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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2014 7:06:31 GMT -5
I am way behind on my weekly listenings. So today I'm listening to the show from 4/14/84. This dedication is to all minor league baseball players everywhere. The writer expressly says she wants to dedicate the song to every one of them and "if they listen to every word of the song" they'll know it comes from all their fans. The song...."Every Breath You Take" by the Police.
Epic fail!
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Post by woolebull on May 28, 2014 7:29:15 GMT -5
I am way behind on my weekly listenings. So today I'm listening to the show from 4/14/84. This dedication is to all minor league baseball players everywhere. The writer expressly says she wants to dedicate the song to every one of them and "if they listen to every word of the song" they'll know it comes from all their fans. The song...."Every Breath You Take" by the Police. Epic fail! I had a friend that made it through all levels of the minor leagues, with a few cups of coffee in the majors. I got to personally watch him play and hear his stories when he was in rookie ball, straight out of college. As crazy as that dedication sounds, and I'm sure the meaning was lost on that lady, it might have been the perfect LDD for the situation. These kids are literally obsessed over by men, women, boys, girls. They're significant others become the talk of the town down to where they sit in the stands. Small towns truly feel like they own these kids. The LDD is definitely a fail, but it could be seen as an unintentional telling of the truth of the obsessions people and towns have for these players. And trust me, they're watched. Every breath they take, every move they make.
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Post by mga707 on May 28, 2014 10:57:50 GMT -5
I knew at least several people who at the time it was a hit thought that "Every Breath You Take" was a sweet love song, not a song told from the POV of an obsessive stalker. They probably still think so--so many people pay little or no attention to lyrics.
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Post by woolebull on May 28, 2014 13:29:29 GMT -5
I knew at least several people who at the time it was a hit thought that "Every Breath You Take" was a sweet love song, not a song told from the POV of an obsessive stalker. They probably still think so--so many people pay little or no attention to lyrics. Yup. And that's why Paul is exactly right about it being such a failure...I wonder if the staff even paid attention to the lyrics? Countless cases of songs not matching, or just shouldn't have been played in the first place ( the teacher dedicating "Hello" to one of her former students comes to mind). Plus, did you ever wonder if they got the right song? Like, for example, someone in 1983 wanted "Let's Dance" to be played and they played the Chris Montez song of the same name. (Not that happened, just making a point). I can remember some songs that had the same title and pretty sure they played the wrong song in the dedication.
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Post by mkarns on May 28, 2014 13:54:58 GMT -5
I knew at least several people who at the time it was a hit thought that "Every Breath You Take" was a sweet love song, not a song told from the POV of an obsessive stalker. They probably still think so--so many people pay little or no attention to lyrics. Yup. And that's why Paul is exactly right about it being such a failure...I wonder if the staff even paid attention to the lyrics? Countless cases of songs not matching, or just shouldn't have been played in the first place ( the teacher dedicating "Hello" to one of her former students comes to mind). Plus, did you ever wonder if they got the right song? Like, for example, someone in 1983 wanted "Let's Dance" to be played and they played the Chris Montez song of the same name. (Not that happened, just making a point). I can remember some songs that had the same title and pretty sure they played the wrong song in the dedication. I remember an October 1983 countdown when "Every Breath You Take", in its last charting week, was an LDD from parents to their son who needed assistance breathing. Evidently they didn't recognize the full meaning of the verse lyrics, but the title and chorus at least seemed appropriate. I wonder if the writers of the baseball dedication included those breaths where some players were probably spitting tobacco? If that dedication appeared a year later they could have used Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer", which would also be a misinterpretation of the lyrics, but at least isn't about jealously stalking a lover.
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Post by woolebull on May 28, 2014 13:58:25 GMT -5
Yup. And that's why Paul is exactly right about it being such a failure...I wonder if the staff even paid attention to the lyrics? Countless cases of songs not matching, or just shouldn't have been played in the first place ( the teacher dedicating "Hello" to one of her former students comes to mind). Plus, did you ever wonder if they got the right song? Like, for example, someone in 1983 wanted "Let's Dance" to be played and they played the Chris Montez song of the same name. (Not that it happened, just making a point). I can remember some songs that had the same title and pretty sure they played the wrong song in the dedication. I remember an October 1983 countdown when "Every Breath You Take", in its last charting week, was an LDD from parents to their son who needed assistance breathing. Evidently they didn't recognize the full meaning of the verse lyrics, but the title and chorus at least seemed appropriate. I wonder if the writers of the baseball dedication included those breaths where some players were probably spitting tobacco? If that dedication appeared a year later they could have used Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer", which would also be a misinterpretation of the lyrics, but at least isn't about jealously stalking a lover.
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Post by matt on May 28, 2014 16:19:35 GMT -5
Countless cases of songs not matching, or just shouldn't have been played in the first place ( the teacher dedicating "Hello" to one of her former students comes to mind). The one with the teacher (I think in Mississippi) who dedicated "Hello" to a student was on the 4/5/86 show I believe. Still one of the creepier LDDs ever. I still don't understand how the AT40 staff chose that one. Another LDD that comes to mind as one that never should have been chosen by the staff IMO, was one on the 8/4/84 show in which a guy wrote about his entire family being killed in a car crash while on their way to visit him at college. Way too heavy of a story to be read on AT40...
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Post by briguy52748 on May 29, 2014 8:50:30 GMT -5
In 2012, after a rebroadcast of a January 1986 AT40, featuring the LDD of – I'm guessing here, just off memory – either the Electric Light Orchestra's "I'm Alive" or Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," at the time I questioned the wisdom of airing a letter from a writer who stated he was in prison for a crime in which he'd never forgive himself. This is – in part – what I said at the time, and it's in two posts: Are there LDDs on older programs that, now that they're being reaired, could trigger bad memories? (Such as, the letter written by someone going to jail for "doing something terrible that he would forever regret" to cause him to be estranged by virtually everyone in his life (read, raping a juvenile member of his family); or a love ballad request sent to celebrate a love that, after the show's airing, would dissolve into an abusive relationship.) Sure. I guess that's the chance you take when you re-air these old shows, and I am sure that Premiere takes those things into consideration when choosing programs to feature. For the most part, I try not to be critical about the LDDs, and when I hear one that I don't particularly like, I try to remember that it is merely subjective since "one man's trash is another's treasure." True, some of the dedications allude to bad things like: * Long-ago relationships that have long since ended and the letter writers would rather forget. * Sinister secrets that the letter writer doesn't specifically mention. For instance – it was a 1986 show that aired as part of the 1980s package – a guy going to jail for a crime he'd forever regret, and caused everyone to end their friendship/disown him. To me, even though he never said it explicitly, this means he had sex with an underage female family member and got caught, and there was always the possibility that the victim or her family listened to the show and all of a sudden all these bad skeletons came out of the closet. There is no blooming way that Premiere can be expected to contact every letter writer of the LDDs – except for that first one, the letter to Desiree, and both gave their consent – and ask if it's OK to play the LDD. (Some are dead, some cannot be tracked down or want to be left alone, and some undoubtedly would object fiercely and rudely.) Indeed, it was unlikely that the writer did not include details about his crime, whether it was theft (and it simply broke up a lot of friendships) or indeed was sexual abuse of a child and it destroyed a family. But I guess in the first place, I'd be really skittish to air such a letter without knowing more details, then or now. Certainly, I'd be reluctant, if I were Premiere (which certainly screens all shows very carefully), to re-air the show if it had a letter like that, because it was possible it could trigger bad memories that therapists and others have worked hard to suppress and get the victim and (surviving) loved ones to forget. Countless cases of songs not matching, or just shouldn't have been played in the first place ( the teacher dedicating "Hello" to one of her former students comes to mind). The one with the teacher (I think in Mississippi) who dedicated "Hello" to a student was on the 4/5/86 show I believe. Still one of the creepier LDDs ever. I still don't understand how the AT40 staff chose that one. Another LDD that comes to mind as one that never should have been chosen by the staff IMO, was one on the 8/4/84 show in which a guy wrote about his entire family being killed in a car crash while on their way to visit him at college. Way too heavy of a story to be read on AT40... I don't think the 1984 LDD was that bad … it was an unfortunate, tragic circumstance, to be sure, but nothing bad in and of itself about it. It's like what most LDDs were: mostly sentimental or celebratory, but sometimes happy, sometimes sad but always meaningful. Without hearing the LDD letter from the 1986 show for Lionel Richie's "Hello" or knowing more details, I can't tell you if it was simply a disadvantaged student that overcame the odds and he was especially proud of that student, or it was a creep of a teacher that was after a 17- or 18-year-old female student (in which he should not only have had his letter rejected but he should have been reported to his boss). (Although I will admit that, given wahoo's post, it appears that the old double-standard of a female teacher being the letter writer gave it a pass, and that it surely would have been rejected if it were a male teacher dedicating it to a female student.) Perhaps a few lines from the 1986 "Hello" LDD would help? Brian
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Post by BrettVW on May 29, 2014 13:30:57 GMT -5
The 4/5/86 "Hello" LDD has some creepy factor to it. That is my birthday show so I have heard it several times.
I know 12/14/02 has an affair LDD that stirred some controversy on here when it aired.
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Post by BrettVW on May 29, 2014 13:33:22 GMT -5
As for Premiere not airing shows because of 30 year old dedication letters being re aired at 7am on a Saturday, I highly doubt it is something that has been or would be an issue regardless of the letter
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Post by Mike on May 29, 2014 15:10:39 GMT -5
In 2012, after a rebroadcast of a January 1986 AT40, featuring the LDD of – I'm guessing here, just off memory – either the Electric Light Orchestra's "I'm Alive" or Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," at the time I questioned the wisdom of airing a letter from a writer who stated he was in prison for a crime in which he'd never forgive himself. This is – in part – what I said at the time, and it's in two posts: Are there LDDs on older programs that, now that they're being reaired, could trigger bad memories? (Such as, the letter written by someone going to jail for "doing something terrible that he would forever regret" to cause him to be estranged by virtually everyone in his life (read, raping a juvenile member of his family); or a love ballad request sent to celebrate a love that, after the show's airing, would dissolve into an abusive relationship.) Sure. I guess that's the chance you take when you re-air these old shows, and I am sure that Premiere takes those things into consideration when choosing programs to feature. For the most part, I try not to be critical about the LDDs, and when I hear one that I don't particularly like, I try to remember that it is merely subjective since "one man's trash is another's treasure." True, some of the dedications allude to bad things like: * Long-ago relationships that have long since ended and the letter writers would rather forget. * Sinister secrets that the letter writer doesn't specifically mention. For instance – it was a 1986 show that aired as part of the 1980s package – a guy going to jail for a crime he'd forever regret, and caused everyone to end their friendship/disown him. To me, even though he never said it explicitly, this means he had sex with an underage female family member and got caught, and there was always the possibility that the victim or her family listened to the show and all of a sudden all these bad skeletons came out of the closet. There is no blooming way that Premiere can be expected to contact every letter writer of the LDDs – except for that first one, the letter to Desiree, and both gave their consent – and ask if it's OK to play the LDD. (Some are dead, some cannot be tracked down or want to be left alone, and some undoubtedly would object fiercely and rudely.) Indeed, it was unlikely that the writer did not include details about his crime, whether it was theft (and it simply broke up a lot of friendships) or indeed was sexual abuse of a child and it destroyed a family. But I guess in the first place, I'd be really skittish to air such a letter without knowing more details, then or now. Certainly, I'd be reluctant, if I were Premiere (which certainly screens all shows very carefully), to re-air the show if it had a letter like that, because it was possible it could trigger bad memories that therapists and others have worked hard to suppress and get the victim and (surviving) loved ones to forget. Journey's did air that week (the 1/25 show), but the one you're talking about is the "I'm Alive" LDD from 1/18/86 (aired 2011). 9/19/87: "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" dedicated to a pair of kids who'd recently been in a farming incident, when Billy's song is not about being in those kind of tough situations at all...
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Post by Mike on May 29, 2014 15:12:18 GMT -5
I know 12/14/02 has an affair LDD that stirred some controversy on here when it aired. Don't know this show at all, but a glance at Rob's LDD list makes me think it's the "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" LDD... (the other ones that week were "There You'll Be" and "I Try", both of which seem less likely)
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Post by jmack19 on May 29, 2014 15:24:10 GMT -5
I am way behind on my weekly listenings. So today I'm listening to the show from 4/14/84. This dedication is to all minor league baseball players everywhere. The writer expressly says she wants to dedicate the song to every one of them and "if they listen to every word of the song" they'll know it comes from all their fans. The song...."Every Breath You Take" by the Police. Epic fail! It probably was a prank letter. I read an article in the 90s about a group of people who specialized in sending prank letters to Dear Abby & Casey Kasem that seemed to be sincere but weren't. A lot of them got past the censors, especially with Dear Abby. I will bet 5 to 10 long distance dedications a year were of songs that did not relate to the subject & most of those were intentional.
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Post by matt on May 29, 2014 15:47:12 GMT -5
There is no blooming way that Premiere can be expected to contact every letter writer of the LDDs – except for that first one, the letter to Desiree, and both gave their consent – and ask if it's OK to play the LDD. (Some are dead, some cannot be tracked down or want to be left alone, and some undoubtedly would object fiercely and rudely.) Indeed, it was unlikely that the writer did not include details about his crime, whether it was theft (and it simply broke up a lot of friendships) or indeed was sexual abuse of a child and it destroyed a family. But I guess in the first place, I'd be really skittish to air such a letter without knowing more details, then or now. Certainly, I'd be reluctant, if I were Premiere (which certainly screens all shows very carefully), to re-air the show if it had a letter like that, because it was possible it could trigger bad memories that therapists and others have worked hard to suppress and get the victim and (surviving) loved ones to forget. Brian I can't imagine that Premiere decides to air a show or not air a show based on an LDD. Sure, there has to be some criteria they have used in the past to choose which shows to schedule, but unless it is the rare case of an LDD that was truly unique (the one in which the LDD came from a girl in the former Soviet Union comes to mind--I think that one is on the 3/14/87 show?), LDDs have to be pretty low on the list of items on which the decision to air a show is based. And another question is: why would Premiere ever need to contact anyone associated with the LDDs? These are all from shows that aired over terrestrial radio in several hundred markets 25-35 years ago--there would be no legal requirement for Premiere to have to follow up with these people to see if it's OK to play them again today. That would be an impossible task, and if they had for some reason, been legally required to do so, my guess is that Premiere simply would have omitted the LDDs from the rebroadcast shows rather than deal with trying to get clearance or permission to play them (at least I know that if I were an decision-maker for the AT40 70's/80's series at Premiere, my take would be to scrap them--an added bonus would be that the need to edit down songs would be reduced).
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Post by BrettVW on May 29, 2014 15:55:28 GMT -5
I know 12/14/02 has an affair LDD that stirred some controversy on here when it aired. Don't know this show at all, but a glance at Rob's LDD list makes me think it's the "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" LDD... (the other ones that week were "There You'll Be" and "I Try", both of which seem less likely) It was actually I Try, because the writer and her lover had not left their spouses. "i try to say goodbye and I choke, try to walk away and I stumble..,"
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