Or is this not an appropriate song for a health food shop

[APairofScarletSequinedWings]

Hello Everyone,

I accept that I may be overthinking this, so happy to be handed a grip or three, but here is the situation.

I was in Holland and Barrett earlier, and was idly wandering around, when I realised that the song on their stereo was "Alone again, naturally", by Gilbert O'Sullivan. I have included the lyrics below for anyone not familiar with the song, but felt it was not the sort of thing to be playing where some customers may well be already feeling depressed and looking for remedies to help. I mentioned it to the young assistant, who was definitely not old enough to remember the song, but when I told her the first verse, she was horrified, and said that it could possibly trigger someone who was already in a dark place. One of my closest friends goes through periods of horrendous mental health lows, and would definitely think this song was meant for them.

Now, I absolutely know that you can't monitor every song in every shop on the high street, but those that are there to sell supplements supposedly to aid both physical and mental health (i.e. St. John's Wort or Valerian), would be better to either have more cheerful songs or general background music. I was about to write to the Customer Service Department and ask that they consider removing it from the play list, as I understand that the shops are sent USBs with the music already on there.

So, AIBU, write or leave it?

Lyrics
In a little while from now
If I'm not feeling any less sour
I promise myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower
And climbing to the top
Will throw myself off
In an effort to
Make it clear to whoever
Wants to know what it's like When you're shattered
Left standing in the lurch at a church
Were people saying, My God, that's tough
She stood him up
No point in us remaining
We may as well go home
As I did on my own
Alone again, naturally
To think that only yesterday
I was cheerful, bright and gay
Looking forward to who wouldn't do
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt
Talk about, God in His mercy
Oh, if he really does exist
Why did he desert me
In my hour of need
I truly am indeed
Alone again, naturally
It seems to me that
There are more hearts broken in the world
That can't be mended
Left unattended
What do we do
What do we do
Alone again, naturally
Looking back over the years
And whatever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to hide the tears
And at sixty-five years old
My mother, God rest her soul
Couldn't understand why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start
With a heart so badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally

With others, I think YABU, many different songs produce many different responses in different people at different times. We can't start policing which songs are played where, where would it stop? (Personally I would want all shops to be banned from playing music, but that is a whole other thread - CEX, take note, your music is always far too loud.)

I think the song you mention would not be appropriate to play over the PA system in Tesco when someone is heavily depressed and selecting a variety of tablets to end it all, it might encourage them to buy an extra packet of paracetamol. But that would be an extremely rare situation to come across.

It is good you care for your friend and are very aware of her situation/MH, it is good she has a friend like you, but she could hear that song playing on the radio or from someone's car CD player etc at a variety of times, we can't often prevent people hearing ' the wrong song'.

Years ago radio stations used to play requests for people in hospital. The most inappropriate one I heard was McGuinness Flint and "When I'm Dead and Gone". The DJ had to apologise afterwards.

I'd write. As a self harmer that first verse would make me extremely uncomfortable.

Pure fuckwittery.

I'm going to write to every shop I frequent with a list of songs that make me sad or nostalgic, and warn them not to play them lest I top myself. Great idea thanks OP!

well, I thik you are a little bit U. Now, if it were Smack my Bitch up by The Prodigy, I would be with you

OP
There can't be a song out there that doesnt bring unhappy memories for someone
I would also be concerned that people who are depresed are looking for remedies in Hollnd and barrett

At Christmas time when I'm trying to shop and think at the same time and bloody 'Do they know it's Christmas' is playing at full volume yet again it makes me feel angry, murderous and screamy.

Should I write to Tesco and tell them to stop playing it because if not I'm likely to run amok and do some serious damage?

This thread has brightened my day - I thought it was going to be about the Fast Food Rappers singing the MacDonalds song.

Full marks to the sales assistant for keeping it together.

it might encourage them to buy an extra packet of paracetamol

Sales of paracetamol are restricted, you can’t just buy however many you like.

Just saying.

Years ago, I was at Marie Stopes with a friend and "Bye Bye Baby" came on the radio.

If it was hold music for The Samaritans you might have a point.
It's the Holland and Barrett connection I'm not getting,

It must be difficult knowing your friend can be affected like that... but at the end of the day the world continues to turn.

It's most likely royalty free and played in the store from a royalty-free CD or playlist. They don't really know what's on there.

I'm sure domestic violence sufferers don't like hearing rap songs about smacking bitches but others do and we have to be resilient against this.

And Holland and Barrett is generally for supplements, diet foods, essential oils and other crunchy remedies. It's not a doctors office.

If you've enough headspace to actually stop thinking about what you need in the shop, where it is, if there's an offer on, what's for dinner tonight etc etc enough to even hear the fucking words of some utter banal drivel they're playing you've obviously got enough time to sit and write a letter complaining about it 🙄

The shit some people start threads about, good lord

Oh god I remember walking around boots holding back tears (not very well..) when a 'sad' song came on.. it was that John Lewis Christmas advert on 'it's real love' or something?? Remember that? Dd was only a couple of weeks old and it was the start of awful pnd.. but it was Christmas (or had just been) and it was THE Christmas song at the time. Not much I could do but hurry on out of there silently weeping with my head down. If we stop shops from playing music incase it happens to upset someone then where will it end?? I get what you're saying, it wasn't a nice experience and really sticks in my mind (mostly out of embarrassment) but I guess it's just one of those things.

Unless it's Burn baby burn playing at a crematorium then yabu about a song

Do depressed people go to Holland and Barrett? I thought it was a health food shop last time I checked? I can’t say I pay much attention to shop music, I mean as long as it isn’t sweary rap music I don’t see a problem.

This is ridiculous.

Though I buy the drugs by Electric Six would make me laugh if I heard it in somewhere like H&B.

Though I buy the drugs by Electric Six would make me laugh if I heard it in somewhere like H&B.

I would have thought 'The Drugs don't Work' would be more appropriate in that context

Do depressed people go to Holland and Barrett? I thought it was a health food shop last time I checked?

I can confirm that we do - amazing at it seems, we go into all sorts of shops - and we sometimes purchase healthy things (Obviously if my meds aren't quite hitting home I sit at home scoffing cake, painting my walls black and listening to Morrissey - but sometimes I disguise myself as a normal person, venture out into shops and get up to all sorts of other crazy shenanigans)

have none of you ever been in a shop when going through a bad time, a bereavement or breakup, and heard a song that brought back a memory that made you well up?

As we left hospital after our adult DD had died, there was a charity stall selling Christmas cards in the corridor playing "I wish it could be Christmas every day". Right at that moment I couldn't have cared less if Christmas never happened ever again. I thought it was an odd thing to be playing in a hospital corridor where people may have just (as we had) lost loved ones or received a distressing medical diagnosis. But I have to say it is probably the only time I could tell you what tune is playing in a shop/cafe. When it resonates with you for the wrong reasons then you are more likely to notice.

Someone I know went for a scan (CT?MRI? I don't remember but it was in one of those big tunnel scanners where they played music to you).

Anyway he was being scanned due to a serious bowel condition like Crohns and the song that came on was.......Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire.

He thought it was hilarious!

@Dahlietta or anything by placebo...