David Grimes
17 August 2003
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Nobody's done an actual study, to my knowledge, but I'm guessing that the
average American spends at least two years of his or her life on hold,
listening to increasingly irritating variations of Michael Jackson's "Beat
It."
Instead of putting all our energies into thwarting telemarketers, I think we
need to find a way to punish the companies that shorten our lives by making
us listen to boring music while on hold. From now on, if our call is not
answered within 10 seconds, the following "hold" tunes will play (special
thanks to http://www.amiright.com):
* "Can't Buy Me Love" (The Beatles) ... Escort service
* "Aneurism" (Nirvana) ... American Heart Association
* "Dumb" (Nirvana) ... National Center for Learning Disabilities.
* "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (Elton John) ... Suicide
Hotline
* "Another One Bites the Dust" (Queen) ... Funeral home
* "Fat Bottomed Girls" (Queen) ... National Association of Anorexia Nervosa
and Associated Disorders
* "Day Tripper" (The Beatles) ... Drug Abuse Hotline
* "Count on Me" (Jefferson Starship) ... CIA/FBI
* "I'm in Love With My Car" (Queen) ... The National Center for Bicycling
and Walking
* "Contagious" (Isley Brothers) ... Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
* "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (The Beatles) ... Weight Watchers.
* "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (Simon and Garfunkel) ... Marriage counselor
* "Here Is Something You Can't Understand" (Cypress Hill) ... Microsoft tech
services
* "Blurry" (Puddle of Mudd) ... Optometrist's office
* "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (Jimmy Buffett) ... PETA
* "Don't Stop Me Now" (Queen) ... Compulsive disorders hotline
* "Dream On" (Aerosmith) ... Florida Lottery
* "The Drugs Don't Work" (The Verve) ... Pfizer, maker of Viagra
* "Fool On the Hill" (The Beatles) ... Your local Congressperson
* "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" (Pat Benatar) ... Domestic Violence Hotline
* "Hold Your Head Up" (Argent) ... National Spinal Cord Injuries Association
* "Paper Cuts" (Nirvana) ... Office Depot
* "I Want to Fly Away" (Lenny Kravitz) ... Amtrak
* "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" (Beatles) ... U.S. Postal Service
* "We Are the Champions" (Queen) ... Tampa Bay Devil Rays
* "Lost In a Contraption" (CYK) ... Compaq Computer Corp.
* "Who Let the Dogs Out?" (Baha Men) Animal control.
* "Hot For Teacher" (Van Halen) ... School Board
* "I'm A Loser" (The Beatles) ... Gamblers Anonymous
* "In Bloom" (Nirvana) ... National Allergy Bureau
* "I'm So Bored With the USA" (The Clash) ... Voice mail of French President
Jacques Chirac
* "Kill the Poor" (The Dead Kennedys) ... Unemployment office
* "I Am The Walrus" (The Beatles) ... Greenpeace
* "Money for Nothing" (Dire Straits) ... NASDAQ
* "Nothing's Clear" (Ill Nino) ... Psychic Hotline
* "Tired of Waiting" (The Kinks) ... Any person or company that puts us on
hold.