Muzak, often called “elevator music,” provided background music in offices, stores, restaurants and elevators from the 30s to the mid 60s. The music was primarily a soothing orchestral mix which blended into the surroundings. It was also designed to promote workplace productivity based on varied pace and style throughout the day. As a child of the fifties I was infused with Muzak in the marketplace and its equivalent, by Les Baxter and Mantovani, at home.
By the mid-sixties with the youth revolution in full bloom, popular vocal music came into its own as the go to for background music in retail establishments and even elevators. Since royalties need to be paid for music played commercially, over the years a variety of companies, such as Playnetwork and Music Choice, have provided content and paid the licensing fees for their clients. Also, commercial free subscription music providers like Spotify, Amazon and Pandora are used in many retail sites and medical offices.
So what’s the beef? If I’m an old geezer going in for delicate heart surgery, do I really want to hear “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin while being prepped? If I’m at the supermarket and can’t find certain items, does it help to be subjected to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones? Then, some nineteen year old employee has chosen to crank up the hip hop station on Spotify while I’m shopping for sleep aids at the drugstore.
Basically, piped in music should match the clientele and mission of a particular establishment, but this is often not the case. My local Mexican restaurant plays mariachi music I can’t understand, but at least I’m not listening to Cyndi Lauper sing “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” And, when I’m captive in the dentist’s chair, the last thing I want to hear is heavy metal like “Lick it Up” by Kiss.
A corollary to the invasion of “musical noise” in various public environments is the ubiquitous TV in doctor waiting rooms. Usually these TVs are spouting some frightful information about your intestines, your bladder, your heart, your bones or your eyesight. Just as you are trying to calm yourself for the upcoming appointment. At the same time, the overhead speakers are pumping out someone’s skewed idea of modern musical nirvana. A mentally debilitating combo for the poor patient.
So I say, bring back Muzak, at least in the elevators. How about music by 50s and 60s orchestras like Sounds of a Thousand Strings and Percy Faith? Heck, I’d even listen to Frank Sinatra quietly crooning “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” At least it’s not Huey Lewis and the News belting out “Trouble in Paradise” and “The Heart of Rock and Roll.” However, realistically, I’m resigned to going to the grocery store for a bottle of wine and hearing Jimmy Buffett sing “Why Don’t We Get Drunk.” C'est la vie.