Obscure Singles Heard at CVS

(One for Alf's "Worst Singles" project) The Wallflowers: "Heroes" at Fuzzy's Taco Shop

David Bowie: "Kooks" at Jason's Deli

Every once in a while my Giant likes to drop Any Colour You Like by Pink Floyd into the mix. It's a real mind fuck.

Rodney Crowell: "She's Crazy For Leaving" at Kroger.

A song later they played Seger's not so obscure cover of "Shame On The Moon". #CrowellMania

The Jaynetts' "Sally Go Round the Roses" at Foodtown

George Benson "Breezin'" at a local brewpub. Not really obscure, but I don't think I've heard it on retail/restaurant background music before, or at least not for a long time.

Lee Michaels: "Do You Know What I Mean?" at HEB.

Janis Joplin: "Get It While You Can" at Jason's Deli

Heard "I Will Survive" at Golden Pride shortly after an emotional crisis earlier this year. OK, not to obscure but I don't think I've ever heard it in Golden Pride before.

Not to obscure.

yesterday at a shoppers in ottawa i heard the version of bryan adams' late-'90s muchmusic hit 'when you're gone' where melanie c is swapped out for... (looks up on wikipedia) wait, pamela anderson?

anyway her voice is not as good as mel's obv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W2jONIjrM0

Hearing 'Here's Where the Story Ends' in CVS this morning brightened my snow-dampened mood significantly.

Oh shit, that would be the best.

Blues Image: "Ride Captain Ride" at Kroger

Shirley and Lee "Feels So Good." Not CVS, but the lengthy skyway that connects my office to my favorite lunch place. It's usually current pop hits; how this slice of 50s New Orleans R&B got on there is anyone's guess.

This was a 4-song stretch at Foodtown the other night:

Rod Stewart - You Wear It Well
They Might Be Giants - A live version (!) of "Birdhouse in Your Soul"
Andrew Bird - Lull
George Michael - Faith

(I had to Shazam "Lull" to find out what it was.)

Heard "I Will Survive" at Golden Pride shortly after an emotional crisis earlier this year. OK, not to obscure but I don't think I've ever heard it in Golden Pride before.

That's odd--I've heard "I Will Survive" and every Pride I've ever been to.

Semisonic: "Singing In My Sleep" at Randall's

I have heard "Don't Pay the Ferryman" and "House of Stone and Light" at Safeway.

Also Vienna Teng's sublime "Harbor."

#favoritethread

Black Sabbath: "Supernaut" at P.Terry's (Austin burger chain)

...and Pink Floyd: "Fearless"

Heard Heartbeat by Annie again three years after the last time I heard it in the same store, which somehow makes it even weirder.

Blues Image: "Ride Captain Ride" at Kroger

― ...some of y'all too woke to function (C. Grisso/McCain)

That was a big one when we first started getting oldies format radio stations in California in the mid-'80s.

Just heard Lightning Seeds "Pure" in Safeway. I was done shopping but stayed till the end.

"Baker Street" at a weed dispensary followed by "tall cool one" at a grocery store.

So I started a new job this week working at a Goodwill retail store and the musical choices are. . . interesting. Most of the time, it's totally nameless/faceless EDM pop garbage, but there's random 70's tune that will occasionally pop up.

― Austin, Friday, May 13, 2016 12:34 AM (one year ago)

I spent ≈ 45 minutes at Goodwill today, and these were some of the songs I heard:

The Smiths - How Soon Is Now
The Smiths - This Charming Man
Duran Duran - Save A Prayer
New Order - The Perfect Kiss
The Ocean Blue - Between Something and Nothing
Depeche Mode - But Not Tonight

..along with some other stuff in the same vein that I didn't recognize/remember. does Goodwill normally divide its programming into themed playlists (by era or style)? they seem to love '80s new wave/janglepop/synthpop, judging by my experience and Austin's posts itt

The Rembrandts - "Just the Way It Is, Baby" at Vons.

man i love that song. that early 90s pre nirvana “modern rock” period had some gems

Reel Big Fish: "Sell Out" at Kroger.

...and Len: "Steal My Sunshine" (which actually kept me in the store for a few minutes).

Only Love Can Break Your Heart by st Etienne at save on

"One More Try" by Timmy T at London Drugs. This was #1 in 1991 but it feels obscure today.

John Mellencamp: "Play Guitar" at Jersey Mike's Subs

The Band: "The Unfaithful Servant" at Kroger.

Steve Miller: "Space Cowboy" at Kroger (who've stepped up their lesser known tracks game)

Not really obscure but I heard "Wishing Well" in a taqueria yesterday. That song still slays.

Correct

Sonic Youth: "100%"
Sleater-Kinney: "Turn It On"
Wilco: "I'm A Wheel"
Sly Stone: "I Get High On You"

All at Freebirds

Junior Murvin Police & Thieves (but at Apple store, so I figured I’d get more select stuff- but i’ve not heard that in any public space outside of shows).

Rod Stewart: "Baby Jane" and Human League: "Fascination" at KFC

Christine McVie: "Got A Hold On Me" at CVS

Not obscure, but somewhat surprising: I heard Kacey Musgraves's "High Horse" in Safeway. Not that surprising as it's a current popular song, but it's weird that it was bookended by things like Christopher Cross and Celine Dion.

I guess the "best mix of the 70s, 80s, and today" format lives on in our nation's supermarkets.

Johnny Burnette & The Rock-'n'-Roll Trio: "The Train Kept-A-Rollin'" at Goodwill.

"Istanbul" by TMBG at Kroger.

I'm starting to get that this is like hearing "Red Rubber Ball" by Cyrkle in Otasco Drugs in 1985. You think, wow, this is kinda obscure until you realize that everyone's thinking that.

i'm trying to remember where i recently heard istanbul, and i was amazed by my 14 y/o saying "huh it's tmbg that's weird i love this."

"There's No Other Way" at Vons.

I guess the "best mix of the 70s, 80s, and today" format lives on in our nation's supermarkets.

I once applied for a job with one of those companies that chooses & licenses songs to create monthly music mixes for retail stores, etc. Seemed like it would be cool...

That is cool. Probably pays shit, though.

…And to contribute to this thread, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – "What I Am" at Smart & Final this past Friday. My coworker who is two years older than me (I'm 35) and has only listened to "alternative rock" radio since the 90s did not recall the song at all.