Captured Music - 2024 Summer

DJ Mark Rushton walks around in public, hears music, and curates 65-70 songs in a public playlist. And then writes about it.

Aug 10, 2024

I use the Shazam app to identify music all the time in public, even if I know the song. I like to use Shazam as a way to try to remember music and the space where I heard it.

Playlists can be enjoyed at:

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/captured-music-2024-summer/pl.u-55DP2oVIV01vG3

YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLXjSBGQSr3OYWkEUhaffliSP4JQoSuZM&si=BlTYJ-Fl_LDpu5hH

Pandora Premium: https://pandora.app.link/cMmBCOfiXLb

Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/S9qWCLCMApaLqNM58

Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/bd758bc3-0703-493f-90da-0baf69e980fe

Yep, no Spotify. I quit using Spotify after they decided to stop paying artists whose tracks no longer obtain 1000 or more streams a year. Not cool.

There’s supposed to be 70 songs in the playlist. Some services have 65, some 68, one might have 69. I’m sure it will always vary.

I’m going to attempt to remember where I heard most of these.

Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder
Rock’n Me - Steve Miller Band
Fire and Rain - James Taylor
White Room - Cream
Let’s Dance - David Bowie

The first five were heard at the Prairie Meadows Casino on Saturday, August 10th. I was there with my wife, sister, and my mom. Normally we go on Sunday, but my mom and sister had somewhere else to go on Sunday.

I re-heard Fire and Rain in my new Grado 325x headphones and never remembered the cello that provides a certain amount of bass and has a stereo pan. Cello, of course, makes a sad song even sadder. Well done. Always buy good headphones.
Can You Hear Me Knocking - The Rolling Stones

Heard at Skylabs Audio in Valley Junction, West Des Moines. I stopped in Thursday after work to get some different pads for my new Grado headphones. I didn’t know the song or the artist, as the song was already in the instrumental section. Surprised it was the Rolling Stones.
Cool Kids - Echosmith

Definitely in some kind of Big Box store. It’s innocuous, lightweight modern pop.
Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 - Pink Floyd

Likely heard at the Hy-Vee Drug store, which often plays a bizarre mix of 70s rock classics and deep tracks, most of which aren’t very good, and are inappropriate for shopping.
So Alive - Love & Rockets

Farm Fleet? It was somewhere I don’t regularly shop. Haven’t heard this in forever. During my college radio years, this had been newly released and there were kids working at the radio station who didn’t want this being played because it was a hit. That’s the kind of closed-minded BS I had to deal with. I just wanted to say, “These guys were in Bauhaus and Tones on Tail… they deserve a hit song.” Still a great tune. I’m sure those closed minds went on to champion “cancel culture”. Or their kids.
There Will Never Be Another You - Chet Baker
Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire
It’s All Over Now - The Rolling Stones
Right Down the Line - Gerry Rafferty
Reelin’ in the Years - Steely Dan
This Must Be the Place - Talking Heads
Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Tightrope - Stevie Ray Vaughn
Comes a Time - Neil Young

Most of these had to be out at the casino. They play a good mix. Sometimes there’s too much Frankie Valli or Michael McDonald, and most of the “modern country” is total garbage, but not all.
Bad Reputation - Joan Jett
Pump Up the Volume - M/A/R/R/S
Walking in Rhythm - The Blackbyrds

Likely various stores around town. The Blackbyrds song I don’t remember hearing in the past. There’s a lot of great classic 70’s soul that were minor pop hits back in the day, but have sadly fallen off the cultural radar.
Finger Pies - Anika
Love is in the Air - Urban Love, Bellestar

JCrew
Big Me - Foo Fighters
Don’t Look Back in Anger - Oasis

Drug store
Love Me for a Reason - The Osmonds

The casino. I don’t remember this song. It was the Osmonds’ last big hit in 1974 or so. Nothing special, but I would have been stumped without Shazam.
Brain Damage - Pink Floyd
Update - Jaynunny, etc

More casino, I think. That Jaynunny song is very good. Never heard of it before.
99 Red Balloons -Nena
Good Grief - Dr Dog
I Know a Good Thing - Curtis Salgado
Run Through the Jungle - Creedence Clearwater Revival
My Ever Changing Moods - Style Council
What Have I Done to Deserve This - Pet Shop Boys + Dusty Springfield
Love Me Do - The Beatles
Nights of Broadway - Bee Gees

Most of this is at the casino. My Ever Changing Moods might have been the company gym, which played 80s alternative hits for a couple of months. Run Through the Jungle will always be a scary song.
I Ran - A Flock of Seagulls
Do You Know - Robyn
Skylab District - Barry Can’t Swim
Burning Down the House - Talking Heads

The gym for some.
Me and You and a Dog Named Boo - Lobo

The casino.
Trouble - Lindsey Buckingham
The One I Love - REM
Perfect Way - Scritti Politti

The gym.
Into the Mystic - Van Morrison
Last Song - Edward Bear
Lonely People - America
Goddess of Love - Marvelettes
Tie Me Down - Alan Jackson
Easy - Commodores

Definitely at the casino. Completely unaware of the Edward Bear song. Goddess of Love was awesome! Alan Jackson’s song is good, one of the few countries I can stand (along with George Strait and a little Miranda Lambert in other similar playlists I’ve compiled in the past). Easy was heard on Sunday morning! Perfect!
First Gymnopedie - Jon Dahlander
One Headlight - The Wallflowers
Promises, Promises - Naked Eyes
My City Was Gone - Pretenders
More Than a Woman - Bee Gees
She’d Rather Be With Me - The Turtles

Stores, gym, and casino. The Turtles had a lot of great singles. One Headlight, the sound of 1997.
Empty Me Out - Liz Vice
Look Out - James Hunter Six

This might have been prior to the Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs concert.
Two Princes - Spin Doctors

Sometimes they play music in one of the stairwells at work. Most of it makes me want to take the elevator. This was overplayed in the 90s, but I think it’s aged well.
Clean Up Woman - Betty Wright
Freeze-Frame - J Geils Band
Let ‘Em In - Wings

I never liked Let ‘Em In because we had to play it in band class. I played bass clarinet so it was the same bass note most of the way through and the only instrument that really had anything were the trombones. Totally boring for me. But I began to appreciate it more when I discovered that the “Phil and Don” lyric was sung just like The Everly Brothers. Oooh, that’s clever and thoughtful, what else is going on in that song? The Everly Brothers being a ridiculous influence on The Beatles.
See the Lights - Simple Minds
True Faith - New Order
Crazy - Seal
Under the Milky Way - The Church
Upside Down - Diana Ross

We’re getting back to May here. Can’t remember.

So, yeah, music as memory. It also makes a good playlist.

I also post more regularly at the Mark Rushton Substack.

Playlisting

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