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In light of the news, have any stations dropped "Kokomo"?

I

ixnay

As perhaps all of you know by now, a tragedy continues to unfold on the island of Aruba, which happens to be the first island mentioned in the chorus of the Beach Boys' "Kokomo". In light of this sad news, have any stations dropped "Kokomo" from their playlists, at least temporarily?

ixnay
 
Interesting thought but I have a feeling you haven't thought this all the way through. Why would they?

Did anyone drop songs with "New York" in the lyrics after 9-11?

It's not a continuing tragedy. Whatever happened has already happened. The only thing continuing is the stream of news reports. Tragedy? Sorry but one missing person case is a blip on the radar screen. Thousands of people die in a truly tragic way every day in this country. If the timing was different, say, she turned up missing on the same day as the Michael Jackson verdict comes in, you'd never have even heard about it.

> As perhaps all of you know by now, a tragedy continues to
> unfold on the island of Aruba, which happens to be the first
> island mentioned in the chorus of the Beach Boys' "Kokomo".
> In light of this sad news, have any stations dropped
> "Kokomo" from their playlists, at least temporarily?
>
> ixnay
>
 
> Interesting thought but I have a feeling you haven't thought
> this all the way through. Why would they?
>
> Did anyone drop songs with "New York" in the lyrics after
> 9-11?
>

Its almost that "9/11 Clear Channel No Play list" which I never saw or heard any station pay any attention to.
 
> > Interesting thought but I have a feeling you haven't
> thought
> > this all the way through. Why would they?
> >
> > Did anyone drop songs with "New York" in the lyrics after
> > 9-11?
> >
>
> Its almost that "9/11 Clear Channel No Play list" which I
> never saw or heard any station pay any attention to.
>

I take all this as "No they haven't".

I haven't heard "Kokomo" since the Aruba story broke, but then again I don't listen to too much music intensive radio on my own volition.

ixnay
 
stations dropped "Kokomo"?

I wouldn't. It's not like people are so wrapped up in every lyric they're going to hear the song and connect it to the tragedy in Aruba. A few MAY notice but radio listeners have lives- we are mostly one of their utilities. It would be akin to the thining after 9/11 not to play "Leaving On A Jet Plane" or "Jet Airliner" because listeners would be distraught over some connection to the WTC.
It's way-overthinking.
 
> As perhaps all of you know by now, a tragedy continues to
> unfold on the island of Aruba, which happens to be the first
> island mentioned in the chorus of the Beach Boys' "Kokomo".
> In light of this sad news, have any stations dropped
> "Kokomo" from their playlists, at least temporarily?

When I saw your subject line, my first thought was "Oh no,
what happened to Kokomo? (The real one.)

When I read your post, I thought, "you gotta be kidding!"

Did they stop playing Moon Over Miami when the Feds kidnapped
Elian?

(BTW, if you plan to buy music
ir
or anything else at Amazon.com, going to it via the
<A href=http://www.univox.com/radio">South Florida Radio Pages</A> helps to support the site! Thank you.)
<P ID="signature">______________
<center><hr>

Listen to samples from
<A href=http://www.univox.com/radio/saddamz.html>The Ballad of Saddam Hussein</A>
(comedy/parody on CD)</P>
 
> Interesting thought but I have a feeling you haven't thought
> this all the way through. Why would they?
>
> Did anyone drop songs with "New York" in the lyrics after
> 9-11?
>

Yes. CC pretty much banned any song that could be construed as a 9/11 reference, at least until the tribute songs came out a few weeks later. I believe even Sinatra's "New York, New York" was on the list.

But this is nowhere near on the scale of 9/11. Also, if a station was going to drop "Kokomo" anywhere, it would be in Birmingham. The market doesn't have an oldies station. Nobody was playing it anyway, which makes it moot.

Would I, if I were in such a position, play it right now (at least here in B'ham)? Probably not, because it would seem a tad crass. I doubt anyone in the rest of the country would see it that way.
 
There never was a Clear Channel 9/11 list people!

This is an urban legend! You sound uninformed when you make references to it, unless of course you were kidding.
 
> Yes. CC pretty much banned any song that could be construed
> as a 9/11 reference, at least until the tribute songs came
> out a few weeks later. I believe even Sinatra's "New York,
> New York" was on the list.

That was not true. Just an urban legend.<P ID="signature">______________
"...and the countdown continues until the neanderthals that govern college football do something about their pathetic postseason."--Tim Brando, Sporting News Radio</P>
 
> > Yes. CC pretty much banned any song that could be
> construed
> > as a 9/11 reference, at least until the tribute songs came
>
> > out a few weeks later. I believe even Sinatra's "New
> York,
> > New York" was on the list.
>
> That was not true. Just an urban legend.
>

I stand semi-corrected. According to Snopes, the list did in fact exist and was distributed by CC, although it wasn't mandatory.

Apparently, some individual PDs did follow the list, therefore it is possible that a song was pulled temporarily due to the fact that it referenced NYC.

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/radio.htm
 
I know

> This is an urban legend! You sound uninformed when you make
> references to it, unless of course you were kidding.
>

I was.
 
>

> > That was not true. Just an urban legend.
> >
>
> I stand semi-corrected. According to Snopes, the list did
> in fact exist and was distributed by CC, although it wasn't
> mandatory.
>

One PD made a list of songs that might be sensitive, and shared it with colleagues. There was no corporate distribution, no recommendation or policy on any list or any song. It is pure uban legend.

This is a case of a well-intentioned effort by a PD to avoid offending the audience after 9/11 being distorted by radio bashers to their own end.
 
Good post. You've invented a new game.

> I take all this as "No they haven't".

Correct. But don't take the responses as criticism. I know you were just "thinking out loud" not advocating Kokomo be banned. Besides, this is a radio board, not a doctoral dissertation. It musta been a good post. Look at all the responses.

It got the wheels turning. You could make a parlor game out of this. What are other songs we could strike from the airwaves under certain circumstances:

1) If Tropical Storm Arlene hits this weekend. We could ban "L.A. Woman" because it containst the lyrics "take a look around see which way the wind blow."

2)When the tsunami hit.. Should we have allowed stations to play Everclear's "Santa Monica"? It contains the lyrics: "We can live down by the ocean, leave the fire behind, swim out past the breakers, watch the world die." I mean.. breakers? dying? it's too close.
 
Re: stations dropped "Kokomo"?

> I wouldn't. It's not like people are so wrapped up in every
> lyric they're going to hear the song and connect it to the
> tragedy in Aruba. A few MAY notice but radio listeners have
> lives- we are mostly one of their utilities. It would be
> akin to the thining after 9/11 not to play "Leaving On A Jet
> Plane" or "Jet Airliner" because listeners would be
> distraught over some connection to the WTC.
> It's way-overthinking.


I broke a tooth once eating a nugget at McD's and immediately banned the Chicken Dance. Does that count?
 
sorry, you are sadly mistaken

WRONG! It's been well documented that "list" came from one over-zealous PD who thought he'd make brownie points with corporate. Randy Michaels immediately denounced this list, saying it amounted to censorship.


>
> Yes. CC pretty much banned any song that could be construed
> as a 9/11 reference, at least until the tribute songs came
> out a few weeks later. I believe even Sinatra's "New York,
> New York" was on the list.
>
> But this is nowhere near on the scale of 9/11. Also, if a
> station was going to drop "Kokomo" anywhere, it would be in
> Birmingham. The market doesn't have an oldies station.
> Nobody was playing it anyway, which makes it moot.
>
> Would I, if I were in such a position, play it right now (at
> least here in B'ham)? Probably not, because it would seem a
> tad crass. I doubt anyone in the rest of the country would
> see it that way.
>
 
Re: Good post. You've invented a new game.

> > I take all this as "No they haven't".
>
> Correct. But don't take the responses as criticism. I know
> you were just "thinking out loud" not advocating Kokomo be
> banned. Besides, this is a radio board, not a doctoral
> dissertation. It musta been a good post. Look at all the
> responses.
>
> It got the wheels turning.

If I offended anyone by getting those wheels turning, I apologize. As someone else on this thread pointed out, I should have thought this through. No, don't ban "Kokomo" permanently.

My prayers go out to the family, friends and classmates of the girl and I pray that she somehow be delivered safe and sound and unharmed.

> You could make a parlor game out
> of this. What are other songs we could strike from the
> airwaves under certain circumstances:
>
> 1) If Tropical Storm Arlene hits this weekend. We could ban
> "L.A. Woman" because it containst the lyrics "take a look
> around see which way the wind blow."
>
> 2)When the tsunami hit.. Should we have allowed stations to
> play Everclear's "Santa Monica"? It contains the lyrics: "We
> can live down by the ocean, leave the fire behind, swim out
> past the breakers, watch the world die." I mean.. breakers?
> dying? it's too close.
>


LOL! I se what you mean.

ixnay
 
> One PD made a list of songs that might be sensitive, and
> shared it with colleagues. There was no corporate
> distribution, no recommendation or policy on any list or any
> song. It is pure uban legend.
>
> This is a case of a well-intentioned effort by a PD to avoid
> offending the audience after 9/11 being distorted by radio
> bashers to their own end.

I still say this, notice how most of the songs on the list are rock songs?

-A<P ID="signature">______________

</P>
 
> > One PD made a list of songs that might be sensitive, and
> > shared it with colleagues. There was no corporate
> > distribution, no recommendation or policy on any list or
> any
> > song. It is pure uban legend.
> >
> > This is a case of a well-intentioned effort by a PD to
> avoid
> > offending the audience after 9/11 being distorted by radio
>
> > bashers to their own end.
>
> I still say this, notice how most of the songs on the list
> are rock songs?
>
> -A
>

I suspect the PD who compiled the list worked for a rock station and had never worked in another format (well, maybe oldies) and therefore didn't know any tunes outside those genres.
 
> > This is a case of a well-intentioned effort by a PD to
> avoid
> > offending the audience after 9/11 being distorted by radio
>
> > bashers to their own end.
>
> I still say this, notice how most of the songs on the list
> are rock songs?

This is because the particular PD was at a rock station and his interest was being sensitive to the mood of rock listeners.
 
> Interesting thought but I have a feeling you haven't thought
> this all the way through. Why would they?
>
> Did anyone drop songs with "New York" in the lyrics after
> 9-11?
>
> It's not a continuing tragedy. Whatever happened has already
> happened. The only thing continuing is the stream of news
> reports. Tragedy? Sorry but one missing person case is a
> blip on the radar screen. Thousands of people die in a truly
> tragic way every day in this country. If the timing was
> different, say, she turned up missing on the same day as the
> Michael Jackson verdict comes in, you'd never have even
> heard about it.

A one missing persons case is a tragedy at least for the family. It is a real sad story though. In general response to this thread, "Kokomo" has not be taken off the radio. With Summer coming, it is probably being played a little more often.


> > As perhaps all of you know by now, a tragedy continues to
> > unfold on the island of Aruba, which happens to be the
> first
> > island mentioned in the chorus of the Beach Boys'
> "Kokomo".
> > In light of this sad news, have any stations dropped
> > "Kokomo" from their playlists, at least temporarily?
> >
> > ixnay
> >
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Kevin</P>
 
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