<p>We always called “Every Breath You Take” by the Police the stalker song.</p>
<p>Dont stand so Close to me, reminds me of the girls that Sting once taught in high school English.</p>
<p>^Both of those–totally!</p>
<p>Justamom–Cannot get “Claire” out of my head. It’s excruciating!</p>
<p>There is a hit song from 1980 by Benny Mardones, when he was in his thirties, called “Into the Night”. It starts out, “She’s just sixteen years old, leave her alone, they say.” It gets worse from there. I still occasionally hear it on the radio and it always disgusts me.</p>
<p>Thank goodness he was a one hit wonder.</p>
<p>Garland, I hear your pain. I guess it could be worse. These stores could be playing the Muzak version of Muskrat Love. Imagine how bad that would sound. This topic is just another reason why I love Wegman’s. I’m not sure what music service they subscribe to, but the songs are great. I’ve seen shoppers in the aisle singing along to Coldplay. They know their customer and they know that great music keeps them in the store longer and buying more. This reminds me of shopping at Gap Kids years ago. They also played good music and more than once I lingered and purchased more than I had planned just because I was enjoying the tunes.</p>
<p>Thankfully moved to SoCal in the 70’s and heard mostly great Cali music-Eagles, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, etc. it was great to be in your 20’s driving down Laurel Canyon in a sports car with that music. Every time I hear JM’s sing “Car on a Hill I” am back driving in the LA canyons or out to Malibu without a care in the world.</p>
<p>Karen Carpenter had one of the best pure female voices I have ever heard.</p>
<p>garland - against my better judgment, I spotify Clair. Ugh. I don’t think I need to look up I Gotcha.
70s music always reminds me the cringe induced 70s fashion. Next thing I know, Journey, platform shoes, bell bottom pants all make a comeback. Bad taste knows no ends.</p>
<p>[Don’t</a> STOP Believin’](<a href=“http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/932554/Don/]Don’t”>Don't STOP Believin')
I used to love Journey.
You have to admit he has a great voice.
( Steve Perry)</p>
<p>If you think grocery store music is bad for those who shop there, think about the poor folk who have to work there!</p>
<p>I am very sensitive to audible cues & cant tune it out.
I cant even go into stores like Abercrombie & Fitch because I feel physically repelled by the volume.</p>
<p>Every decade has bad pop music! </p>
<p>I thought your pederasty song was going to be Gary Puckett and the Union Gap’s “Young Girl,” but maybe that was 1969 or so. Or the Rolling Stones’ “Stray Cat Blues,” but that was 1968. Or maybe Jerry Lee Lewis doing “Sweet Little Sixteen” (and as we know he walked the walk, too).</p>
<p>Re Muzak, my supermarket tends to 70s music, too, but because over half the shoppers are African-American, it tends to be a different sort of pop, often quite good. I notice that often I am not the only one bopping down the aisle. </p>
<p>But the best Muzak is at the hotel where I am parking these days. I have to walk through the lobby to get to the garage, and they always have Muzak going, but it’s sometimes amazingly good. A couple of weeks ago, on successive nights, I heard Marshall Crenshaw, “Some Day Some Way” and Old 97s, “Murder Or A Heart Attack,” and those are both A+, but relatively obscure, power pop.</p>
<p>Two creepy (maybe just jailbaity?) songs I can’t stand–“Tonight’s the Night” Rod Stewart (which seems to be on the oldies station every time I get in my car) and “Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon” Neil Diamond.
Also makes me think of “Don’t Stand so Close to Me” (my son is a teacher/victim 7th-9th grade girls seem to be the worst) and “Go Away, Little Girl.”</p>
<p>btw, I just looked up “Clair” and most people don’t think it is creepy–In Songfacts it says that “Uncle Ray” mentioned in the song IS Gilbert O’Sullivan–his real name was Raymond. And Clair, is the daughter of his good friend and manager, Gordon Mills (who wrote “It’s Not Unusual” for Tom Jones). Little kids will annoy their babysitters by getting up, asking for drinks of water, etc. but they can be very charming, too. And they will say things like they’re going to marry you–girls will say they want to marry daddy, etc. I don’t really like this sappy song, but I think it is innocent. That said, I still wouldn’t let a man–even my best friend–babysit my young daughter.</p>
<p>I looked up Clair on youtube because I had never heard of it. There’s even a music video which wasn’t done much back then. Gilbert O’Sullivan frolicking with a very young girl named Clair with frequent views of her underpants. In the text under the video it says Clair loves the video and is disturbed by people’s negative comments. Apparently he was her babysitter and she thinks of him fondly.
Was this really okay in 1972? It just seems so creepy now, but this was a #2 song on the US charts.</p>
<p>Well, he can claim whatever he wants to about the song’s meaning, and he can mean it, but once it’s out there, it’s legitimate (as writers know), to interpret what’s there, not just what the writer says he meant. Definitely creepy. </p>
<p>And speaking of creepy, the other idiotic song i heard while shopping the other day is possibly creepier. Almost sickening. In fact, this is where the young folks insert the phrase “trigger warning.” </p>
<p>Actually, I’m not even going to write them here. It’s a little appalling that it was considered acceptable back in the day, and still included on compilation stations now.</p>
<p>What a shock!!! I remember Gilbert O’Sullivan well, particularly ‘Alone Again, Naturally.’ Wasn’t particularly fond of ‘Claire’ but never gave it a negative thought until now.</p>
<p>If funny how some songs you have may have a malevolent meaning. I’m a big fan of Sting and the Police, so ‘Don’t Stand So Close to Me’ and EBYT are big favorites of mine. Incidentally EBYT is one of the most broadcasted and performed songs in the world. Sting could have retired ages ago on the royalties from that song alone.</p>
<p>One other song that I’ve come to love, but only lately discovered that it’s got some volatile language is the Rolling Stones ‘Gimme Shelter.’ And I realize that I can’t just go singing Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe’ in a 21st Century crowd. Too bad. Great music.</p>
<p>Hey…I’ve always been fond of ‘Afternoon Delight.’</p>
<p>^Interesting about Hey Joe. I remember a number of years ago, the Dixie Chicks had that song about killing an abusive husband, and they got a lot of grief for “promoting violence”. But no one questioned Hendrix’s song, about killing one’s girl for “messing around with another man”. Not one bit. Kind of a weird double standard.</p>
<p>How about Maxwell’s Silver Hammer or Run For Your Life, both by the Beatles?</p>
<p>Randy Travis had a big hit in the 1980’s which even at the time ticked me off, but no one else seemed to have a problem with it.</p>
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<p>Dont get me wrong, I love the Police & that is a great song.
Also Hey Joe. Excellent, my favorite is Red House.
I just bought a new Hendrix Cd today.
I havent listened to it yet because I am playing Voodoo Child.
<a href=“http://www.jimihendrix.com/us/news/jimi-hendrixs-people-hell-angels-coming-march-5-2013[/url]”>http://www.jimihendrix.com/us/news/jimi-hendrixs-people-hell-angels-coming-march-5-2013</a></p>
<p>I never knew that I Gotcha was about rape! The only version I know is Liza Minelli, so I just heard it as a sort of annoying clingy maybe stalker-ish ex-girlfriend.</p>
<p>Also never listened to the words of Claire. But ewww.</p>
<p>Tonight’s the Night by Rod Stewart has always given me the creeps.</p>
<p>I actually changed gas stations when my favorite station began piping music in at the pumps. In several months, they never once played a song I liked - in fact, every song I ever heard there was some annoying older song that I was sick of 15 years ago. It literally drove me to find another (silent) gas station. Worst playlist ever.</p>
<p>How about My Sharona? Or Under My Thumb?</p>
<p>Lafalum–i think it’s a different song than the Liza Minelli one.</p>