Walking into Franprix among the many grocery stores here in Paris, one can’t help but notice the love ballads that accompany the purchasing of food goods. These may be songs that [you'd hate to admit] you listened to during their prime. They now emerge from your subconscious as you’re looking at that extra package of bacon telling you: Parce qu’on ne sait jamais, you’d better stock up.

And though we’re all aware of the fact that background music is there to affect our shopping behavior, where Allen Ginsberg once saw Walt Whitman poking among in the meats, we’re now hearing Bonnie Tyler belt her heart out.

Is this supposed to make us hungrier? How would these artists feel to know their songs are now played to coerce us into filling our emotional gap with food?

Upon asking the clerks who decide on the music we ultimately have to listen to, we were told it was controlled by management that picked radio stations along the likes of Chérie FM “Vos plus belles émotions” and RTL2 “le son Pop-Rock”.

So after ’bouts in and out of Franprix (for actual shopping, but also for the purpose of writing this article), les Flâneurs have put together the “Franprix Playlist” and it’s alternative – a list of more current pop songs we’d actually enjoy listening to while doing our shopping (not to be abused).

THE FRANPRIX PLAYLIST:

1. Christophe Maé – Parce qu’on ne sait jamais
2. Apologize – One Republic ft. Timbaland
3. Tina Turner – Private Dancer
4. Phil Collins – In the Air Tonight
5. Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart
6. Pointer Sisters – I’m So Excited
7. The Police – So Lonely
8. Britney Spears – Everytime
9. Cascada – Evacuate The Dancefloor
10. Jenifer – Donne-moi le temps
11. Seal – Kiss from a Rose
12. Aventura – Obsesion
13. Shakira – Whenever Wherever
14. Coldplay – Viva La Vida
15. Cher – Do you believe?

THE ALTERNATIVE LIST:

1. Goldfrapp – Ride a White Horse
2. Empire of the Sun – Walking On a Dream
3. Major Lazer – Pon de Floor
4. Snoop Dogg feat. Pharell – Drop It Like It’s Hot
5. MGMT – Electric Feel
6. Air – Sexy Boy
7. Röyksopp – Eple
8. The Go! Team – Ladyflash
9. War – Low Rider
10. Mulatu Astatke – Yègellé Tezeta
11. Of Montreal – Wicked Wisdom
12. Chairlift – Bruises
13. Sébastien Tellier – Roche
14. Hot Chip – Over and Over