Obscure Singles Heard at CVS

Brenda Lee’s “Is It True?” was playing loudly in the elevator at a corporate convention-center hotel! I played air guitar along with Page’s solo as I swiftly descended, alone…

(coming back up later, I heard a track I had to Shazam; it was a 1980 jam by Gladys Knight and the Pips called “Add It Up.” Some absolute king or queen put this hotel’s playlist together…)

(Fate must be smiling upon me on this final morning of my work conference, bc I heard another favorite song – Wolf Parade’s “Shine a Light” – while eating breakfast at another hotel. That place was working a “2000s indie” playlist, so it fit in.)

Two at the coffee shop, low-medium volume: "Uncle John's Band" (perfect) and "Blitzkrieg Bop" (much less so).

Followed by "In God's Country," the one and only U2 song I unequivocally love.

Oldies Dairy Queen was nosier and playing the muzak at a lower volume than normal. Still could make out:

Buddy Holly: "Not Fade Away"
Cleveland Crochet: "Sugar Bee"

The latter was the first and one of the only Zydeco Rock hits, charting in 1960, a good 25 or so years before "My Toot-Toot."

That particular Dairy Queen is really doing some good cultural preservation work

Was packing up to leave the coffee shop, but "Surrender"...62-year-old taps fingers on keyboard, circumspectly bobs head and sways gently. He just seems a little weird.

Heard “Divine Hammer” at Five Guys today.

“Too Late to Turn Back Now" by Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose at my kid’s physical therapy office.

That soundtracked a great scene in Blackkklansman. Spike Lee is just about the only director who knows how to use pop music in movies.

Them's fighting words (not that Spike doesn't know how, he does, but the "just about the only" part)...Swear to god, I was on here an hour ago and almost posted the Blackkklansman clip with a security-camera footage joke (i.e., from the physical therapy office--a lot of moving parts for a joke). Incredible scene.

Ha, yes I recall, you have strong opinions about this, as do I! <3

The burger place w/the Traveling Wilburys Pandora station switched to All-Beatles. The lesser-known tracks I heard today:

"Here, There, And Everywhere"
"I Will"
"For No One"
"Now & Then" (too soon?)
"Octopus' Garden"

“Undercover Angel” by Alan O’Day

i don't think this officially counts because of the nature of modern-day streaming services vis-a-vis all the readily available genre channels a bidness can select but i heard talking heads' pulled up at a great clips and i couldn't wait to post it. but then they played the well and the lighthouse and love is a long road and something along the lines of the greatest and then island in the sun and then i felt none of that could count because this was intentionally a "channel for people who have internalized the concept of obscure singles heard at cvs."

i did hear barry manilow's daybreak at a speedway in between all the usual stuff and i thought whoever programmed that was going full kmartcore.

“channel for people who have internalized the concept of obscure singles heard at cvs”

^^ real talk imo

like— the 80s shit i hear now in retail streaming feels like “lol this is something you never heard irl in the 80s except for on the boombox in my fucking car”

Not obscure, but I feel I need to chronicle this horny '80s pairing from tonight's stop at HEB:

Animotion: "Obsession" --> Van Halen: "Panama"

"Reach down...into the produce section
Ease the cart back..."

MOD Pizza:

Rolling Stones: "Mother's Little Helper"
New Order: "Love Vigilantes"
White Stripes: "Apple Blossom"
Derrick Harriott: "Answer Me My Darling" (early Ska)
Madness: "Believe Me"

^ aside from WS 15 year old me on the decks there!

Men at Work’s “Be Good Johnny” for the first time in a few days, at an empty Burgerville. Song holds up!

*first time in a few decades

Bumper Crop at Oldies Dairy Queen

Coasters: "Down In Mexico"
Chubby Checker: "Loddy Lo"
Ikettes: "I'm Blue"
Impressions: "Talkin' About My Baby"
Dixie Belles: "(Down At) Papa Joe's"
Genies: "Who's That Knocking On My Door?"
Chiffons: "I Have A Boyfriend"

What a run!

Oldies Dairy Queen is better than most ‘60s DJs

Would in fact be a good DJ name