Let’s Give Them Something To Talk About—And Other Songs About Customer Experience

If you have been to a conference, you may recall that music is played when a new speaker comes onto the stage. That is known as “walk-on music,” and it’s common for the production company to use music that ties to the theme of the conference or the personality of the speaker. I’ve seen CEOs of companies use George Thorogood’s 1982 song Bad to the Bone, which can be a way for the CEO to poke a little fun at him or herself.

As a keynote speaker myself, I’m often asked, “Is there a particular song you would like for your walk-on music when you take the stage?” I have a few favorite choices, but one that is always a standout is the Bonnie Raitt song, Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About. I ask the sound technicians to cue it up right where she starts the chorus. As my topic is about creating an amazing customer experience, it is the perfect theme song. After all, don’t we want to create an experience that customers will talk about with their friends, family and colleagues? So … as Raitt says, “Let’s give them something to talk about!”

If you’re familiar with the words, you will realize that the song isn’t really about customer service. It’s actually about love. But who cares? Just read the title and listen to the chorus. That’s all you need to know! I can’t think of a better “theme song” for a company that wants to deliver amazing service—or a customer service and experience keynote speaker who wants to talk about it!

As I was flying home from a recent engagement, I started to think about more songs with a message that would apply to customer service and CX. Then I had an idea—why not ask the readers of this column for their favorite customer service or experience songs?

I’ve started a Spotify playlist, and if you share your song, I’ll add it to the list. The song doesn’t have to be about customer service or CX, but there must be words that tie into these very important strategies. As a result, these are the perfect songs to play as people are sitting down for a meeting. So, here are a few of my favorites, and why I chose them. And I’m looking forward to hearing back from you and what you would add to the list.

1.      Something to Talk About written by Shirley Eikhard, recorded by Bonnie Raitt (1990)—The song came out on Raitt’s album Luck of the Draw. The following year she won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Sure, the song is really about love, but sometimes that’s what we want to give our customers. The main line in the chorus sums it up:

Let’s give them something to talk about. How about love, love, love!

2.      You’ve Got a Friend written and recorded by Carole King (1971)—This hit song by one of the most iconic songwriters in history won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The lyrics should resonate with companies that have 24/7 customer support—always there to help. The words are perfect: 

Winter, spring, summer or fall

All you have to do is call

And I’ll be there

You’ve got a friend

3.      Never Gonna Give You Up written by Stock Aitken Waterman, recorded by Rick Astley (1987)—This is Astley’s best-known song and hit No. 1 on the singles charts of 25 countries when it was first released. In 2008 Astley won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Act Ever based on a crowd-sourced internet survey. Yes, another love song with words that every customer would love to hear:

Never gonna let you down

Never gonna run around and desert you

Never gonna make you cry

Never gonna say goodbye

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

4.      Kill Em with Kindness written by Selena Gomez, Rock Mafia, Benny Blanco and Dave Aude, recorded by Selena Gomez (2016)—As this article is published, this song has more than 520 million views on YouTube. According to Wikipedia, the lyrics revolve around the theme of magnanimity, the virtue of being great of mind and heart. And the words are pretty simple:

And kill ’em with kindness

Kill ’em with kindness

Kill ’em, kill ’em, kill ’em with kindness

5.      Stand By Me written and recorded by Ben E. King (1961)—This classic song received the Grammy® Hall of Fame Award and is listed on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, RIAA’s (Recording Industry Association of America) Songs of the Century and recognized by BMI as one of the top five most-performed songs of the 20^th century. Read the words and think of yourself as a customer doing business with your favorite company—a company that seems to always be there for you when you need them most:

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we’ll see

No, I won’t be afraid

Oh, I won’t be afraid

Just as long as you stand

Stand by me

This is where YOU come in!

These are just some of my favorites, yet there are many more songs I could have included on this list. As mentioned, I’ve created a Spotify playlist. So, let’s add to it. I’m giving you something to think about. Share your choices below along with a sentence or two as to why they should be included, and we’ll put them on the list.