(Above: I still can't quite figure it out.) "Did you see it?" Conversations on a typical Tuesday morning in high school weren't interesting: tests, girls, dirty jokes, and the like. But the morning of May 17, 1983 wasn't typical. The baseball season was just getting started, and the White Sox had gained a game on … Continue reading Motown 60: Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean” (1983)
1980s
So long, WLUP: Songs I learned from “The Loop”
Word spread rapidly this morning that Merlin Media, who had been trying to sell Chicago's WLUP, finally found a buyer: the Educational Media Foundation. EMF serves the contemporary Christian format over satellite to its affiliates. The format, called "K-Love," has been on the air on a signal out of suburban Elgin for some time, but … Continue reading So long, WLUP: Songs I learned from “The Loop”
Great lost hit: Paul Carrack, “Don’t Shed a Tear” (1987)
(Above: The One Good Reason LP) One of the things that gold-based formats consistently get wrong is an over-reliance on the same songs over and over. I know I've ranted about the "decades" channels on Sirius XM before, but they serve as a perfect example of "not going deep enough." Deeper lists equal low cumulative … Continue reading Great lost hit: Paul Carrack, “Don’t Shed a Tear” (1987)
Rockin’ the suburbs: The Billboard Top Rock Tracks, February 12, 1983
Yesterday's post about the songs likely played at the school dances right around this time was a bit of a bummer. It's not because school dances themselves are sad - certainly not so many years later - but because the songs on the list were, frankly, a downer. They're also not the things I would … Continue reading Rockin’ the suburbs: The Billboard Top Rock Tracks, February 12, 1983
Hearts and dances: Billboard Adult Contemporary hits of February 1983-1986
(Above: A high school dance, circa 2018) The power of Twitter: I learned that my old high school, Victor J. Andrew HS, is holding a dance tonight. It's called "Just Dance." It comes at the end of Spirit Week, which had a variety of activities to bolster pride in the school. Tickets for Just Dance … Continue reading Hearts and dances: Billboard Adult Contemporary hits of February 1983-1986
Christmas on the air: The songs I hated – and loved – to play
In the last post, I talked about working in both retail and in radio. In both careers I got to deal with people, often at their worst. I also worked on or around Christmas in both jobs, and it is for that reason that I think I never truly appreciated the holiday like I did … Continue reading Christmas on the air: The songs I hated – and loved – to play
Radio and Records Top 89 of ’89: AOR (December 15, 1989)
(Above: Before the Internet, it's how we looked for work.) Once upon a time, even DJs read the paper, and that paper was Radio & Records. R&R, as we called it, was a paper that served as the journal for both the radio and the music industries. It was where you read about program directors … Continue reading Radio and Records Top 89 of ’89: AOR (December 15, 1989)
Rest in peace, Pat DiNizio: The Smithereens, “A Girl Like You” (1989)
(Above: One of The Three LPs of early 1990.) For the last year or so it's felt like there's been an increase in the rate of death in the music world. Basic math explains a bit of this: the Baby Boom generation + time = end of life. Rock stars in their 70s and 80s … Continue reading Rest in peace, Pat DiNizio: The Smithereens, “A Girl Like You” (1989)
Movin’ out: Songs of Relocation (Various)
(Above: Celebrating the first night in the new home with what's available.) You'll notice that creative output of this blog has tapered off in the last several weeks. That's because my wife and I have been in the process of packing up everything we own (and some things we don't but are caretakers for) and … Continue reading Movin’ out: Songs of Relocation (Various)
Songs of sock hops: The Billboard Hot 100: October 6, 1984
(Above: This sort of rain calls for a forecast of drama and commitment.) Another weekend, another opportunity to catch the VJ Big 40 Countdown on Sirius XM's 80s on 8 Channel. This weekend they chose to go back to 1984 - my junior year of high school. It would have been right around Homecoming time … Continue reading Songs of sock hops: The Billboard Hot 100: October 6, 1984
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 