Thursday, July 07, 2016
Non-mandatory
Lately the Safeway store's Muzak has been playing nothing but cheerful female 'pop' tunes. Pleasant listening, but doesn't have the driving rhythm that stores supposedly use to keep customers moving. The employees clearly enjoy the 'pop', and most of them, male and female, old and young, sing along without realizing it.
I doubt that the karaoke is mandatory; it seems unforced and unconscious. But I wonder if corporate pollcy is involved in a more subtle way. Choosing music that the workers can't help singing along with is SMART whether intentional or not. Harmonious employees are more important than fast-moving customers.
Corporations used to have mandatory fight songs and anthems. We gave that shit to the Japs and Koreans, who enjoy it more than Americans ever did. Thais and Africans have taken the tradition in new directions.
Irresistible karaoke accomplishes the same purpose without the militarism.
One song on the Muzak this morning caught my attention with its strange words.
I love you like a loathsome babeeeee.
Like a babeee when it pee pee pee pee pee pee pees.
The predicate is unarguably true. Babies are loathsome, especially when they pee pee pee pee pee. But isn't that an odd comparison in a love song?
Maybe my non-pop ears are mistranslating. Always a possibility.
¶ 8:29 AM 
