A Thread to Mention Random or Surprising Songs We've Recently Heard in Public

Inspired by hearing Fleet Foxes pumped over the speakers at the kiddie zoo...

Today, I heard "Shakedown" by Bob Seger in the supermarket, perhaps for the first time since I saw "Beverley Hills Cops II." That song sucks.

Thin Lizzy's great Bob Seger cover "Rosalie" in a bar last night. (An Irish bar in Queens, but still. Don't think I've ever heard that in public before, except when I put it on the jukebox myself.)

Also heard "Changes" by Bowie in my neighborhood grocery store the other day, which surprised me because, until now, they'd always just played contemporary pop hits. Apparently they changed the station, which is fine with me.

I heard the Velvet Underground's Beginning To See The Light waiting on line for a burrito at Chipotle, in NJ.

I was at Belks in Birmingham shopping for shoes and heard the Church's "Reptile," followed by INXS's "The One Thing."

I heard "Ask" by the Smiths in the Cibo Express at JFK Terminal 5 last Monday.

I heard Electric Six's "Electric Demons In Love" at a sports bar in State College, Pennsylvania. First time I've heard an E6 album track in any public setting outside of an E6 concert.

"Cut Your Hair" on "America's Funniest Home Videos".

Saw Band of Horses last night and their last encore was a cover of a track from Eccentric Soul's The Deep City Label set, the first song on that comp: Them Two's "Am I a Good Man." A friend I was talking to at the show say the band's been doing it for a year or longer, and they pretty much knocked it out of the park.

"Thin Lizzy's great Bob Seger cover "Rosalie" in a bar last night."

Such a fucking awesome song.

Another Seger moment: Midwestern oldies station played "Ramblin Gamblin Man" while I was driving south on 55 with my brother and father. Not THAT unexpected, but I was pleased.

I mean, we're talking rural MO, here.

"Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band (totally a SUMMER song in my mind - namely the Bicentennial July 4), today, same supermarket where I heard Bowie upthread. First time I've heard the song in years.

a summer song and also a summer replacement song

I was in a movie theater in Silver Spring, MD and I heard the 70s Guinean group 22 Band in the lobby. I was pretty surprised -- even if it was like Bembeya Jazz National or something that would have been more predictable. It might have been some college student playing a Christgau-recommended Syliphone comp or something, but even that is kind of surprising in Silver Spring MD.

lol I was in southern IL a couple days ago and heard Seger's "Ramblin Gamblin Man" also! maybe it's on rotation in the area, which would be fab as that song rules.

Orange Juice's "Blue Boy" in a Seattle movie theater two nights ago.

Strangely rocking soundtrack in Trader Joe's today, culminating in "Feels Like The First Time" as I wandered the packaged nut aisle.

At Outback Steakhouse they played Cybele's Reverie by Stereolab. That song was on tons of my old mix cds. I would say it's one of the one of those staple songs you can't go wrong with.
Anyways, Outback must have XM radio or whatever but it was strange hearing that song in a public place.

I have trouble finding 'new' staples for mix cds nowadays.

Here Comes A Regular by the Replacements at the same Chipotle that played Beginning To See The Light eight months ago.

Alan O'Day - "Undercover Angel"

I was not happy

I heard Caroline Polachek's "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings" at the grocery store yesterday and was pleasantly surprised.