Obscure Singles Heard at CVS

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.

And my parents insisted on going to this Texas-themed "Saltgrass Steakhouse" place out by the interstate tonight. And yeah, even though it was an alternative hit released by Sire Records 25 years ago, I still wasn't expecting to hear "The Long Cut" by Uncle Tupelo while grabbing another bite of fried potato cheese from the appetizer plate.

i know that it was #1 for a few weeks on its release, but i have *never* heard the The Romantics' "Talking in Your Sleep" except in a grocery store or pharmacy.

suddenly last summer by the motels -- at CVS

"want you back" by haim in a walgreens earlier tonight (by the standards of this thread the entire haim discography should be considered obscure)

Obscurities of The Future!

Apropos of nothing, but I made a DQ run earlier this evening and heard "Enola Gay" there again.

R.E.M. "Radio Free Europe" in the Sprouts market tonight.

JD McPherson: "Precious" and Chris Hillman: "Here She Comes Again" at Jack-In-The-Box.

Tom Petty: "A Face In The Crowd" at Fry's.

JJ Cale & Eric Clapton: "Ride The River"
Yo La Tengo: "Friday I'm In Love"
10,000 Maniacs: "Candy Everybody Wants"

All at Jack-In-The-Box.

I'm right by a jack-in-the-box and tempted to poke my head inside and see what's playing. But then I remembered that I've already made a mental note that this Jitb plays only the worst music.

Level 42's "Lessons in Love" at Publix.

https://www.mixcloud.com/TOLKIENBLACK/cvs-bangers/

I had lunch at IHOP the other day. Usually at this one it's straight Top 40 Muzak, but for reason that day it was smooth Contemporary R&B fuck jams. I Shazam'd these two:

Glenn Lewis: "Make Love"
Jazmine Sullivan: "Let It Burn"

"for some reason"

My local Dairy Queen must use an OMD Pandora channel for Muzak, because I dropped in for an Orange Julius and heard both "Sailing On The Seven Seas" and "Pandora's Box" in the 15 or so minutes I was there.

the litany of middle America chain retail outlets you patronize is impressive

Glenn Lewis: "Make Love"
Jazmine Sullivan: "Let It Burn"

Interesting/unfortunate thematic progression there, chronology-wise

i hear "let it burn" on the radio still every so often. it's recent enough that despite not being a hit outside its format i wouldn't call it obscure at all

Chicago: "Alive Again" at Fuddruckers

...

Donald Fagen’s “What a shame about Me” at
Coney Island

That's actually the Dan, from Two Against Nature. That's going Deep!

Sheryl Crow: "Summer Day"* and Spoon: "Can I Sit Next To You" (live) at Jack-In-The-Box.

*Feel like I hear this alot in the wild, a Lenny Kravitz-y flop single from her Soul Music album.

heart, 'nothin' at all' at gourmet fresh

Los Lonely Boys: "Diamonds" at Taco Bell.

“Starlight,” by Taylor Swift, in CVS.

(This track was not one of the seven (7) U.S. singles from Red.)