AIBU to think that this isn't the most appropriate music for a charity shop?

[TheDustbunny]

I didn't really expect to hear 'Blow my whistle bitch. Blow it like you mean it in an Oxfam shop today.

I'm no prude, far from it. I listen to music with profanity, dark and sexual themes at times but in private. AIBU to think that shops should take a little more care with the music that they choose?

Out of curiosity, does anyone know how music works in charity shops? Do the volunteers choose it or management?

Get a grip....its probably on a 2000s album...you clearly are a prude!

Why do you listen to music with dark and sexual themes?

Weird.

I'm far from a prude considering what I listen to regularly. TBH it made me laugh more than anything because of the contrast between the music and the surroundings, but I'm not sure that it's the best choice for a charity shop.

Was it the explicit version? If so the yes, I agree that is wrong and it just be an oversight. I imagine that could have offended others if they had heard it too. A lot of retail places have a list of songs that are authorised for use. I don't know what charity shops do though.

Why do I listen to songs with dark and sexual themes? I listen to your average(ish) metal bands. It isn't a niche genre. Even The Now that's what I call...albums contains sexual themes.

Oh dear OP, you've just reminded me of the time my Mum interrupted a shopping trip to drag us into the managers office and complain about Madonna's "Hanky Panky" playing in the store.

"There's enough wife beating on this estate without it being encouraged by the Co-op"

In retrospect I agree with her but I was 10 and I wanted the ground to swallow me up!

It was the explicit version, and it was near full volume.I'm not complaining. I'm not that offended. I was amused too. Just a little taken aback.

I had a nice chortle at the idea of listening to music with dark and sexual themes being unusual... someone hasn't heard any pop music since the 1950s.

We've currently got this little gem in the top 20:

Grab a cop gun kinda crazy
She's poison but tasty
Yeah, people say "Run, don't walk away"
'Cause she's sweet but a psycho
A little bit psycho
At night she screamin'
"I'm-ma-ma-ma out my mind"

Thank you EspressoButler. That's interesting. It did make a refreshing change from Christmas music.

I remember the xrated version of a music video coming on TV at 1.45pm! Think of two women boxing in a ring and one ending up going down on the other!

@unlimiteddilutingjuice "There's enough wife beating on this estate without it being encouraged by the Co-op" I am howling at this, worthy of Alan Bennett! What a brilliant mum to have.

It is a bit Allan Bennett isn't it? Next time I tell that story it will be delivered in a Yorkshire accent

I’ve volunteered in a few charity shops. In all of them they had a CD player next to the till and we (the volunteer on till) got to choose to play whatever we liked.

I was in a shop recently where the piped music (not chart hits, made for purpose shop Muzak) had the lyric "Fuck you!" repeated over and over. The woman on the till found it hilarious when I pointed it out, because they have no control over it - it's a choice made by the company and is broadcast to them somehow. She wondered if head office had heard them grumbling about the Christmas bonus .

It isn't right to have explicit music playing in public places, but at the same time it is funny.

My DH works in an Oxfam shop! They choose their own music from what's in stock, there isn't a special playlist that they have to listen to on repeat like the poor staff in other high street shops. They rely so heavily on volunteers that it makes sense to do whatever they can to make it a nice place to work.

They try to avoid anything that might cause offence but sometimes things slip through the net if people have forgotten the lyrics to that album they used to listen to all the time 15 years ago...

BTW... For anyone wondering, it's by DJ Alligator You're welcome

That's a much worse/better example than mine, Shatnersbassoon. I did laugh because the contrast was so funny but watching a toddler choosing books in the store while it was playing, I also cringed a little.

I was listening to absolute pop from the 80's last night with DD 13 and Suzanne Vega's hit: My name is Luka came on, I was gaily singing along and DD said, "this song is about a woman being beaten up by a man, why would you want to sing along to that?" She was right. I can't remember if it caused a stir at the time when it came out.

It would probably not be charity shop type music either.

Reminds me of one of the finer moments in early 90s pop history. Sunday evening, Radio 1, Top 40 countdown. In the charts at that point were Rage Against The Machine. There was a radio-friendly edit of the song, but someone pushed the wrong button or something, and the nation's listeners got a good half minute of 'FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL MEEEEE'.

this song is about a woman being beaten up by a man

It's really not. It's a song about a boy being abused.

As an aside... My DH once, in the middle of summer, jammed the cassette player at work - which broadcasts over the tannoy - with the Christmas tape. The SAME 10 christmas songs... over and over.... And took the stop button off, then went home for the weekend

That's why I married him

Tinty

As far as I am aware Luka was about child abuse not wife beating.

^The song deals with the issue of child abuse. On a 1987 Swedish television special, Vega revealed her inspiration for Luka:

A few years ago, I used to see this group of children playing in front of my building, and there was one of them, whose name was Luka, who seemed a little bit distinctive from the other children. I always remembered his name, and I always remembered his face, and I didn't know much about him, but he just seemed set apart from these other children that I would see playing. And his character is what I based the song Luka on. In the song, the boy Luka is an abused child—in real life I don't think he was. I think he was just different.^

I once had to hand the octogenarian volunteer in a charity shop the Kama sutra egg cups that were on display at child’s face level, and register my surprise at their inclusion at all. It’s not just the music that might be not subject to due diligence.

I was in a kids soft play the other day and the Divinyls classic 'I Touch Myself' was playing at full blast.

It was ace until some prudish mum ran over (actually RAN) to get the management to switch it off.