they talk to him? Rather than surveilling from a distance. We might assume those stories about his past life and story since his days as a singer, but we are reading between the lines. We don't know because there's no relationship.
Completely agree about the rather jarring nature of this coming from Amazon!
@@thegentlerebel That's storytelling though, leaving the viewer to do the heavy lifting. I once worked in a small hotel, and at Christmas I went through the staff list and bought a small gift for everyone, even those I had never met as shiftwork kept us apart. They were shocked that a stranger knew about them and actually cared.
The worker who orders the Tuxedo jacket isn't the only one who sees his passion, but is the only one who acts on it, showing that it only takes one person to 'break the ice' to incentivize others.
@@thegentlerebel I disagree actually. There are times when someone who had moments of "greatness" then fade, get lost, and not sure how to get their "ego" or "mojo" back. People that are passively in and around them, notice their greatness. They then think of a way to "surprise" that individual and want to help them feel that greatness is still actually present and they want to feel that with him or her. But do it as a spontaneous organic experience. Planning it, yes, still having an impact but not the explosion emotional reaction. My impression of the folks sitting in the audience was again about giving him the spotlight and he getting that admiration he once clearly had. But that's just my view on it that is rather different from yours. I have watched this over and over and over and over. I cried the first time I saw it as I live in the US and let's just say we have lost the ability to be kind to one another (hopefully temporarily). All that being said, I loved that you had a different interpretation and respect it greatly. Big hugs from across the pond my friend.
@@rsanders1569 Hey there! Thanks for this perspective. I actually totally agree with what you say here! There is definitely a beautiful gift when you know it would be meaningful to the person and a chance for them to do what they love doing (singing on stage).
I guess my issue with the way it comes across in the advert is the way people stay at a distance from him. There isn't any connection through the rest of the ad, he seems lonely and just observed/listened to from afar. Which compounds the sense of "us and them" I feel between the position of janitor and the rest of the staff. This is just how it came across to me - an implicit judgement put onto his job role.
So yeah you've made me think - it makes more sense if the people listening are not paying attention because they are hearing him for the first time. Rather, they are hearing his longing to sing and entertain again - hopefully because they've had a conversation with him and know that to be true!
Still, I don't imagine Amazon would ever allow anything like this to happen in one of its warehouses!
Also, I'd love to say a big thanks for your communication style. A breath of fresh air in an environment when people often disagree with a brittle hostility. Your care and respect is much appreciated!
I thought I was the only one blown away by this advert. I was brought to your video after searching out the creation of it on TH-cam. I suppose its kind of a commentary on how dreams get lost .... for me it reflects a the need for more caring... and love of course.❤❤❤❤
This guy is taking something simple and wonderful and making it class warfare/culture war material just to make this video that has taken 20 minutes of my life that I can not get back.
@@jeromekelly7788 hi Jerome, sorry for wasting your time. I sometimes find it helpful to dig deeper beneath some of those things that feel simple and wonderful and ask why a company like Amazon might want us to feel certain things. And to try and figure out why things evoke certain unease in me (and others). I hope your day provides you with an extra good 20 minutes to make up for the bad one!
Thank you for replying to me directly. You are entitled to your opinion. Sometimes, it's better to just keep it simple and embrace the message. Happy holidays to you and yours.
@ thanks Jerome. Absolutely. I appreciate you, man! Same to you and yours. Thanks for taking the time!
For a company like Amazon to depict coworkers having a break, doesn't match it's own practices or policies.
Yeah, that's one the things that jars about this one. Double standards!
So true!
Yes but whoever makes there commercials is a genius.This one and last year's is brilliant.
What the guy said at around 15:10 or 15:15 is very true and hits completely home… 👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾
The commercial is a wonderful reminder that even the lowly among us have greatness inside. And if they can't see it for themselves then we can help them find it. It's a reminder to always look for the best in those around us and celebrate it with them. I wish I was as quick to take action as the gal that ordered the Tux jacket. But if it had been me I would have probably gone to the place where I go to get my dressier jackets: the local Goodwill. Probably won't find a Tux there but a nice sports coat can likely be found (the janitor is still wearing his work clothes under the jacket). And that's what I like about the commercial, unlike so many other commercials I don't feel like Amazon is saying "you must buy from us to make this happen". In fact within the scope of the commercial the Amazon name and logo is fairly low key. Of course you're welcome to see this as some sort of Amazon hypocrisy but I see it as a great reminder that we all need to help others see the best in themselves.
Hi Bill, it's great to hear from you, thanks for taking the time to write! I completely agree with you about the joy of helping people see and celebrate the best of themselves in the world. I think the part that leaves me cold with this particular advert is the sense of disconnection I felt watching the nature of the interactions between the characters. It's obviously just my reading of it and I'm aware it's not the orthodox view of it!
I saw the janitor as objectified (things are done TO him rather than WITH him), which spoke to a tendency we have to conceptualise our interpersonal relationships through a hierarchical/vertical lens rather than horizontal (seeing one another as friends/equals). I know hierarchy is inherent within certain structures and it's a helpful way of organising systems. But I felt the judgement of "lowly" here in the way the advert portrays the guy - as if he BECOMES valuable when his "greatness" (a talent) is noticed, and then it is platformed as an exception to the rule rather than a celebration of the inherent human greatness in the unique stories in every human. I guess it reminded me of the attitude towards groups of people on the lowest rungs of society, when those above decide they know what's best for them and attach assumptions and conditions to gifts without knowing what the other person actually wants, needs, or feels. I also appreciate it when human value is transcends particular talents.
I know! Hard to do that in a 30 second commercial haha!
@@thegentlerebel Thanks for the response, you gave me more to think about. I think that to view this as something that is either done to him or with him is to narrow in scope. I see it as something they are doing FOR him, and they did it in a way that he could accept or reject. Perhaps you could see it differently if you see this as them coming up and yanking the mop away from him, shoving the mic in front of him and putting him in a situation where it would have been incredibly humiliating for him to back out and forced him to sing. And that would be the case if his co-workers had completely misread his desires. But the commercial is set up to pretty much make clear that this is what he would want and his co-workers knew it. He had the photo in his locker of him previously being a performer, he sang while he worked without regard for who might hear him. What his fellow employees did was based on a number of observable clues, and strong clues at that. And, assuming this was something he passionately wanted to do, it is something he could not do without the voluntary assistance of others. He could not work the lights, operate the sound system, force his co-workers to sit in the auditorium anxiously wanting to hear and observe him do that which was clearly his passion. You or other might have preferred that they had shown this done differently, that rather than the gal just ordering the Tux and putting this all into motion perhaps she could have first taken him aside and asked if this is something he wanted to do. And only after receiving his permission she and the other employees would help him to facilitate. But I believe this would have likely resulted in 2 things: Being humble he would have turned the offer down despite his desire to do it, and it would have killed the element of surprise. And I believe that element of surprise is something that amplifies how much that experience means to him. If she had gotten his permission first and told him to return in an hour so they could get everything ready, it would have been so dull. If it would have been me (I use to do vocal performances) I would have been waiting around, wondering how many peoples arms she was having to twist to get this set up and then rounding up people who might be sitting in the audience only as an excuse to take a break. But to have this come together the way it did demonstrated that his co-workers not only wanted him to live out what he passionately wanted to do but that they themselves wanted to enjoy with him. In other words, not only could he live out his passion but he would go away knowing that he was giving his co-workers something they would very much enjoy. So in a way I guess that in the end this was something they did WITH him.
But I do see your point, there was a chance this would have backfired on them. And then you could say it was something done TO him that turned out negative. But I believe these are the types of things we have to consider every day. A while back I was in line at the grocery store and the person in front of me was using one of the courtesy scooters the store provides. And she was obviously struggling to get the stuff out of the front basket onto the conveyor belt. I asked her if she would like some help and at the same time, perhaps presumptuously, started moving stuff from her basket to the belt. She yelled "NO" and tried to slap my hands away. What I thought would have been a welcomed gesture turned out to be an embarrassment to both of us. Probably I should have waited for her response before helping, but as I continued to observe her and the way she treated the gal who rang her up I'm pretty sure I would have gotten the same response for just offering. I took a risk and it backfired. But it's a risk I had taken many times before and will continue to take. And that's part of the message I take away from this commercial. Is there a risk this could have backfired? Of course not, it's a scripted commercial! But if this had been real life I agree there was a small degree of risk. But was it worth it? You could look at my example and say that it's different because I was trying to help someone do something that was a necessity of life rather than something that was purely for pleasure. But is there a difference, isn't pleasure a necessity of life? In the end that gal I tried to help was able to get checked out on her own. And perhaps some would see my effort to be an affront to her dignity, her ability to show she could do it on her own. But to me it's worth the risk of offering to help because of the 99 out of 100 people out there who would so much appreciate my offer of assistance. And if I had the opportunity to do what the gal in this commercial did (and had the creative inspiration she had) I would not hesitate for a moment to do it.
BTW - I'm making my comments based on the 90 second version of the commercial here on TH-cam. I don't know if that would make a difference, but not being an avid TV watcher I have not watched the 30 second version all that closely.
Excellent work. Thank you.
@@SocialMediaHasRuinedOurLives thank you!
To me the advert seemed sentimental but only in the most corporate way possible
I can imagine the board meeting which led to its creation and it just makes me cringe a little on the inside , good video deserves a lot more views
Thanks Olivvia! Yes, disconnected sentimentality - an idea conceived by those inside a corporate ivory tower.
This gentleman blew my mind away when I saw this commercial with his glorious vocals and range to an old song classic song everybody knows. He gave it so much life! It was so refreshing to me Loved that he was a senor Gentleman too representing well!. Absolutely loved it! :))
Good to hear from you. Yes, Amazon have compiled all the components for an evocative ad that hits all the emotional buttons. Not sure if you're aware that the vocals are provided by Max Milner (a young guy) - they are lip synced in the advert itself.
Very triggering, hitting an old trauma. Not your video but the advert. He is invisible and not really a part of the crew, until his special talent, singing, is revealed. Then he was suddenly accepted and admired. On the surface a lovely, moving story, but even before listening your thoughts about it, it made me feel very uneasy and sad deep down. I hope he was content before and after this 'festive' happening 🙂 Anyways, I would love to work in that kind of environment, where it is possible and allowed to do these kinds of nigh time (voluntary) gatherings without surveillance.
Hei Tuula! This is such a powerful point. The story that you are only worth seeing if you have a "special talent" and earn acceptance. That's a tough watch. I love the idea of working somewhere with a culture of come-if-you-want after-work lock-in jam sessions where everyone can have a go. No surveillance, no judgement, just play!
There is no job where there isn’t someone watching anymore. Just enjoy yourself and your co-workers anyway..
Well… I’ve only seen the last few seconds of the commercial… not sure if I just ignored the beginning or what happened. I didn’t get it.. I thought it was the singer that dies ‘God Bless the USA’, and jyst thought he forgot his costume so they ordered him a suit….. it’s not a very well done commercial because every time I think… I don’t get what I just saw….
Is Dimitar Marinov actually singing the song, or is someone else doing the voice?
@sunshinehomeactivist3642 from what I’ve been able to fathom, it’s Max Milner singing
No, Max Milner is a young guy. It's Richard Goodall doing the singing. He was a winner on America's Got Talent. He is an actual janitor with a beautiful voice!
@marymatulaitis5903 I’m going by Amazon’s press release about it. They’ve released a version of it with Max Milner too - www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-holiday-ad-2024
@@marymatulaitis5903 You're joking, right? The credits say it is Max Milner's voice.
@sunshinehomeactivist3642 Yeah it's Max. The song is on Amazon Music.
The advert makes me vomit it’s so sanctimonious and sickly.