Grocery Store Favorites: Bad Time, By Grand Funk Railroad

Dear Safeway Supermarket:

If you insist on playing songs like this over your sound system, you are going to have to deal with me singing along really loudly, as well as possibly doing some sort of strange dance step in time with the music, regardless of where I am in the store. This is one of the few joys of being a 42-year-old woman. And as the Young People Of Today say, haters gonna hate.

Love, Laura.

1975

Grocery Store Favorites: How Much I Feel

It pains me to list this as a Grocery Store Favorite, because this song is my jam.

Ambrosia took on several incarnations, this one obviously being the most successful. This tune was their biggest hit, reaching #3 on the Billboard chart in 1978. They would follow up with "Biggest Part of Me" and "You're The Only Woman (You and I)," both in 1980.

All three hits qualify as Grocery Store Favorites, which is a real shame, because they are some great examples of Blue-Eyed Soul.

I suddenly have an urge to order a half pound of pastrami, shaved thin.

Grocery Store Favorites, Holiday Edition: Do They Know It's Christmas?

There is such a level of joy in this song, even 27 years later, that I just can't be snarky about it. Watching the video is like seeing old friends again.

Feed the world...let them know it's Christmastime again.

Grocery Store Favorites: Boz Scaggs

From 1980, and the most excellent Urban Cowboy soundtrack.

This is the song that is playing in the background when Bud cheats on Sissy with Pam.  A gorgeous backdrop of Houston, circa 1979, is seen through the ceiling-to-floor windows in the apartment, as Pam turns on her stereo and lights those curiously skinny candles.

I hear this tune a lot at Safeway, and I usually stay in the store and shop so I can hear all of it.  That is, unless it is marred by "Larry, I need cashier service up front, please!"

Grocery Store Favorites: Steely Dan, "FM"

Heard on the sound system at Safeway last night.

Grocery Store Favorites: Let Me Love You Tonight

The spring of 1980 gave us all so much and asked so relatively little in return.

Here's Pure Prairie League, with Vince Gill on lead vocals, and "Let Me Love You Tonight."

I heard this the other day at our local Safeway and made a quick jot in the notebook I keep in my purse for grocery lists, to-do lists, and ideas for this blog.

During the summer of 1980, this tune peaked at #10 on the Billboard pop chart. It topped the adult contemporary Billboard chart for three weeks.



Suddenly, I have an urge to discuss brisket with a butcher...any butcher.

Grocery Store Favorites: When Safeway Exploits My Totally Mutual Breakup With Kyle That Was Totally Mutual And That I Am Totally Over. Really.

From 1985, here's Klymaxx with "I Miss You."

I love this song. These are the broads who brought you the genius "Meeting In The Ladies' Room," so this tune was kind of a departure for them.

It's also the song that I listened to over and over and over and over and over and over, circa 1986, when Kyle and I totally broke up by mutual decision and no, I still don't care in the least little bit that he brought some freshman girl named Sindi to the homecoming dance instead of me. In fact, I was glad that he did. It gave me plenty of time to Work On My Anguished Poetry and write "Laura + Kyle 2-good 2B 4-gotten" on the plastic lining of my Trapper Keeper. The Trapper Keeper Memorial is permanent, y'all. That's love.

Now pardon me while I go shop among the many flavor varieties of vodka. My eyes are red because I have allergies, people.

Grocery Store Favorites: Moonlight Feels Right

You know those songs that you always hear at the grocery store, over the sound system, but you never hear them anywhere else?

Yeah, those songs. And I've decided to celebrate them.

From 1976, here's Starbuck with "Moonlight Feels Right." I feel like I should be squeezing avocados and remembering to pick up some of those godawful Totino's frozen pizzas Ken loves so much.



If you'd like to suggest your own Grocery Store Favorite, shoot me an email.