Obscure Singles Heard at CVS

INXS: "Listen Like Thieves" at McDonald's.

At Pennsy Food Hall next to Madison Square Garden, prior to a Billy Joel show, amongst a steady stream of big '70s hits by Stevie Wonder & Paul Simon, came E.L.O.'s "Last Train to London."

A twofer at Safeway today...
First, Semisonic's lesser known, but just as good "Closing Time" followup "Singing in my Sleep"

Secondly, Counting Crows' "Einstein on the Beach (For An Eggman)".
I don't think I'd heard it in a good 15 years, yet that "The world begins to disappear" hook was still etched deep inside my brain.
Strangely, I always thought this was one of their biggest hits as I recalled hearing it played frequently on the radio years after its initial release. But after quick googling, it looks like it was a brief #1 on modern rock at the time which didn't cross over in the slightest to any other format. The single's page on RateYourMusic has 0 reviews and 20-something ratings. Even on Spotify, it doesn't seem to make it even into their top 30 most played songs. "Mr. Jones" alone has roughly 150x more plays than "Einstein on the Beach"....

"Singing In My Sleep" has become quite the supermarket jam.

Today at Five Guy's:

Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Double Trouble"
The Clash: "Janie Jones"
Franz Ferdinand: "Right Action"

Ben Lee: "Catch My Disease" at Kroger.

"ring the alarm" by tenor saw at chipotle, notable because i think i heard it there like many years ago. they still got it.

The Cult “Wild Flower” at Nordstrom Rack

I thought I had posted this before, it was quite a while ago I heard The Slits' version of "Grapevine" at Chipotle. There's definitely some hipsters programming the music there. xp

I was quite surprised to hear "Wrong Impression" by Natalie Imbruglia at my local grocery store in Atlanta, GA.

Oldies at McDonald's, seemingly the most obscure being The Dixie Cups: "People Say" & Eddie Cochran: "Cut Across Shorty".

Maybe not too obscure, but definitely inappropriate on an unseasonably warm Saturday morning: "Don't Cry Out Loud" by Melissa Manchester at the Strack and van Til (local very nice yuppie) supermarket.

Also, "Wildfire", where there came a killing frost while buying gardening supplies at the Ace Hardware. That song makes me want to stick my head in an oven. It did in the seventies.

Hillary Duff: "So Yesterday" at Kroger.

Ariana Grande - “Baby I” at Trader Joe’s.

Travis: "Why Does It Always Rain On Me" at Which Wich.

I also went to this big outdoor flea market, and amongst the radio stuff, Hip Hop, and Tejano being blasted in booths, I heard "Blue Jeans" by Lana Del Rey.

I kind of wish I lived in a place where Travis was obscure

(That wasn't supposed to sound like a dig at you C.G/McC!)

Haha

Come to America then, where we only know them as Jim & Pam's favorite band!

It does cross my mind from time to time about how some CVS obscurities are actually huge records overseas.

weird, i was thinking about "why does it always rain on me" the other day. it got like, two or three weeks of trial airplay on US alternative radio and cracked the top 40 of a couple of airplay charts, but was really out of step with the direction pretty much any american radio format was headed at the time. i can my remember my mom doing mocking, voice-cracking impressions of the sad-sack chorus.

Yeah, and we already had Matchbox 20 to deal with.

The Crusaders: "Street life" at Schlotzsky's.

Fran Healy has a beautiful voice

That’s his name right?

When I was 17 I visited some relatives in England and my uncle took me to a dark dank rock club somewhere.. I was crestfallen when ALL the fucking bands sounded like matchbox 20/eve 6 etc is was horrible

Fran Healy is his name.

One of the other Travis dude's is married to Kelly McDonald.

On further research, I see it was the bass player, and they've been separated since 2017.

Jeff Healy Band: "Stuck In The Middle With You" (yeah, that one) at Randall's.

Sunday morning at a Washington, DC Walmart: Re-Flex, "The Politics of Dancing."

Half Price Books was playing “Let Me In” by The Sensations while I was browsing today. Great obscure oldie.

I was at a Half-Price some time ago, where I heard the Peter Noone version of "Oh! You Pretty Things".

Checking a note on my phone, I see I heard "Your Imagination" by Hall & Oates and "That Girl Could Sing" by Jackson Browne at Beck's Prime last month.

I did not know there was such a thing!

Xp

I think it was one of Noone's first singles after leaving the Hermits.

https://www.zeroto180.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Peter-Noone-45b.jpg

This pic is in the Hunky Dory CD booklet:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/90/52/d8/9052d8addc7788716f36ce868492249d.jpg

lol wow.

love "Let Me In" - a favorite on the Chess Records rock-n-roll compilation I grew up with. Wee-ooh!

At our local deli / supermarket my daughter and I were disconcerted to hear Harvey Danger "Flagpole Sitta" - fans of Peep Show will understand

My sister told me she heard "Kid Charlemagne" at Walmart today.

Clean this mess up here in Aisle 28,
Those tube socks and the bait.
Just get it all out of here.

Is There Cash On The Card?
Yes, There's Cash On The Card!
Then I Think I'll Treat Myself To This King-Size Candy Bar

*i know it do not qualify as obscure in at all a strict sense but i smiled and dug*

Sweet “Little Willy” at Floor and Decor.

i suspect all the other fucking olds buying tile knew it. but only maybe.

Nine Days: "Absolutely (The Story of A Girl)" at Kroger.

In my FB memories today I see I posted 9 years ago about hearing "Airbag" by Radiohead at Carl's Jr.

in the next world war
in a jack-knifed Jack In The Box

Duran Duran "My Own Way" at Petco

obviously not obscure, but for a while there i was hearing 'come on eileen' every time i went into cvs. now it's 'ride like the wind'

For me it was "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" or "Mad About You". Also within that time frame that was happening I was stuck at a Kroger for a couple hours one time and heard both "Heaven Is..." AND "Circle In The Sand", so (for awhile anyway) Belinda Carlisle made the world go round.

Just bought a new cat litter box to the tune of Nik Kershaw’s ‘Wouldn’t It Be Good’ at Petco!

obviously not obscure, but for a while there i was hearing 'come on eileen' every time i went into cvs. now it's 'ride like the wind'

― mookieproof, Sunday, July 12, 2020 3:49 PM bookmarkflaglink

Heard that at CVS yesterday! If you heard someone doing the Michael McDonald parts from the greeting card aisle, that was meeeeeeee!

wish someone would play the Saxon version of the latter.

Burger place w/a CSNY Pandora yielded:

Led Zeppelin: "That's The Way"
CSNY: "4+20"
Cat Stevens: "Oh Very Young"