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Editing songs

R

radiosaur

Just curious...Do stations still edit songs for airplay?

RKO used to do it all the time. A classic case is they edited the space out between "Will Will Rock You" and "We are The Champions" ...That second of dead air between the songs was WAY too much for an RKO station.

Still happen? It seems like it would be much easier to do.<P ID="signature">______________
Never hold a cat and a dustbuster at the same time.</P>
 
> Just curious...Do stations still edit songs for airplay?
>
> RKO used to do it all the time. A classic case is they
> edited the space out between "Will Will Rock You" and "We
> are The Champions" ...That second of dead air between the
> songs was WAY too much for an RKO station.
>
> Still happen? It seems like it would be much easier to do.
>


I have to edit a lot of songs, mainly for naughty words. But I will say I've heard some really horrible editing jobs on songs on 98.1 - guys if ya read these boards - there are radio edits of most of the songs you play.
 
> > Just curious...Do stations still edit songs for airplay?
> >
> > RKO used to do it all the time. A classic case is they
> > edited the space out between "Will Will Rock You" and "We
> > are The Champions" ...That second of dead air between the
> > songs was WAY too much for an RKO station.
> >
> > Still happen? It seems like it would be much easier to do.
>
> >
>
>
> I have to edit a lot of songs, mainly for naughty words.
> But I will say I've heard some really horrible editing jobs
> on songs on 98.1 - guys if ya read these boards - there are
> radio edits of most of the songs you play.
>
I can cite a couple other old ones. Most Memphis stations edited the "crap" out of Paul Simon's "Kodachrome". When I was at Q, they wouldn't play the "spread your wings" verse of Rod Stewart's "Tonight's The Night".
RG
 
> > > Just curious...Do stations still edit songs for airplay?
>
> > >
> > > RKO used to do it all the time. A classic case is they
> > > edited the space out between "Will Will Rock You" and
> "We
> > > are The Champions" ...That second of dead air between
> the
> > > songs was WAY too much for an RKO station.
> > >
> > > Still happen? It seems like it would be much easier to
> do.
> >
> > >
> >
> >
> > I have to edit a lot of songs, mainly for naughty words.
> > But I will say I've heard some really horrible editing
> jobs
> > on songs on 98.1 - guys if ya read these boards - there
> are
> > radio edits of most of the songs you play.
> >
> I can cite a couple other old ones. Most Memphis stations
> edited the "crap" out of Paul Simon's "Kodachrome". When I
> was at Q, they wouldn't play the "spread your wings" verse
> of Rod Stewart's "Tonight's The Night".
> RG
>

What I find funny are those coupla-three classic rock songs that just seem to be accepted. "Money" by Pink Floyd "...do goody-good b-------t", Dire Staits, "Money for Nothin'" commentary on Rick Springfield's sexual orientaion, even Alice in Chains "Grind" seems to have a few F-bombs dropped into the lyrics and no-one seems to care.

When I have to edit out a tune, I feel that a reverse audio is the best way to go rather than a drop-out or beep.

Funny, after Janet flashed here areola I thought PD's would try to edit these in a very reactionary fashion, but no.
 
Yo, Rob... lets do lunch. Still got my number somewhere?

> I can cite a couple other old ones. Most Memphis stations
> edited the "crap" out of Paul Simon's "Kodachrome". When I
> was at Q, they wouldn't play the "spread your wings" verse
> of Rod Stewart's "Tonight's The Night".
> RG
> <P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
> > > > Just curious...Do stations still edit songs for
> airplay?
> >
> > > >
> > > > RKO used to do it all the time. A classic case is they
>
> > > > edited the space out between "Will Will Rock You" and
> > "We
> > > > are The Champions" ...That second of dead air between
> > the
> > > > songs was WAY too much for an RKO station.
> > > >
> > > > Still happen? It seems like it would be much easier to
>
> > do.
> > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I have to edit a lot of songs, mainly for naughty words.
>
> > > But I will say I've heard some really horrible editing
> > jobs
> > > on songs on 98.1 - guys if ya read these boards - there
> > are
> > > radio edits of most of the songs you play.
> > >
> > I can cite a couple other old ones. Most Memphis stations
>
> > edited the "crap" out of Paul Simon's "Kodachrome". When
> I
> > was at Q, they wouldn't play the "spread your wings" verse
>
> > of Rod Stewart's "Tonight's The Night".
> > RG
> >
>
> What I find funny are those coupla-three classic rock songs
> that just seem to be accepted. "Money" by Pink Floyd "...do
> goody-good b-------t", Dire Staits, "Money for Nothin'"
> commentary on Rick Springfield's sexual orientaion, even
> Alice in Chains "Grind" seems to have a few F-bombs dropped
> into the lyrics and no-one seems to care.
>
> When I have to edit out a tune, I feel that a reverse audio
> is the best way to go rather than a drop-out or beep.
>
> Funny, after Janet flashed here areola I thought PD's would
> try to edit these in a very reactionary fashion, but no.
>



With those songs, and a few others, they've been heard SO much that it just becomes natural. You don't even realize that they are curse words - because they've been ingraned into your head all this time. The "S**t I gotta have her" line in ZZ Tops "Legs" comes to mind.

Most of those lyrics are buried in the mix and unless you really concentrate, or know the words - you won't hear it.

But now a lot of the songs I edit for Hot 107, I use the drop-out method. Same as with most of the record industry. I really try to NOT use the reverse method unless I don't have the instrumental to use.
 
> What I find funny are those coupla-three classic rock songs
> that just seem to be accepted. "Money" by Pink Floyd "...do
> goody-good b-------t", Dire Staits, "Money for Nothin'"
> commentary on Rick Springfield's sexual orientaion,


I do remember 98.1 the Cat editing both of those songs....first time I'd ever heard it done! (And on a totally different subject, where on earth did they get that strange mix of "Bad Moon Rising"?)
 
OK. Let me narrow the question a bit. I really meant for reasons besides lyrics. The Queen example was one of those...done for the sale of making the record tighter.

I know of a couple of stations back in the day that would edit out a slow passge in an otherwise uptempo song. Sweet's "Love is Like Oxygen" is an example. Yes, it made it shorter but they really wanted the slow part out.

On another note: Hot EDITS LYRICS? I'd hate to hear what gets edited out. <P ID="signature">______________
Never hold a cat and a dustbuster at the same time.</P>
 
> OK. Let me narrow the question a bit. I really meant for
> reasons besides lyrics. The Queen example was one of
> those...done for the sale of making the record tighter.
>
> I know of a couple of stations back in the day that would
> edit out a slow passge in an otherwise uptempo song. Sweet's
> "Love is Like Oxygen" is an example. Yes, it made it shorter
> but they really wanted the slow part out.
>
> On another note: Hot EDITS LYRICS? I'd hate to hear what
> gets edited out.
>


Oh ya - you would HATE to hear what gets cut.
 
> With those songs, and a few others, they've been heard SO
> much that it just becomes natural. You don't even realize
> that they are curse words - because they've been ingraned
> into your head all this time. The "S**t I gotta have her"
> line in ZZ Tops "Legs" comes to mind.

When I was managing a rock station in Savannah, I was always amazed at the songs that would generate complaints and those that wouldn't. I got regular calls from misguided souls who thought Clapton was glamorizing drug use with "Cocaine". Also, Pat Benatar's "Hell is for children" because some dolts thought it meant she hated kids. But... I never once got a complaint about Mellencamp's cold voice, clear exclamation: "Forget about all that macho sh!t and learn how to play guitar![/b]

This brings me to a question though. I understand editing for language but why length? Who decided that songs have to be short? It's not as if you get judged by the number of songs you play. The number of spots maybe....<P ID="signature">______________
Jerry

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts" - late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan</P>
 
Back in the 103 days, I got called in on the GM's carpet for one mama's complaint that I played a song which said "gonna rape you..."
Guilty as charged. It was the Who's "We're Not Gonna Take It". Played it a million times there without a blip on the radar, but that once.
Of course, when I was doing mornings ther, we also got chewed out by the GM for losing the McDonald's account because I referred to Wednesday as "hump day". How times have changed (as everyone likes to remind me).
RG
 
> Back in the 103 days, I got called in on the GM's carpet for
> one mama's complaint that I played a song which said "gonna
> rape you..." Guilty as charged.

She no doubt suffered a fatal heart attack upon hearing Nirvana's "Rape me."

I was a GM for something like 10 of my 24 years in radio. I got a lot of complaint calls about jocks and I'm sure some were valid but I can't remember any right now. Mostly a lot of loose screws rolling around out in the audience.<P ID="signature">______________
Jerry

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts" - late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan</P>
 
> When I was managing a rock station in Savannah,

Was that the WORM?
 
> This brings me to a question though. I understand editing
> for language but why length? Who decided that songs have to
> be short? It's not as if you get judged by the number of
> songs you play. The number of spots maybe....
>

But that was the reason. More songs per hour...or maybe the same number of songs as the competition, but more spots.

Same reason we sped up the turntables by 3%. Squeeze that one extra song or spot in during the hour.


<P ID="signature">______________
Never hold a cat and a dustbuster at the same time.</P>
 
> But that was the reason. More songs per hour...or maybe the same number of songs as the competition, but more spots.

I understand why we'd want more spots, but you can play the same number of spots with longer songs... just fewer of them. I've never known anyone to prefer the radio edit of a song when playing them at home, but we supposedly prefer it that way on radio? Play one less song per hour and the same number of minutes for god sake! I swear radio programming has more unsupportable "rules" than any other artistic endeavor.

> Same reason we sped up the turntables by 3%. Squeeze that one extra song or spot in during the hour.

I know radio stations will speed up a song, but I've never heard it was to get more songs or spots in. I was always told it was to increase the energy level of the radio station.


<P ID="signature">______________
Jerry

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts" - late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan</P>
 
> > But that was the reason. More songs per hour...or maybe
> the same number of songs as the competition, but more spots.
>
>
> I understand why we'd want more spots, but you can play the
> same number of spots with longer songs... just fewer of
> them. I've never known anyone to prefer the radio edit of a
> song when playing them at home, but we supposedly prefer it
> that way on radio? Play one less song per hour and the same
> number of minutes for god sake! I swear radio programming
> has more unsupportable "rules" than any other artistic
> endeavor.
>
> > Same reason we sped up the turntables by 3%. Squeeze that
> one extra song or spot in during the hour.
>
> I know radio stations will speed up a song, but I've never
> heard it was to get more songs or spots in. I was always
> told it was to increase the energy level of the radio
> station.
>

Depends on who you talk to and what decade it was.

All the reasons above have been used to justify editing and speed adjustments.

My personal opinion is doing it to make the station sound more up does in fact work, but only if your competition is playing the same songs at normal speed. It makes them sound sluggish. and it's something they could easily copy.

<P ID="signature">______________
Never hold a cat and a dustbuster at the same time.</P>
 
> My personal opinion is doing it to make the station sound
> more up does in fact work, but only if your competition is
> playing the same songs at normal speed.

I agree
<P ID="signature">______________
Jerry

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts" - late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan</P>
 
> > With those songs, and a few others, they've been heard SO
> > much that it just becomes natural. You don't even realize
>
> > that they are curse words - because they've been ingraned
> > into your head all this time. The "S**t I gotta have her"
>
> > line in ZZ Tops "Legs" comes to mind.
>
> When I was managing a rock station in Savannah, I was always
> amazed at the songs that would generate complaints and those
> that wouldn't. I got regular calls from misguided souls who
> thought Clapton was glamorizing drug use with "Cocaine".
> Also, Pat Benatar's "Hell is for children" because some
> dolts thought it meant she hated kids. But... I never once
> got a complaint about Mellencamp's cold voice, clear
> exclamation: "Forget about all that macho sh!t and learn how
> to play guitar!
>
> This brings me to a question though. I understand editing
> for language but why length? Who decided that songs have to
> be short? It's not as if you get judged by the number of
> songs you play. The number of spots maybe....
>





Why were songs edited for length -- 2 words:

Attention Span

Let's say that you have the nearly 7 minute version of Chicago's Beginnings (one of my favorites btw). People who don't like Chicago will tune out or change stations til they hear a song they like, if that song they like is short followed by one they may not really like, but can tolerate - they may switch back to the first station - still hearing that Chicago song they'll switch again, probably for a longer period of time.


edited because I can't spell for crap.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Zeke Terry on 06/27/05 02:18 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> > OK. Let me narrow the question a bit. I really meant for
> > reasons besides lyrics. The Queen example was one of
> > those...done for the sale of making the record tighter.
> >
> > I know of a couple of stations back in the day that would
> > edit out a slow passge in an otherwise uptempo song.
> Sweet's
> > "Love is Like Oxygen" is an example. Yes, it made it
> shorter
> > but they really wanted the slow part out.
> >
I worked for a PD at an AC station that used to edit all the guitar solos out of songs. He even took out the one in McCartney's "No More Lonely Nights"
At one point he used to run songs through a vocal emliminator. He did it to Prince's "I Would Die For You" to thin it out. It was just awful.
Ever hear the edit RKO did on ELO's "Turn To Stone"? They took a riff off another song oon the ELO album and did a blend at the start of the song so it would sound better coming out of a jingle or stop set instead of having it fade up. It actually sounded okay. Anothe PD I worked for blended "Forplay" and "Long Time" by Boston taking out the long bridge between the two songs.
 
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