I've read Ross on Radio and its column about "lost" songs which were big hits that aren't played on stations anymore. How do songs that become big hits and people really want to hear them suddenly fall on deaf ears and do not test well anymore? That is something that is surprising to me. I know people will comment that this is similar to other threads, but I'm wondering how some of those hits don't at least receive light rotation amongst some stations. They're definitely songs people who were around would remember (as opposed to songs which charted as #38 for instance.)
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Why are big hits "lost?"
- Thread starter tall_guy1
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There isn't room for stations to play everything that was ever recorded. Songs burn out, some songs are novelties and some songs get new life from being featured in a movie, TV show, video game and even Tik-tok.
Another one of these threads. If something doesn’t get played there’s a damn good reason.
See all 18,634 threads on the subject.
Tons of reasons. Burnout is probably number one. Most songs (especially big hits that got significant airplay) eventually wear out their appeal.
Second is the passage of time and the maturing of the listener. Liking a record at 14 is no guarantee of liking the same record at 40. That also applies to clothes, tastes in food, cars, people you found attractive or funny...
many songs do not age well.
1. Good question, Tall Guy. Since, I haven't seen the threads from the past that discussed this topic, could you maybe give an example or two of big hits that became "lost"? That way, we could have examples on which to comment. Thank you.
2. On past hits, do stations "test" the songs on younger listeners who like classic hit or oldies -- or do they test them on older listeners who were in the original 18-34 or 13-34 demographic when the song was released?
3. Is it possible that the songs are considered too much of a cliche or overplayed for their genre? For example, KRTH 101 is focused on '80's music ( this may be called either "classic hits" or "oldies"), and they play very cliche 80's songs. I like the songs, but they are heavy in the rotation.
Examples of this would be: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" , "We're Not Gonna Take It" "Don't Stop Believing", "Livin' on a Prayer",
and "Bette Davis Eyes." ( I realize that the Mediabase system says that these are played only about 5 times a day or 35 times a week; but for some reason, it seems like more often to me, because they are always played when I'm listening). They seem to be the very essence of 80's rock. JMO. -- Daryl
Yes, logic would say, if a song made the Top 10 or even the Top 5 somewhere between 1975 and 1995, shouldn't it be played on Classic Hits stations? At least ONCE in a while? Yet plenty of songs that made the Top 5 or Top 10 in their era are "lost." You won't hear them on the radio anymore.
Let's say about 35 songs make the top five each year. About 70 songs make the top ten. Multiply that by 20 years. That means 700 songs made the top five between 1975 and 1995. 1400 songs made the top ten. But most Classic Hits stations only play 300 to 400 songs.
Hey, what does logic have to do with this? Some songs will be eliminated because they rock too hard or they are too urban or they're too soft. All instrumental hits will be eliminated. All songs by artists who are deemed too MOR-ish will be cut. Most boy band hits are deleted. (OK, this one I agree with.)
We've discussed before that music tests determine what's hot and what's not, not chart positions. But I'm skeptical of tests. I think songs with catchier riffs will test better because people participating in the tests only hear 10 seconds of each song. I'm sure "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" never tested well because they didn't have a quick ten second hook.
And I also think in a music test, when you only have so much time, the songs a program director has already decided NOT to play will never get tested. Why waste the time?
Yet it is apparent that Classic Hits stations that have a 300 to 400 song playlist seem to do better in the ratings than those playing more songs.
Let's say about 35 songs make the top five each year. About 70 songs make the top ten. Multiply that by 20 years. That means 700 songs made the top five between 1975 and 1995. 1400 songs made the top ten. But most Classic Hits stations only play 300 to 400 songs.
Hey, what does logic have to do with this? Some songs will be eliminated because they rock too hard or they are too urban or they're too soft. All instrumental hits will be eliminated. All songs by artists who are deemed too MOR-ish will be cut. Most boy band hits are deleted. (OK, this one I agree with.)
We've discussed before that music tests determine what's hot and what's not, not chart positions. But I'm skeptical of tests. I think songs with catchier riffs will test better because people participating in the tests only hear 10 seconds of each song. I'm sure "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" never tested well because they didn't have a quick ten second hook.
And I also think in a music test, when you only have so much time, the songs a program director has already decided NOT to play will never get tested. Why waste the time?
Yet it is apparent that Classic Hits stations that have a 300 to 400 song playlist seem to do better in the ratings than those playing more songs.
Exactly. Wonder what it's like to have the same thought over and over, then rewrite the same question/topic?
I can't imagine.
At least one other time when this subject came up, someone took the time to list out some #1 songs that may have been popular at a particular point in time, but that few would want to hear on the air today, or that may not even fit in well within any format. If you do a search you may be able to dig it up, but in reading some of the song titles they listed, it was easy to remember that they were popular, but also easy to understand why they fell out of favor and that few would want to listen to them today.
For #1 I'm using the Ross articles and can name "Pac Man Fever" by Buckner and Garcia and the '08 song "Untouched" by The Veronicas are both examples of songs that had large amount of airplay originally but can be found nowhere now.
The reason no one plays Pac Man Fever should be obvious. The game it was based on has disappeared. It was a novelty built around the success of the game. Once the game went away, so did the novelty.
The Veronicas song was not a hit. It peaked at #17. I'd call them one hit wonders, but they never had one hit.
If people really want to hear these songs, I'm sure they're available on streaming sites. Songs can't be "lost" when they're all available online. As I always say: Radio is the free sample. You want more depth? Spend a few bucks and subscribe to a music service.
Stations test songs against their core demographic. For example, a station targeting 25-44 women likely will not test against men, and will limit women to those who are 25-39 and who listen more than a certain number of hours a week. If the song scores negatively in any age subset, it likely will not be played.
Stations don't test for terms like "cliche" or the like. The question is some form of "How much would you like to hear this song today?".
And "Classic Hits" is not, in the industry, the same as "oldies". Oldies is 60's stuff and early/later fringe years. Classic Hits is late 70's to very early 90's. Different formats.
Burnt or worn out, thank goodness.
A lot of people don't realize how much less appeal (sales, spins, etc) a song below the top 10 has.
Especially when (a) the band isn't American, and (b) they don't have a follow up.
Here is your short answer. It doesn't really matter how high something charted or what people thought of a song at the time. If it's not being played NOW it's because people don't want to hear it NOW.
The Veronicas don't matter to people NOW.
"Achy Breaky Heart" was a #1 country hit in 1992, and a top 5 hit on the Hot 100.
Some songs don't get "lost", they get burial at sea.
Some songs don't get "lost", they get burial at sea.
Too bad that didn't happen to the entire soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever and all other disco.
Same goes for Bieber, although he's still too current. By the time he's long-forgotten, I'll be long-gone.
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