You are overthinking this. Way overthinkig it.
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KEARTH 101 (it's only 80's if we say so)
- Thread starter 34james
- Start date
You are overthinking this. Way overthinkig it.
Never underestimate the power of the public to take a really bad song and play (and buy) it to death. There are numerous examples.
But, Oldies is on to something. That early 80's fitness craze took hold of the female 18-49 segment like crazy. Lasted well into 1983 when Flashdance came out. That movie set the fashion trend for the next year and it was all about those sweat pants and headbands. Olivia was at the top of her popularity and tapped into what was really hot at the time, much like the Bee Gees with disco in '77 and '78.
K
K.M. Richards
Guest
I explained my error and cited my source. Not much more I can do, is there?
Look, when you're wrong, you're wrong. Just admit it and move on. Who cares anyway?
The only one making a big deal of it is you. Plus it's not like this is the first time.
K
K.M. Richards
Guest
In case you hadn't noticed, that's what I did. Oldies76 was the one who wasn't moving on.
Except, Flip, she really didn't. The song is about sex, not exercise. So's the video, if you watch it carefully. And the fitness craze didn't really go mainstream until the Fonda video started selling huge and that was after "Physical". For singles buyers (pre-teens, very young teens and young adults who like the song but not enough to shell out for the whole album) the craze would have had to be much bigger to be a real driver for the record.
The song was originally intended to be for Rod Stewart and I'd bet it would have done just as well if he'd recorded it, as it would have followed "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" and "Passion". And with Rod, there would have been bigger album impact.
As for Olivia being at the top of her popularity, no. That was 1973-1975 with five top ten singles in a row, including back-to-back number ones and two back-to-back number one LPs.
If you overlook the songs from the "Grease" and "Xanadu" soundtracks (where she was paired with producers and artists she didn't work with otherwise) it had been three years since her last top 10 single, with records peaking at 13, 30, 23, 55, 20, 87 and 48 in between, with one not charting at all. and the three records leading up to "Physical" peaked at 11, 52 and 82. Her album sales picture was just as grim.
Ultimately, it's pointless to obsess over "Physical" making number one on the singles chart and "Waiting For A Girl Like You" not making it. Far more people bought the Foreigner record, they just bought an LP or cassette. Again, number one is a statistic, not an award.
B
BOZ Profit
Guest
This kind of comment is non-productive and does nothing for the conversation at hand; it actually sounds childish. To paraphrase what our mothers tried to teach us: "if you don't have something valuable to add, don't post anything". Posts like this in the future run the risk of being given an infraction.
I've been wrong many times and have been corrected at least twice on this very thread (so it is hardly the first time for me either). I don't mind (I am generally glad for the corrections as Michael Haggerty has demonstrated above), I own them and move on just as I have advised here. You choose to see negativity where there is none (always in favor of KMR) and that is unseemly and unfair.
I don't believe I am. Richard Simmons and a music video showing Olivia exercising, go hand in hand...That's what I noticed back in 1981-82 as a teen watching MTV, not to mention John McEnroe entering the scene back then too!
But I appreciate what Mr. Hagerty has explained here.
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I thought you respected my chart and musical knowledge? But that's ok.
The song was as big if not bigger in Latin America where 1) most people did not understand the lyric or thought it meant "sex" and 2) there was no fitness movement of any kind.
It was just a hit song. For a while.
A funny thing about all-request...
A station where I jock does a daily all request feature via smartphone/web app. There's over 2,000 songs in the library and listeners vote songs up and down in real time. You've got the stuff we play every day and you've got deep cuts in the library that pop up in features once in a blue moon.
For the most part, we play what the listeners vote for, locking in the next song about a minute before it plays (giving you enough time to locate it). About the only time that we toss out what the listeners pick and move on to the song in the second spot is when they try to be cute and vote up all the songs tied to contests. No, you're not going to trigger a Rolling Stones ticket giveaway by voting up Satisfaction...
Interestingly, I would say about 95% of the songs the audience picks are from the core library so the hour sounds really good. The deep cuts make it special, but they're surrounded by all of the core library so it never gets too deep.
We don't fake the hour - there are 0 songs scheduled for 60 minutes, but it sounds like any other hour of the day on our station. That tells me we're playing the right songs every day.
A station where I jock does a daily all request feature via smartphone/web app. There's over 2,000 songs in the library and listeners vote songs up and down in real time. You've got the stuff we play every day and you've got deep cuts in the library that pop up in features once in a blue moon.
For the most part, we play what the listeners vote for, locking in the next song about a minute before it plays (giving you enough time to locate it). About the only time that we toss out what the listeners pick and move on to the song in the second spot is when they try to be cute and vote up all the songs tied to contests. No, you're not going to trigger a Rolling Stones ticket giveaway by voting up Satisfaction...
Interestingly, I would say about 95% of the songs the audience picks are from the core library so the hour sounds really good. The deep cuts make it special, but they're surrounded by all of the core library so it never gets too deep.
We don't fake the hour - there are 0 songs scheduled for 60 minutes, but it sounds like any other hour of the day on our station. That tells me we're playing the right songs every day.
But with only 2000 songs it is still going to be music for the millennials and generation X - when KFI was doing "Turn Back the Clock" in the fifties (also fed to the Armed Forces Radio Network) with Andy and Virginia Mansfield it had a library of over 20,000 plus Andy's private collection - and that was 60 years ago.
Geriatric cases like myself today couldn't request "Cool Water," "The Yellow Rose of Texas" or the "Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" from your 2000 selection library. Nor would your audience probably want to hear them. The self-limitation of the small library is probably why it all blends in successfully.
I guess those of my generation will just have to be content with joining the "Ghost Riders in the Sky."
Geriatric cases like myself today couldn't request "Cool Water," "The Yellow Rose of Texas" or the "Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" from your 2000 selection library. Nor would your audience probably want to hear them. The self-limitation of the small library is probably why it all blends in successfully.
I guess those of my generation will just have to be content with joining the "Ghost Riders in the Sky."
I work for a classic rock station. We're not trying to be all things to all people. We're just trying to rock.
The best radio stations know what they are, know who they serve, and deliver what they promise. If a song doesn't reflect what the station is, doesn't appeal to the audience it serves, and doesn't deliver on the musical promise the station has made to the audience, then it's not the right song. Period.
Here is the list of songs in the WOGL A to Z Countdown, as heard the week leading up to Memorial Day Weekend:
https://cbswogl2.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/wogl-a-to-z-may-2015-list-of-songs.pdf
https://cbswogl2.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/wogl-a-to-z-may-2015-list-of-songs.pdf
Nice list. A wide variety of music from the 60's through the 80's. This is better than The Top 500 Countdowns that pop up on other Classic Hits stations. We were listening last week on a long road trip. What I enjoy about special programming like this is that we kept the station on all day wondering what was next. Great TSL. WOGL probably had the best of all the specials. Dean Martin and U2..there are your parameters. That kind of programming is what makes radio unique. Kudos to WOGL.
I rarely listen to Classic Hits stations. Too 80's-90's for my taste and limited playlists. I'm 66 and I enjoyed the variety. Of course, Classic Hits stations aren't targeting me. Most of my oldies listening is on the Internet where the 60's are well represented, It was great to hear something creative on terrestrial radio.
I rarely listen to Classic Hits stations. Too 80's-90's for my taste and limited playlists. I'm 66 and I enjoyed the variety. Of course, Classic Hits stations aren't targeting me. Most of my oldies listening is on the Internet where the 60's are well represented, It was great to hear something creative on terrestrial radio.
Playing a buncha songs in alphabetical order is creative?
T
Thomps2525
Guest
Okay, Mister oldies76, allow me to analyze that A-to-Z list:
Country artists: Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell.
Novelty artists: Steve Martin, Ray Stevens, Rick Dees, the Blues Brothers.
1950s hits: Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley, Jackie Wilson, Connie Francis.
1980s artists: Bananarama, Boy Meets Girl, Duran Duran, the Go-Go's.
Teen idols: Donny Osmond, John Travolta, Tiffany, Andy Gibb.
R&B artists: Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, the Temptations.
MOR artists: Dean Martin, Barry Manilow, Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton.
Rock & roll legends: Elvis Presley, Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones.
Disco artists: Amii Stewart, Shalamar, the Trammps, KC & the Sunshine Band.
Instrumentals: Joy, Axel F, The Hustle, Theme From Rocky.
And you honestly think WOGL's playlist is better than KRTH's playlist? You'd really rather hear 2000 different songs instead of being able to hear September, Billie Jean, Old Time Rock & Roll and I Melt With You five or six times a day, every day of your life? How can you ignore the hard work of the researchers and consultants who tell you which songs you should want to hear? I hope you have a good explanation, young man!
Country artists: Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell.
Novelty artists: Steve Martin, Ray Stevens, Rick Dees, the Blues Brothers.
1950s hits: Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley, Jackie Wilson, Connie Francis.
1980s artists: Bananarama, Boy Meets Girl, Duran Duran, the Go-Go's.
Teen idols: Donny Osmond, John Travolta, Tiffany, Andy Gibb.
R&B artists: Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, the Temptations.
MOR artists: Dean Martin, Barry Manilow, Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton.
Rock & roll legends: Elvis Presley, Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones.
Disco artists: Amii Stewart, Shalamar, the Trammps, KC & the Sunshine Band.
Instrumentals: Joy, Axel F, The Hustle, Theme From Rocky.
And you honestly think WOGL's playlist is better than KRTH's playlist? You'd really rather hear 2000 different songs instead of being able to hear September, Billie Jean, Old Time Rock & Roll and I Melt With You five or six times a day, every day of your life? How can you ignore the hard work of the researchers and consultants who tell you which songs you should want to hear? I hope you have a good explanation, young man!
Steve, you're forgetting a certain song about a hotel in the same state as K-Earth.
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