Clear Channel Songs

[bobbo428]

Nore: I call this thread "Clear Channel" songs in "honor" of the corporate behemoth of the 1990s, 2000s, and early 2010s, which changed their name to iHeart Media.


This thread is one that will focus on songs that get humongous amounts of recurrent airplay--even those that didn't chart high. I am hearing one now: "Tempted," by Squeeze, the optional extra. Now there is a tune that isn't a Clear Channel song, Air Supply's maudlin "The One That Your Love." It is not a Clear Channel song because it gets no recurrent airplay because it is too soft for classic hits and doesn't quite fit into Pop Standards. The Adult contempo format got rid of this Australian duo (along with fellow soft-rock acts such as Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, et al) sometime in the '90s or early '00s....Now we have Rick Springfield singing a true Clear Channel song, "Jessie's Girl." In fact, aside from the occasional airing of "Don't Talk to Strangers," "Jessie's Girl" is the only song that gets recurrent airplay. You never hear "Speak to the Sky," ""I've Done Everything for You," "What Kind of Fool Am I," et al on those predictable, tightly-formatted classic-hits stations.

[jlthorpe]

Local radio stations in the 90s were very similar to the Clear Channel stations, whether they were Clear Channel-owned or not. "Jessie's Girl" and occasionally "Don't Talk to Strangers" were the only Springfield songs I would hear. Loverboy is another act that had a few 80s hits, but "Working for the Weekend" was the only one played with any regularity. Same with Night Ranger and "Sister Christian".

Also, add John Denver, the Carpenters, and Bread to the list of AC/soft rock acts that got little or no recurrent airplay back then. Even though 70s oldies were hot in the 90s.

[dth1971]

What about the Clear Channel/iHeart Media playlists of Christmas songs that are played on the iHeart stations that go all Christmas music every November-December year?

[bobbo428]

This week's 1974 countdown has, thankfully, few songs that have been run into the ground by decades of overplay. "Everlasting Love" did get a lot of recurrent airplay for about three decades, but I didn't mind because it was one of my favorites. The same went for "Tin Man," but I enjoyed that one as well. The Skynyrd song, the Bachman-Turner Overdrive tune, and the Bad Company number, of course, are probably the Clear Channeliest of the bunch because of classic rock radio's special fondness for them. Olivia's hit was played a lot by adult contempo for about 20 years, as was Gordon Lightfoot's song. "Then Came You" has gotten four dozen years of pretty consistent airplay.

[bobbo428]

One of the extras this week was a very Clear Channely song: "You Shook Me All Night Long," a way overplayed number and one of the most famous #35 peakers of all time. AC/DC is not one of my favorites. They have several other Clear Chanel-type songs, courtesy of constricted classic-rock playlists.

As far as the countdown went, many of the songs are considered too mellow for classic-hits stations. However, the tunes by Queen, Pat Benatar, Irene Cara, Kenny Loggins, the Pointer Sisters, Diana Ross, and possibly George Benson would probably get the Clear Channel seal of approval. I believe the Stephanie Mills song received recurrent airplay in our area until sometime in the 2000s.

As far as the Doobie Brothers go, many of their hits do get the Clear Channel nod, but surprisingly, not their two top-ten singles of the 1980s, "Real Love" or "The Doctor." I can't tell you when I last heard either one. "The Doctor" is from the Shadoe era.

[bobbo428]

Taking a look at the Hot 100, forty years ago this week, here are the songs that Clear Channel, et al still love:

Jack and Diane
Who Can It Be Now
Hard to Say I'm Sorry (adult contempo)
I Keep Forgettin' (Adult contempo0
Somebody's Baby
I Ran
Up Where We Belong (Adult contempo)
Eye of the Tiger
Gypsy
Gloria
The One You Love ('through the 2000s0
I Get Excited (at least through 2000s)
What About Me
Maneater
Rock the Casbah (Classic Hits)
Everybody Wants You (classic rock)
Shakin' (classic rock0
Hurts So Good (the Clear Channeliest song of all time?!0
Think I'm In Love
Tainted Love (a song I used to enjoy, but four decades of constant overplay has soured me to it)

[bobbo428]

NOW HERE ARE SOME MID-'70S OCTOBER SONGS THAT HAVE THE BEHEMOTH'S STAMP OF APPROVAL:

1974

Then Came You
Nothin' from Nothin'
Sweet Home Alabama
Can't Get Enough (primarily classic rock)
Jazzman (adult contempo through 2000s)
Tin Man (adult contempo through 2000s)
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
Everlasting Love

NOW HERE WE GO WITH 1975:

Fame
It Only Takes a Minute
Dance With Me
Miracles
Who Loves You
Lyin' Eyes (The Eagles are always a Clear Channely bet)
Heat Wave (through 2000s)
This Will Be
S.O.S.
Low Rider
Mexico (the lowest-charting single of that year that has gotten lots of recurrent airplay)
Born to Run
Nights On Broadway
Island Girl (through 2000s but got canceled due to politically incorrect lyrics)
Never Been Any Reason (through 2000s on classic-rock radio)

[bobbo428]

NOW IT IS TIME FOR 1976, THE YEAR OF THE RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE IN BINGHAMTON, NY (23 DEGREES)

Say You Love Me (Never bet against The Mac!)
Play That Funky Music
Shake Your Booty
Lowdown
Still the One
With Your Love (adult contempo through 2000s)
If You Leave Me Now
Rock "n' Me
Magic Man (classic rock)
Fernando (adult contempo--through 2000s)
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
You Are the Woman
The Rubberband Man
Do You Feel (classic rock)
More Than a Feeling (a no-brainer here!)
Tonight's The Night
You Don't Have to Be a Star (adult contempo through 2000s)
Nights Are Forever Without You (adult contempo--through 2000s)

Biggest non-Clear Channel October hit: Love So Right
Least surprising non-Clear Channel song: Muskrat Love (cheese factor, of course)

[bobbo428]

WARMING UP FOR THIS WEEK'S SHOW FROM 45 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK:

Swaying to the Music (Adult contempo--through 2000s)
Cold As Ice
Boogie Nights
Nobody Does It Better (Adult contempo--through 2000s)
Brickhouse
How Deep Is Your Love
Blue Bayou
We're All Alone (adult contempo--through 2000s)
I Go Crazy (mostly adult contempo)
Come Sail Away (primarily classic rock)
Gold Dust Woman (classic rock album cut)
The Chain (classic-rock album cut)

Biggest non-Clear Channel hit: You Light Up Mi Life (just featured as a LDD in the '80s series!!)

[chrislc]

Oct 26, 2022 20:50:21 GMT -5 bobbo428 said:

NOW IT IS TIME FOR 1976, THE YEAR OF THE RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE IN BINGHAMTON, NY (23 DEGREES)

Say You Love Me (Never bet against The Mac!)
Play That Funky Music
Shake Your Booty
Lowdown
Still the One
With Your Love (adult contempo through 2000s)
If You Leave Me Now
Rock "n' Me
Magic Man (classic rock)
Fernando (adult contempo--through 2000s)
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
You Are the Woman
The Rubberband Man
Do You Feel (classic rock)
More Than a Feeling (a no-brainer here!)
Tonight's The Night
You Don't Have to Be a Star (adult contempo through 2000s)
Nights Are Forever Without You (adult contempo--through 2000s)

Biggest non-Clear Channel October hit: Love So Right
Least surprising non-Clear Channel song: Muskrat Love (cheese factor, of course)

So weird that I would see this post today, having just listened yesterday to an October '76 Casey on IHeart and remembering that I must have played You Are The Woman a couple thousand times over the years, probably at least 15 years after 1976.

It seems like Fall '76 had an unusually high number of songs like that one, with enduring acceptability to radio listeners. I don't know if Clear Channel plays or played Don't Fear The Reaper much, but if not, many other Classic Rock stations did and still do, I think.

Still the One almost sounds like it was composed by scientists in a lab, in an attempt to come up with the perfect New Country/AC sounding hit. It really anticipated Country of the late 90s early 00s.

Or maybe I am projecting a relatively good time in my life onto the hits of that season. Who knows? But it seems to me anyway, that 1976 in general and especially the fall of that year had a Top 40 that stood the test of time, with an occasional ducky exception. I just wish that Barry Gibb hadn't lost his mind and had chosen to sing those dozen huge hits 1976-79 in a normal voice. They would have been better, no? Guilty was good. Trying to sound like Russell Tompkins Jr wouldn't have made it better.

[bobbo428]

We are now up to songs from mid-autumn 1978, or 44 years ago that got lots of recurrent airplay on Clear Channel/iHeart, Audacy, etc:

Three Times a Lady (AC through 2000s)
Boogie Oogie Oogie
Kiss You All Over
Hot Child in the City
Reminiscing (Ac through '00s)
Summer Nights
Whenever I Call You Friend (AC through 2000s)
Hollywood Nights
Right Down the Line
Don't Look Back (Classic rock)
She's Always a Woman
I Love the Night Life
Who Are You (Classic rock)
Beast of Burden (Classic rock)
Double Vision (Classic rock)
How Much I Feel (adult contempo through 2000s)
Sweet Life (Ac through 2000s)
MacArthur Park
Sharing the Night Together (AC recurrent until about mid-2000s)
I Just Wanna Stop (AC recurrent through the 2000s)
Blue Collar Man (Classic rock)
Time Passages (Ac through about mid-2000s)
Straight On (classic rock)
Lights (despite its low chart peak--in both 1978 and 1993)
Biggest hit that doesn't get recurrent airplay anymore: "You Needed Me" (considered too mellow for AC and classic hits--would be considered a pop standard now

[bobbo428]

Now for some songs from mid-autumn 1979 that still get the Clear Channel, et al seal of approval:

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough
My Sharona
Heartache Tonight
Lonesome Loser (through 2000s)
Dirty White Boy (Classic rock)
Please Don't Go
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Babe
Cruel to Be Kind
After the Love Has Gone (AC through 2000s)
Don't Bring Me Down
Born to Be Alive
Take the Long Way Home (set to debut on this week's B show)

NOW FOR THIS WEEK IN 1980:

Another One Bites the Dust
He's So Shy
Upside Down
Never Knew Love Like This Before (AC through 2000s)
I'm Coming Out
I'm Alright
Dreamer (Classic rock)
Whip It
On the Road Again (Classic country)
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Give Me the Night (Ac through 2000s)
You Shook Me All Night Long

[bobbo428]

Now we salute this week's A show on American Top 40: The '80s, by listing the songs that still get radio's recurrent love:

Private Eyes (AC through 2000s)
Start Me Up
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Super Freak
Waiting for a Girl Like You
Just Once (AC through 2000s)
Who's Crying Now
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
Young Turks
In the Dark (Classic rock)
Let's Groove
Our Lips Are Sealed
Don't Stop Believin'

[chrislc]

Aug 3, 2022 21:29:41 GMT -5 bobbo428 said:

Nore: I call this thread "Clear Channel" songs in "honor" of the corporate behemoth of the 1990s, 2000s, and early 2010s, which changed their name to iHeart Media.


This thread is one that will focus on songs that get humongous amounts of recurrent airplay--even those that didn't chart high. I am hearing one now: "Tempted," by Squeeze, the optional extra. Now there is a tune that isn't a Clear Channel song, Air Supply's maudlin "The One That Your Love." It is not a Clear Channel song because it gets no recurrent airplay because it is too soft for classic hits and doesn't quite fit into Pop Standards. The Adult contempo format got rid of this Australian duo (along with fellow soft-rock acts such as Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, et al) sometime in the '90s or early '00s....Now we have Rick Springfield singing a true Clear Channel song, "Jessie's Girl." In fact, aside from the occasional airing of "Don't Talk to Strangers," "Jessie's Girl" is the only song that gets recurrent airplay. You never hear "Speak to the Sky," ""I've Done Everything for You," "What Kind of Fool Am I," et al on those predictable, tightly-formatted classic-hits stations.

What songs from the countdowns you have mentioned to this point, do you think you would have been most surprised at that time, that they became long-lasting popular songs? And what songs do you think you would have been most surprised at that time, that they DID NOT become songs of long-lasting popularity?

I think this is a fascinating subject, more interesting the older I get (which may say more about me than about the subject ha ha). I think it's also interesting to notice what songs are chosen to be used on national TV commercials. For a long time it seemed like songs by Queen in particular were being used, a very high percentage of their hit songs.