It’s time again for Friday on My Mind, our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. Today as we recover from our food comas, Black Friday falls upon us, so we’re looking at songs about shopping.
The term “Black Friday” originated in Philadelphia back in 1966. Those who worked as a part of the police force, public transit, or the retail industry viewed the day as unpleasant. It was indeed the first official day that people could begin to shop for the holiday, but it also meant that stores, sidewalks, and other public areas were overrun with an abundance of shoppers causing crowding and massive traffic. It also led to an influx of shoplifters and jaywalkers which kept the Police busy and public transit drivers annoyed. The ominous name “Black Friday” was supposed to deter or scare people out of wanting to venture out for the day. Later the name became interpreted as a day when stores end up “in the black” or making a profit. As time has progressed, the beginning of Black Friday has grown earlier and earlier. Store openings would take place at 4, 5, or 6AM. 2011 marked the first time that stores like WalMart and Target opened their doors at midnight.
And now here are some songs to shop by....
The Beatles - Can’t Buy Me Love
Released in 1964 as a part of the soundtrack for A Hard Day’s Night. “Can’t Buy Me Love” went to the top of the US charts during the week of April 4, 1964 and at the time ended up sharing one of the top 5 positions with 4 other Beatles recordings, which were “Twist and Shout”, “She Loves You”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, and “Please, Please Me.”
Jane’s Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, Jane’s Addiction was one of the first bands to emerge from the early 1990s alternative rock movement to gain mainstream media attention and commercial success in the United States. “Been Caught Stealing” is from their 1990 album Ritual de lo Habitual and it spent 4 weeks at #1 on the U.S. modern rock charts.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop
Seattle based hip hop artist Ben Haggerty, a.k.a. Macklemore, has been recording music since 2000. He first teamed up with Ryan Lewis in 2008. Just last month they self- released their debut album, The Heist, which uses absolutely no samples. The album entered at number 1 on the US iTunes download charts and No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 charts, selling 78,000 copies in the first week. The video for “Thrift Shop” has had over 19,242,810 views. In the hilarious video, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis do their shopping at Seattle second hand haunts such as Red Light, the Fremont Vintage Mall, and Value Village.
Honorable Mentions:
Talking Heads - Love for Sale
From the release True Stories. The video features clips from all your favorite commercials from the 80’s. The band even gets covered in chocolate.
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Shop Around
The 1961 single from the Motown greats.
The Drums - Money
From the Brooklyn band’s 2011 album, Portamento.
