Need Playlist! Need Playlist!
I worked in a "record" store for a year. It was even called "National Record Mart", although it was far from National and we sold no "records". Lots of people would come in seeking things they'd heard elsewhere. Radio listeners would often try guess the titles from the lyrics, with occasionally hilarious results. Somebody came in one time seeking David Sanborn's "Bang Bang". He was insistent that the song was called "Beep Beep". The song was loaded with people incessantly chanting "awwwww . . . beep, beep!" Apparently they occasionally threw in a "Bang, Bang!", but most people didn't notice that part. We didn't have any listening stations, so I promised that he would get to return the $3 cassette single if I was wrong.
Another guy came in asking for "zooma zooma". He wanted "Rumpshaker", by Wreckx-N-Effects, which most of us recognized. One of the clerks insisted that "Zooma Zooma" was Louis Prima, a big band leader from the swing era. We sent the customer on his way with Rumpshaker, but this Prima business called for some investigation. She was absolutely right: there is an album of Prima's greatest hits entitled "Zooma Zooma". I'm amused to note that Prima had a song called "Beep! Beep!". Hmm . . . he was apparently also famous for "Jump, Jive, An' Wail" and "Just a Gigolo".
The MTV watchers were much better at knowing exactly what they wanted. They saw the artist, song title, and album title with every video. The information was readily available to them.
I just walked past a coworker's office. He listens to CBC broadcasts via the net. I recognized the piece. Heck, I'd played it at some point. Now which Beethoven symphony is that? I know I've played #2, but had I played any others? We tried like mad to find the playlist on the CBC web site, but to no avail. I finally retreated to my jukebox, knowing that I had all of the Beethoven symphonies on there, and even more sure that I'd listened to it on the jukebox within the last two months. I went through all of the Beethoven symphonies, but it wasn't any of them. Mendelssohn's "Reformation" Symphony! A ha! If only I'd heard it on MTV.
Another guy came in asking for "zooma zooma". He wanted "Rumpshaker", by Wreckx-N-Effects, which most of us recognized. One of the clerks insisted that "Zooma Zooma" was Louis Prima, a big band leader from the swing era. We sent the customer on his way with Rumpshaker, but this Prima business called for some investigation. She was absolutely right: there is an album of Prima's greatest hits entitled "Zooma Zooma". I'm amused to note that Prima had a song called "Beep! Beep!". Hmm . . . he was apparently also famous for "Jump, Jive, An' Wail" and "Just a Gigolo".
The MTV watchers were much better at knowing exactly what they wanted. They saw the artist, song title, and album title with every video. The information was readily available to them.
I just walked past a coworker's office. He listens to CBC broadcasts via the net. I recognized the piece. Heck, I'd played it at some point. Now which Beethoven symphony is that? I know I've played #2, but had I played any others? We tried like mad to find the playlist on the CBC web site, but to no avail. I finally retreated to my jukebox, knowing that I had all of the Beethoven symphonies on there, and even more sure that I'd listened to it on the jukebox within the last two months. I went through all of the Beethoven symphonies, but it wasn't any of them. Mendelssohn's "Reformation" Symphony! A ha! If only I'd heard it on MTV.