Obscure Singles Heard at CVS

U2: "Instant Karma!" at Jason's Deli.

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

When I moved to the US from UK 10 years ago I heard that EVERYWHERE! In shops. Not on radio or anything.

^^Same thing w/"French Navy".

Olivia Newton-John's "Twist of Fate" at Wal-Mart.

Do we deserve a second chance
How did we fall into this circumstance
We weren't so straight and narrow
This is much more than we deserve

Neko Case: "Man" at Jack In The Box.

Hilary Duff: "So Yesterday"* & The Band: "The Shape I'm In" at Randall's

Also heard the not as obscure but still totally random Hard Rock selection of "Jailbreak" by Thin Lizzy (Maguire)

*I think this is another one of those tracks that just lives on in in-store audio networks.

I was working "in radio" when "So Yesterday" was released; I still think about it randomly sometimes (and yes, I think I've also encountered it sporadically in supermarkets, etc. over the intervening years).

Slade: "Run Runaway" at Wendy's

Sir, this is a Wendy's

Slade: "Run Runaway" at Wendy's

― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, March 22, 2019 2:08 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I heard that at Kroger too. Seems like we were just talking about it.*

______________

*"we were just talking about it" = I was talking about it somewhere on ILX.

Such a weird song and video

"These guys wrote 'Cum On Feel the Noize'?"

I encountered the video on MTV as a child, and was completely baffled as to why they existed, having no awareness of anything that occurred in music in the 70s.

The Hollies: "On A Carousel" at Goodwill.

Sweet: "Little Willy" at HEB.

Robin Trower: "Day of The Eagle" at Randalls

Jason Collett - “These Are The Days” at Whole Foods

Sheena Easton's "Telefone" at the same WalMart.

Delta 5: "Mind Your Own Business" at Freebirds.

While there I also heard "On The Run" by Pink Floyd, which sounded really odd out of context.

Pink: "Feel Good Time" at HEB. First thought it was "Fresh Garbage" due to the sample.

oh damn yeah, i haven't heard that in the wild since approximately the week it came out

I just heard Nelson's "Love and Affection" in Shoppers Drug Mart (Canadian equivalent of CVS), which made me think that music really does not die anymore. Also, it sounded like decent power pop. What does Tim think?

Kinks: "This Time Tomorrow" at Jack-In-The-Box.

Franz Ferdinand: "Do You Want To" and Mooney Suzuki: "New York Girls" at Kroger.

No one has thought about the Mooney Suzuki in at least ten years, not even members of the Mooney Suzuki.

Huey Lewis & The News: "It's Alright" at Walmart.

Used to hear it all the time in stores back in the mid-'90s, and I was today years old when I discovered it came from a Curtis Mayfield tribute album and not from the band's first covers album as I'd previously thought (matters were confused by that LP featuring a modest hit version of "But It's Alright").

Beck, "Sissyneck" at Nordstrom Rack.

The Sundays - This is where the story ends - Bed Bath & Beyond

I hear that at a lot of stores these days

Getting coffee at McDonald's, and can report that Swing Out Sister's "Breakout!" is still in rotation.

I heard Joe Jackson's "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)" at a Fresh Thyme grocery store the other day. I had completely forgotten this song existed as I hadn't thought about it in 30+ years and had to look it up because I was convinced it was by ABC.

I heard "Boys of Summer" and the "Magic" by the Cars in the same run which are not obscure at all but I was pleased by.

Love me Two Times by The Doors at Silverburn Glasgow

Is that obscure in the UK? It was among the first riffs I figured out at 11.

I made a thing: https://open.spotify.com/user/12121526165/playlist/2Qvc8uzVk4bDpMeW6p2lc6?si=HB-KjPE6QuaA1dKulfGfQA

Somewhat surprisingly, most of the thread is present and accounted for, bar some soundcloud/band camp stuff and a handful of other stuff (most notably a Depeche mastermix and "I Got You" by Split Enz"). I've been listening in posting order, but perhaps the best way to approach it is in shuffle mode, as some of the material favored by different chains doesn't always rub up too well side by side (I'm looking at you, Freebirds!).

10,000 Maniacs: "Trouble Me" at Jason's Deli.

^”Why let your pickle bend /Underneath this burden when / My rye is sturdy / And strong?”

Arial Pink at McDonald's

I went to a Wendy's once and they were playing Tom Petty's radio show on Sirius or whatever

Miss those days when they'd have free.. free frosties.

Bob Dylan: "From A Buick 6" at Freebirds.

Cyndi Lauper: "Money Changes Everything"* at HEB.

*Not ultra-obscure, but seems like I hear all the other SSU singles way more often in the wild.

OMD: "Enola Gay" at Dairy Queen.

Last December I decided to take a holiday cruise to tick that off my bucket list (and loved it!), and while I was having a blast doing a little swimming in one of the pools I heard the stereo blasting Split Enz's "I Got You" from the nearby bar. I couldn't help but let out a little shriek, then immediately apologized to the lifeguard posted nearby and said I was just excited about hearing a song I loved.

Wilco: "Kamera"
Cracker: "Teen Angst"
Travis: "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"

All keeping Adult Alternative alive at Zaxby's.

heard tiny little bows at target. blessed visit

a friend in pensacola claims he just heard rush's 'by-tor and the snow dog' at a grocery store

I can kind of buy that. My sister is a magazine merchandiser, and one of her clients is a Fry's Electronics where they have zoned music. She said the refrigerator and furniture salesmen used always blast 80s Rush albums.

related https://radioinsight.com/ross/175996/stiffs-on-a-plane-and-elsewhere/

^ Good article.

Just like I've heard "Welcome to the Jungle" more than once now at Kroger, there are some Saturdays where I feel like I'm trapped inside the wrong side of a loop. I swear there were like three weekends in a row where I heard "Billy, Don't Lose That Number" – a song I despise because I hate it and it's catchy.

Yesterday, I was standing in front of the bags of frozen chicken when "The Last Worthless Evening" came on, giving me a clammy sense of déjà vu. But again, I don't think it was real vu. I think my predictable routine somehow gets synched up with the predictable song loop.

There's this loud bee-duh-boo, bee-duh-boo sound that hits usually around 3 pm. It's usually followed by one of the "loud" songs, like "Jungle" or more often, "Jump" by Kriss Kross. I'd put money down that repeated three-note tone is synchronizing satellite playlists in grocery stores all across the Midsouth.

Smithereens: "Only A Memory" at Fry's.

Simply Red: "Something Got Me Started" at Fuddruckers.

At this point, hearing "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones in the middle of Kroger probably doesn't warrant a mention on this thread. (It did follow that top of the hour tone I mentioned upthread!)

However, I will say that hearing that song segue into "I'll Be There for You" by the Rembrandts was a new one for me.