Date discrepancy: First airplay vs. chart listing?

[1st of 5]

While reading about "The Pretenders", the song "Message of Love" is listed as being released and charting in 1981. But I definitely remember first hearing on local top 40 radio in July of 1979. This is not the only chart/release anomoly, there are many others, like Blondie's "Heart of Glass" (Jul 79, Pat Benatar-"Heartbreaker" Sep 79, Tom Petty-"Refugee" Sep 79). Were these singles released before the entire album was or is it just old age? I also remember that at that time I couldn't find The Pretenders album or single, but it was playing on the radio. The same goes for "Roxanne" by The Police, which I first heard in the summer of 1976 on our local rock station 99.5 KISS. But all the literature states otherwise. Does anyone else remember any other songs that appeared before their respective album was supposedly released?

 

[johnbasalla]

Back in the early days of Rock, through the early to mid 1960s it was standard practice to release a single first, and if it measured up, then go for a full LP.

 

[OldNumber7]

While reading about "The Pretenders", the song "Message of Love" is listed as being released and charting in 1981. But I definitely remember first hearing on local top 40 radio in July of 1979. This is not the only chart/release anomoly, there are many others, like Blondie's "Heart of Glass" (Jul 79, Pat Benatar-"Heartbreaker" Sep 79, Tom Petty-"Refugee" Sep 79). Were these singles released before the entire album was or is it just old age? I also remember that at that time I couldn't find The Pretenders album or single, but it was playing on the radio. The same goes for "Roxanne" by The Police, which I first heard in the summer of 1976 on our local rock station 99.5 KISS. But all the literature states otherwise. Does anyone else remember any other songs that appeared before their respective album was supposedly released?

There are various reasons for these discrepancies -- especially in that era. Some adventurous rock stations in the late 70s were playing UK releases by new wave acts ahead of their US release. And in some cases, your memory may be a little faulty The consensus on the Web indicates the Police didn't even form until '77, so it seems improbable you heard Roxanne in '76.
I was at a college radio station in '78-79 and we were playing "Heart of Glass" off of a Chrysalis 12 inch many months before July 79 (maybe December 78?). I was at a commercial CHR station in '80 and I know we weren't playing Benatar's "Heartbreaker" until at least summer of 80. Petty's Refugee got AOR album track airplay out of the box in the late summer and fall of '79, but it was actually the second single after "Don't Do Me like That," which was still just climbing the charts on a November 79 aircheck that I have.