What is the most overplayed song on the radio from the 70s/80s?

[davideduardo]

Interesting. Without violating confidentiality -- not naming station or city -- could you give us an example or two of a song that was dropped from a major-market playlist due to listener burnout? Are there any in Classic Hits or are we just talking about CHR songs that were dead on arrival?

While I could name hundreds of songs, if not thousands, that have been "pulled" due to burn, you would not know most of them.

Oh, I don't know about that. I'm a certifiable oldies geek and have done an awful lot of listening to an awful lot of stations playing current music in the 1960s-1980s and oldies/classic hits in the 1990s-present. I have a pretty good idea of the songs my local oldies/classic hits station has dropped over the past couple of years. I can't imagine there are many truly burnt-out titles that would stump me.

If there's some ethical concern that's forcing you to play it cagy with me on this, I understand. Otherwise, fire away with some real-life examples, please. I'm curious.

AC in LA: Carito, Carlos Vives
Classic Hits in LA and 4 other Top 5 markets: Cristian, No Podrás or Paquita la del Barrio, Rata de dos Patas.

 

[CTListener]

Interesting. Without violating confidentiality -- not naming station or city -- could you give us an example or two of a song that was dropped from a major-market playlist due to listener burnout? Are there any in Classic Hits or are we just talking about CHR songs that were dead on arrival?

While I could name hundreds of songs, if not thousands, that have been "pulled" due to burn, you would not know most of them.

Oh, I don't know about that. I'm a certifiable oldies geek and have done an awful lot of listening to an awful lot of stations playing current music in the 1960s-1980s and oldies/classic hits in the 1990s-present. I have a pretty good idea of the songs my local oldies/classic hits station has dropped over the past couple of years. I can't imagine there are many truly burnt-out titles that would stump me.

If there's some ethical concern that's forcing you to play it cagy with me on this, I understand. Otherwise, fire away with some real-life examples, please. I'm curious.

AC in LA: Carito, Carlos Vives
Classic Hits in LA and 4 other Top 5 markets: Cristian, No Podrás or Paquita la del Barrio, Rata de dos Patas.

Ahhhh... Latino hits! You got me! Well played, sir.

 

[davideduardo]

Ahhhh... Latino hits! You got me! Well played, sir.

But... here is one to watch. PSY's Gangnam Style. It's getting quite a lot of adds due to the near 300 million views of the YouTube video. But my guess is that this is the typical novelty song; it will burn to a very crispy status at some point.

For a radio station, the key to this kind of song is to nuke 'em before they go totally negative so they benefit you in the short run and don't hurt you in the long run.

 

[oldies76]

Can't forget "Old Time Rock and Roll." Movie exposure helped that one immensely, as it did for "Unchained Melody."

Also "Against the Wind"....but it would take a bribe and twisting one's arm until it breaks, just to get "Fire Lake" (1980) on the air, one of Seger's best for sure!

And David, please don't tell us that "Fire Lake" is a stiff either..... ???

 

[firepoint525]

Can't forget "Old Time Rock and Roll." Movie exposure helped that one immensely, as it did for "Unchained Melody."

Also "Against the Wind"....but it would take a bribe and twisting one's arm until it breaks, just to get "Fire Lake" (1980) on the air, one of Seger's best for sure!
And David, please don't tell us that "Fire Lake" is a stiff either..... ???

"Like A Rock" no longer gets airplay, but that is due to its overexposure in Chevy truck commercials for about 10 years! Not really due to radio airplay. Of course, I'm thinking that once it became the Chevy truck commercial, radio shied away from playing it for that reason.

 

[buster2]

I'll never forget the day I was driving home from school when "Against the Wind" was a hit. And was it ever a hit! Unfortunately, I never really liked it. Well, I turned on my favorite station, and there it was. So I flipped to my second-favorite station. And there it was. So I went to a third station. And there it was. And then a fourth, and finally a FIFTH station. Each of them were playing that song. If only iPods had existed in those days.....

 

[hornet61]

" Rata De Dos Patas" let's leave my ex-wife out of this..please..

 

[stevations]

When the songs were released.....Joy to The World by Three Dog Night and a song called Chic a Boom by Daddy Dewdrop were over played. Also the Beatles "Let it Be" seemed to be over played but maybe it is because the song seemed to be made too long to start with... I love the Beatles but that song and "Hey Jude" seemed to go on forever. The two songs seem to sound very alike also.

 

[ixnay]

What is the most overplayed song on the radio from the 70s/80s?

I would say Eagles "Hotel California" followed by Rupert Holmes "Escape"
What makes the list, and have you ever called the station and asked why they play the song way too much on the radio?

I'd go with "Hotel California," if only because it is a staple of both classic hits ("oldies") and classic rock stations, while no classic rocker would ever play the Holmes song. I've never called the station, but I'd imagine the truthful answer, were they to give you one, would be "Audience research shows it's still extremely popular in the demographic our advertisers want to reach."

I haven't heard Holmes's followups to "Escape" ("Him" and "Answering Machine") on any format since they were on the charts.

ixnay

 

[ixnay]

Can't forget "Old Time Rock and Roll." Movie exposure helped that one immensely, as it did for "Unchained Melody."

I'm not a movie buff, though I know about "Unchained Melody" being in Ghost, but what flick gave the boost to OTRaR?

ixnay

 

[firepoint525]

Can't forget "Old Time Rock and Roll." Movie exposure helped that one immensely, as it did for "Unchained Melody."

I'm not a movie buff, though I know about "Unchained Melody" being in Ghost, but what flick gave the boost to OTRaR?

ixnay

Risky Business

 

[firepoint525]

If you were not a fan of the BeeGees, spring 1978 would have been a tough time for you to listen to top 40 radio. The BeeGees, and other songs and artists associated with the BeeGees (usually written or co-written by Barry Gibb) were all over the radio back then. In April 1978, Barry Gibb had a hand in at least FIVE songs that were in the top 10 at the time:

"Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever" by the BeeGees
"Love Is Thicker than Water" by Andy Gibb
"Emotion" by Samantha Sang
"If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman

And the BeeGees recent #1, "How Deep Is Your Love," had finally dropped out of the top 10 after being there for four months!

I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who was overjoyed when the anti-BeeGees backlash set in beginning in the early '80s. Although ironically enough, I kinda like their music now, and I liked "Tragedy" even while it was a hit. Go figure!

 

[oldies76]

Bee Gees, even back to the late 60's with their early hits, through the 70's and into the 90's with hits like "Alone" are just one spectacular group! Incredible music.

Remember "One" from 1989? Hit #7 that year on the Hot 100. An incredible comeback for them.

Personally, I enjoy their 1975 hits which are not played as frequent as the late 70's hits. "Nights on Broadway" and "Jive Talkin'" are great songs!

Then you have '76 classics like "Love So Right", "Fanny" and "You Should Be Dancing"

 

[Groove1670]

I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who was overjoyed when the anti-BeeGees backlash set in beginning in the early '80s. Although ironically enough, I kinda like their music now.

Great songs. Everyone was caught up in the negative hype at the time from rockers and free form radio fans. Now the Bee Gees and several rock acts coexist peacefully of classic hits statons.

A group like Bon Jovi never would of played on a classic rock or AC station a few years back.

Getting old has a way of changing perspective.

 

[allenv]

Play That Funky Music.... Can't wait to hear that again??? Makes me wanna shut the garage door and rev the engine...

 

[willdav713]

Play That Funky Music.... Can't wait to hear that again??? Makes me wanna shut the garage door and rev the engine...

Me neither, it was played on Jammin 103.1 this afternoon. Interesting enough that song was used when Bill White entered into the race for Texas Governor back in 2010. One of his favorite songs.

 

[billyg]

I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who was overjoyed when the anti-BeeGees backlash set in beginning in the early '80s. Although ironically enough, I kinda like their music now, and I liked "Tragedy" even while it was a hit. Go figure!

I was a junior in high school though I liked their music, they were all over Top 40 in 1978 and early 79. I think too much Bee Gees caused the death of Top 40 on AM.

And Disco was almost blacklisted from American radio until the short-lived "Jammin' Oldies" format came along. That helped disco find a new audience and older listeners who hadn't heard that music in 20 years realized that many were great records.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Play That Funky Music.... Can't wait to hear that again??? Makes me wanna shut the garage door and rev the engine...

Careful, could cause the onset of nausea.

 

[hornet61]

Play That Funky Music.... Can't wait to hear that again??? Makes me wanna shut the garage door and rev the engine...

Careful, could cause the onset of nausea.

maybe so, but it still packs the dance floor. especially when mixxed with brick house.

 

[ixnay]

I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who was overjoyed when the anti-BeeGees backlash set in beginning in the early '80s. Although ironically enough, I kinda like their music now, and I liked "Tragedy" even while it was a hit. Go figure!

I was a junior in high school though I liked their music, they were all over Top 40 in 1978 and early 79. I think too much Bee Gees caused the death of Top 40 on AM.

Singlehandedly? And how did Top 40 on FM survive the Gibbs?

ixnay