Obscure Singles Heard at CVS

“The waiting game” by swing out sister at the Harris Teeter

Arlo Guthrie: "Coming Into Los Angeles" and David Gray: "Babylon" at Randall's.

Soul Asylum: "Somebody To Shove" and Steve Winwood: "Valerie" at Freebirds.

10,000 Maniacs: "More Than This" (yes, a Roxy cover by the post-Nat lineup) at CVS.

General Public: “Where’s the Line” at a Peet’s coffee in Marin

Smash Mouth: "Pacific Coast Party" at Target.

Replacements: "I'll Be You" at Kroger

Paramore: "Hard Times"* at Big Lots

*Too soon?

It's almost two years old.

poco’s “call it love” at the cvs in allston

Elvis Costello: "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" and Smash Mouth: "Story of My Life" at Randall's

I wonder if there's some secret project/conspiracy going on between In-store Audio Network programmers reclaiming Smash Mouth flops.

This is a weird one...

Alexi Von Guggenberg: "Are You Happy Now?"

... because it's (A) a Michelle Branch cover (B) from four years ago, and (C) I heard it at Taco Cabana between Latin Pop jams.

Leon Haywood: "It's Got To Be Mellow" at Freebirds.

not that obscure, but i still wasn't expecting to hear the sundays' 'here's where the story ends' in a cvs

that's too much!!

Bob Seger: "Sunspot Baby" at Walmart.

Robin Trower: "Lady Love" at Randall's.

Big Star “When My Baby's Beside Me” at Trader Joe’s

Big Star and The Sundays both lovely and unexpected

I hear that Sundays song in retail situations frequently, always a treat.

Robert Palmer: "Jealous" at IHOP.

Fleetwood Mac: "As Long As You Follow"
John Mellencamp: "Key West Intermezzo"
The Cars: "You Are The Girl"*

All at Denny's.

*Seems like I hear this one more often than almost any other Cars out in the wild.

Pretenders: "Kid" at Jason's Deli.

Steve Miller: "Wide River" & English Beat: "Save It For Later" at Randall's.

Fastball: "You're An Ocean" at Fuddrucker's

Dead or Alive: "Lover Come Back To Me" and Corinne Bailey Rae: "Put Your Records On" at Randall's.

ime "Put Your Records On" and "You're an Ocean" both quietly entered standard CVS-and-adjacent rotation some time ago, after their respective periods of exile.

I've noticed that too. Checked wiki and was genuinely shocked the CBR only made #68 Pop (and #64 on the Hot 100). It was inescapable when it was new.

It peaked at #6 on Adult Contemporary, which maybe is more revealing. I think she was being pushed through VH1 type channels, so it seems totally natural that she'd be soundtracking drug stores in addition to coffee shops and Barnes & Nobles.

"Beach Baby" by First Class.

Steve Winwood: "Freedom Overspill" at Steak & Shake.

i guess "beach baby" is pretty obscure! i think of it as well-known but i think that's only because of its inclusion in the inescapable SOUNDS OF THE SEVENTIES commercial from the early 90s. i can't remember the last time i ever heard it out anywhere.

The Replacements, "I'll Be You" at Target.

Haven't heard it in the wild since 1989. It was released 30 years ago tomorrow!

“Beach Baby”! For a hot second it felt like the most exciting song in the world, ever, to me as an as-yet pretty much contextless kid.

T.Rex: "Cosmic Dancer" at Kroger.

Tom Petty: "Too Much Ain't Enough" at Kroger.

The Showmen: "39-21-46" at HEB.

James Brown: "Get On The Goodfoot" and Kinks: "Waterloo Sunset" at Jack-In-The-Box.

Bryan Ferry: "Kiss and Tell" at HEB.

School of Seven Bells, "Ablaze" at LCBO

oh that reminds me of the one time i heard "ilu" by school of seven bells (which i first heard via ilm) at a which wich

Fleetwood Mac: "Save Me" (their last Top 40, from '90) at Kroger.

By now, I shouldn't be surprised, but hearing freaking "Kiss Me On the Bus" by the Replacements at Kroger was crazy.

I mean, if I heard "I'll Be You" I'd be "Well, strange hearing the Replacements at Kroger, but this was a minor Top 40 hit, I guess."

And if heard "Can't Hardly Wait" - like I did a few months ago - I'd be surprised, but again, it might be the band's most notable song, off a major-label album, at that.

But "Kiss Me On the Bus"? I get that Kroger might be hesitant to play a song called "Bastards of Young" over its P.A. system, but I would've expected to hear "Left of the Dial" or "Hold My Life" before KMotB. And yet, I pretty much would not have expected to hear anything from the Bob Stinson era over those speakers.

If I go in there next week and hear "I'M A CUSTOMER", I'm gonna flip out.

that would be awesome. i too would flip out if i heard "customer" while i was a customer, anywhere but a record store

Camera Obscura: "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" at Food 4 Less.

haha! i've never heard camera obscura but i know lloyd cole's "are you ready to be heartbroken" and that song title cracks me up

Gary Wright: "Got The Feelin'" at Randall's

ok where do you live, because i'm not sure i believe you anymore

Houston-area, many of these come from places in the western 'burbs.

I had to Shazam that Gary Wright, initially thought it was some '80s Rod Stewart thing.

hmm