I may never buy another Toyota product again.
No, this isn’t going to be a rant about how my water pump went out and I couldn’t get decent customer service. I mean, come on – it’s Toyota. I have a Scion xB (really, a quirky Camry), and I couldn’t be happier with it.
No, my ire is reserved for the guy who thought it would be a good idea to make promotional ads for Toyota dealers using the song by the Fixx, “Saved By Zero”, and the schedule it to play in EVERY local break in EVERY broadcast.
I hate that song.
Don’t get me wrong, I loves the Fixx. Especially the song they recorded with Tina Turner, Better Be Good To Me. In fact, I pretty much love everything they ever released. Except for Saved By Zero. I’m so over the melancholy 80’s vibe, with airy pad keyboards, whiny, oh-so introspective vocals, and heavily chorused guitar.
Every band I love does it. They record a clunker that doesn’t live up to the standards of their other music, and of course, some studio honcho thinks he hears a single and releases the clunker into heavy rotation.
Emotional Rescue, anyone? Or maybe All You Zombies?
Anyway, I watch a LOT of TV (much of it sports, but who’s counting). Even with a DVR, it’s impossible to escape this stupid commercial. And now, it’s become a family earworm. My kids know only the second line of the chorus “…saved by zeeerrroooo…” And they sing it constantly.
And, of course, I got the earworm too.
The only thing that’s saved me is that I intentionally changed the lyrics to “saved by Leroy” to make it bearable. Now, I go around singing, “Saved by Leroy” all the time, and it’s driving my wife crazy. My kids have picked it up, too.
We now have a love-hate relationship with Leroy.
I’m going to hunt down the Madison Avenue idiot who thought this was a good idea, strap him to a chair, and make him listen to Do You Think I’m Sexy.
I’ll let him go after maybe 15,000 plays.
Here’s the aforementioned Tina Turner / Fixx song, to make us all feel better:
Shoot The Moose 
November 11, 2008 at 10:17 am
While I do agree with you somewhat – I actually like the song – I feel this rant would be better suited to the Swifter Wet Jet commercials. Baby Come Back… a classic song already made cheesy by the fact the guy from Bold and the Beautiful was the bass player (and if you’ve seen him, he’s kind of become a caricature of himself). But to hear it constantly as the theme song for a mop that’s been banished. ugh.
December 19, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Y’know. I completely agree with you about the use of this song in the Toyota ad. Absolutely drives me crazy. And I don’t watch television. I probably see a total of 90 mins of TV a week… and this ad has dominated that small amount of time.
I, too, am a huge fan of the Fixx — their other tunes.
Interestingly enough, you taught me something I didn’t know. The Fixx with Tina Turner? I did not know that this was them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t impress me. I hate(d) this song and never did like the musical arrangement. Sigh.