Do these songs really belong on a AAA playlist?

Heartbreaker-Pat Benatar Possibly, but "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" might be a better choice
Old Time Rock & Roll-Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Doesn't belong on AAA, more classic rock/hits/AOR
Heartache Tonight-Eagles Same as Bob Seger
Every Breath You Take-The Police Yes, overplayed as stated before, but The Police are a staple of AAA playlists
Missing-Everything But the Girl Definitely NOT. This 90's dance track, and even the original, belong on Hot AC, Rhythmic AC and AC's
Dance Hall Days-Wang Chung In small doses, fine
Feelin' Stronger Every Day-Chicago More for AOR/Classic Rock
DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME - ELTON JOHN ^^^ Ditto
Hey Yeah-Steve Miller Band ^^^ Ditto
Start Me Up-The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones belong on AAA
Jackie Blue-Ozark Mountain Daredevils Don't know this one
Mother and Child Reunion-Paul Simon Yes
I Could Not Ask for More-Edwin McCain Too lite for AAA, more AC type track
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey-Paul McCartney Yes
It's My Life-No Doubt Maybe "Don't Speak" or "Simple Kind of Life"
Touch Me-The Doors Yes!!
We All Fall In Love Sometime-Elton John Take it or leave it
Not Ready to Make Nice-Dixie Chicks No way.
Ventura Highway-America Classic Rock.

The very definition of AAA for most stations includes a classic rock component. If you're leaning older, I'd say Elton John's a safer bet than anything from Pat Bentar which is more of a Hot AC/Classic Hits type of cut.

WBIMDJ said:

Heartbreaker-Pat Benatar Possibly, but "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" might be a better choice
Old Time Rock & Roll-Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Doesn't belong on AAA, more classic rock/hits/AOR
Heartache Tonight-Eagles Same as Bob Seger
Every Breath You Take-The Police Yes, overplayed as stated before, but The Police are a staple of AAA playlists
Missing-Everything But the Girl Definitely NOT. This 90's dance track, and even the original, belong on Hot AC, Rhythmic AC and AC's
Dance Hall Days-Wang Chung In small doses, fine
Feelin' Stronger Every Day-Chicago More for AOR/Classic Rock
DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME - ELTON JOHN ^^^ Ditto
Hey Yeah-Steve Miller Band ^^^ Ditto
Start Me Up-The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones belong on AAA
Jackie Blue-Ozark Mountain Daredevils Don't know this one
Mother and Child Reunion-Paul Simon Yes
I Could Not Ask for More-Edwin McCain Too lite for AAA, more AC type track
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey-Paul McCartney Yes
It's My Life-No Doubt Maybe "Don't Speak" or "Simple Kind of Life"
Touch Me-The Doors Yes!!
We All Fall In Love Sometime-Elton John Take it or leave it
Not Ready to Make Nice-Dixie Chicks No way.
Ventura Highway-America Classic Rock.

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I'll counter-attack these with my OWN opinions:

"Heartbreaker" - Pat Benatar - noooo....seems a bit too heavy for a Triple-A station, it's a staple of classic rock stations, though

"Old Time Rock And Roll" - Bob Seger - yeah this one would also be more appropriate for classic rock stations

"Heartache Tonight" - The Eagles (see above)

"Every Breath You Take" - an essential for both Triple-A AND classic rock!!! Yeah, overplayed, but I'm a HUGE Police nut!!!

"Missing" - Everything But the Girl - does just fine as Triple-A IMO - Music Choice's Adult Alt station played this one a lot (they prob'ly still do, but hard to say since I haven't heard the station for over a year now)

"Dance Hall Days" - Wang Chung - this one is just more...ummm...pop...I guess

"Feelin' Stronger Everyday" - Chicago - either classic rock or adult contemporary

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" - Elton John - see above - however, for the AAA stations that like playing late '60s/early '70s tracks along with the usual Triple A fare, this song does just fine IMO

"Hey Yeah" - Steve Miller Band - would do fine on stations that play both classic rock and newer "hard rock" songs

"Start Me Up" - The Rolling Stones - The Stones have PLENTY more apt tracks for Triple A than this one!! (examples - "Wild Horses", "Angie", "Ruby Tuesday", etc.)

"Jackie Blue" - Ozark Mtn. Daredevils - one of those adult contemporary/classic rock crossovers, but not for Triple A

"Mother And Child Reunion" - Paul Simon - Simon's solo work is essential on most Triple A stations!! I don't think this would be an exception

"I Could Not Ask For More" - Edwin McCain - idk this one sorry

"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" - Paul McCartney - again, classic rock/adult contemporary crossover - Triple A tracks from Macca would ideally be either newer ones ("Fine Line", "Jenny Wren", etc.) or the more acoustic sounding side of his older tracks ("Bluebird", "Every Night", etc. - though those probably don't get much airplay on Triple A stations due to their obscurity )

"It's My Life" - No Doubt - I don't know too many Triple A stations that play No Doubt, as odd as it may seem - I like them, but there's better No Doubt songs than this one - also I just think it'd seem kinda odd to play No Doubt on a Triple A station

"Touch Me" - The Doors - noooo....The Doors are MUCH more fit for classic rock!!

"We All Fall In Love Sometime" - Elton John - dunno it sorry

"Not Ready to Make Nice" - The Dixie Chicks - NOOO!!!

"Ventura Highway" - America - an adult contemporary/classic rock crossover, like many listed here - some of the adult alt stations that play "older" material I could see playing America, though

Are the vigorous objections to the Dixie Chicks here based on their politics (and that ship sailed a LONG time ago, Rushbots and Beckheads) or on unsuitability for the format? I would think "Not Ready to Make Nice" and many other Chicks tracks would be a good fit for Americana-leaning AAA's. Legitimate musical reasons why not, anyone?

CTListener said:

Are the vigorous objections to the Dixie Chicks here based on their politics (and that ship sailed a LONG time ago, Rushbots and Beckheads) or on unsuitability for the format? I would think "Not Ready to Make Nice" and many other Chicks tracks would be a good fit for Americana-leaning AAA's. Legitimate musical reasons why not, anyone?

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If "that ship sailed a long time ago," then why are you sailing it again? When the Chicks took their three-year break following "the controversy" as they called it, they had a chance to make a clean start. Instead, they revived "the controversy" all over again, long after everyone else had moved on and grown tired of it. The song didn't receive much airplay on any format because it was whiny! I remember Lightning 100 (AAA here in Nashville) listing it on their online playlist back in 2006, but I literally never heard it played! They did, however, run ads for their show here in Nashville that year.

It's worth pointing out that "Not Ready to Make Nice" just simply does not fit in among the other titles mentioned here.

Last year, Lightning 100 trotted out the new material by the Courtyard Hounds (Martie and Emily without Natalie). I only heard it that once, but it definitely had more of a "rock" sound than anything that they had done before. Interesting that the sisters would change the name of their band, since the name "Dixie Chicks" existed long before Natalie (and her big mouth!) joined them.

Lightning 100's parent company used to own "the Phoenix," an Americana station that they operated from 1998-2002, but I never recalled hearing the Chicks there either, but that was during their heyday as a "mainstream" country act.

I never liked them even before "the controversy" because they were way to "feminista" for my taste, and I never really liked "mainstream" country music anyway.

Heartbreaker-Pat Benatar Possibly, but "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" might be a better choice

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Nope, too overplayed. How about the underrated "All Fired Up" instead? Maybe a little too "modern-rock sounding" for AAA, but it was a great one back in 1988.

The first name for "Alternative Rock" was "New Wave" in the late 1970s. The term "Alternative" took over in the 1980s.

An answer might be, if the target audience for that station likes the song, and enjoys hearing it on that station, then it fits the format.

SuperRadioFan said:

Call me a purist if you will, but the following songs were on the regular playlist of a commercial AAA station in Oregon, all played since midnight today.

Are they kidding?? There's so many more appropriate tracks than songs by Wang Chung, Chicago, and the burned beyond recognition "Every Breath You Take" IMHO. These slots could have been better used. I used to think this station was better, but I now retract that opinion.


Heartbreaker-Pat Benatar
Old Time Rock & Roll-Bob Seger & The Silver Bulle
Heartache Tonight-Eagles
Every Breath You Take-The Police
Missing-Everything But the Girl
Dance Hall Days-Wang Chung
Feelin' Stronger Every Day-Chicago
DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME - ELTON JOHN
Hey Yeah-Steve Miller Band
Start Me Up-The Rolling Stones
Jackie Blue-Ozark Mountain Daredevils
Mother and Child Reunion-Paul Simon
I Could Not Ask for More-Edwin McCain
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey-Paul McCartney
It's My Life-No Doubt
Touch Me-The Doors
We All Fall In Love Sometime-Elton John
Not Ready to Make Nice-Dixie Chicks
Ventura Highway-America

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I don't prefer most of these songs, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they "don't belong." I guess Chicago, America, and Pat Benatar jump out at me the most. That Wang Chung song is inoffensive enough to not get me too shaken hearing it on AAA, though some of their other tracks would be questionable. Everything But the Girl is a perfect AAA band; it's just that that song somehow turned into a massive pop juggernaut, thanks to the Todd Terry Mix. In general I don't approve of No Doubt on AAA but that song is fine, IMO. It's nice that someone with their degree of popularity is able to recognize a classic new wave song, esp. since it wasn't that big of a hit back then. I don't like that Dixie Chicks song and agree with firepoint525 about it being whiny and unnecessary after the ship went away, but I wouldn't say it doesn't belong. In fact, AAA often is the place where formerly established artists go when no other station will touch them anymore.

Now if you want "doesn't belong," when KPRI was going through their sellout phase a few years back they were playing songs like Avril Lavigne "Sk8er Bi" and Black Eyed Peas "Let's Get It Started"... :

Radical348 said:

Now if you want "doesn't belong," when KPRI was going through their sellout phase a few years back they were playing songs like Avril Lavigne "Sk8er Bi" and Black Eyed Peas "Let's Get It Started"... :

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You have my condolences. The AAA that I mentioned earlier in this thread used to play Maroon5!!! I am still to this day sick of "This Love"! At least they never, to the best of my knowledge, ever played any other M5.

Depending on where the station's musical core is, Maroon 5 is perfectly acceptable. In my experience, unless it is a heritage AAA which has progressed from a base of what we now call Classic Rock, mixing classic rock with AAA is a huge mistake. It confuses the audience since most of the new music in AAA comes from Modern/Alternative/Indie. Playing overplayed Classic Rock just sends the wrong message.

DudeFan said:

Depending on where the station's musical core is, Maroon 5 is perfectly acceptable. In my experience, unless it is a heritage AAA which has progressed from a base of what we now call Classic Rock, mixing classic rock with AAA is a huge mistake. It confuses the audience since most of the new music in AAA comes from Modern/Alternative/Indie. Playing overplayed Classic Rock just sends the wrong message.

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Yeah, especially in their earlier days. I know that "Harder to Breathe" (which is a bit of a stretch, but not much) and "This Love" (which is perfectly fiine) went for AAA adds. "Sunday Morning" would be fine too. "She Will Be Loved" is not a good match. Their latest album veers too much into pop territory, too.

I would love to agree with you about Classic Rock on AAA being a huge mistake as I hate that stuff, but can't. It seems to be an important part of many AAA stations, and many times new songs by classic rock artists only get AAA (and AC) airplay.

Most of the time new songs by classic artists describe the only thing going for the song.

Radical348 said:

DudeFan said:

In my experience, unless it is a heritage AAA which has progressed from a base of what we now call Classic Rock, mixing classic rock with AAA is a huge mistake. It confuses the audience since most of the new music in AAA comes from Modern/Alternative/Indie. Playing overplayed Classic Rock just sends the wrong message.

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I would love to agree with you about Classic Rock on AAA being a huge mistake as I hate that stuff, but can't. It seems to be an important part of many AAA stations, and many times new songs by classic rock artists only get AAA (and AC) airplay.

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I think Classic Rock is fine on an AAA but it depends on what type of Classic Rock. I think the mellower Classic Rock fits well with newer AAA music.

SuperRadioFan said:

turmoil1000 said:

i think america could be considered a 1970's aaa band and therefore the only song on that list that i would consider for rotation play at a triple a station.

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So if A Horse With No Name came on, you'd be fine with that?

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Or if "I Need You" or "Tin Man" made the playlist, I have no problem with it either.