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Strange song choices format-wise?

Scott2013 said:
I once heard oldies format Majic 105.7 (WMJI in Cleveland) play "Life's a Dance" by John Michael Montgomery.
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Very unusual. There were several country hits that crossed over to AC in the '90s but that wasn't one of them. I remember hearing Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Passionate Kisses" on AC WRCH in its day, which was fine because it was more power pop than country in its production and overall sound. The Judds' "Love Can Build a Bridge" was another, again not obtrusive in an AC context, having more in common with pop ballads like Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" than with straight-on country. The Montgomery hit, I think, is a little too twangy for an oldies station, especially in a Northern market.
 
CTListener said:
The Greenwood song was played early last month. That's why it stuck in my mind. When I was up in that area again this past weekend, the format seemed a bit more focused -- mainly '70s and '80s uptempo pop and rock-oriented hits, a few '90s tunes mixed in, no R&B, no disco, no MOR.
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I don't know how uptempo you mean, but WEZV mixes all those styles. "Free Falling" by Tom Petty, "Take It on the Run" and "Keep on Loving You" by REO Speedwagon, "Little Red Corvette" by Prince and a number of John Cougar Mellencamp songs are there. Those aren't really uptempo except for the fact the station tries to give the impression of being "lite". I wasn't aware you were talking about a station that normally leans rock, but there is such a thing.

Though WXRC in Charlotte NC is one of those rock-oriented stations and I've heard Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye.

Classic rock WRFX plays "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder.
 
I'm going to list one for WEZV. Everything else can probably be justified, but for a station trying to give the impression of being "Lite", there's no excuse for "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart.

Although "Little Red Corvette" is a curious choice for any station trying to be "lite".

Also, "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips on a former America's Best Music station which still uses that slogan and the theme music. Some of the true standards aren't played as much, but other than that it's pretty much the same as it was, with a few AC songs that weren't there before. But the pounding drums on this song really don't fit.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I'm going to list one for WEZV. Everything else can probably be justified, but for a station trying to give the impression of being "Lite", there's no excuse for "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart.

Although "Little Red Corvette" is a curious choice for any station trying to be "lite"..
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Both songs have been acceptable to audiences targeted by "lite" (AC) stations for nearly 20 years.
 
CTListener said:
Very unusual. There were several country hits that crossed over to AC in the '90s but that wasn't one of them. I remember hearing Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Passionate Kisses" on AC WRCH in its day, which was fine because it was more power pop than country in its production and overall sound. The Judds' "Love Can Build a Bridge" was another, again not obtrusive in an AC context, having more in common with pop ballads like Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" than with straight-on country. The Montgomery hit, I think, is a little too twangy for an oldies station, especially in a Northern market.
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I remember now-defunct AC station WBNZ playing "What Might Have Been" by Little Texas
 
ftballfan said:
I remember now-defunct AC station WBNZ playing "What Might Have Been" by Little Texas
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Both Passionate Kisses and What might Of Been were AC crossover songs, and were heard during their peak on AC. Corey Hart, Little Red Corvette, and even Pour some Sugar on Me are now heard on Mainstream AC. The songs and the original audience of these songs have matured. Yes, that is your parents music now.

Today's generation. If put to a test. Could not name 5 Prince songs in a row if they had to in 30 seconds.
 
But the anomaly can work the other way. Take for example, Toto's "Africa".

You can't escape this song in 2018. Weezer covered it. The internet has been crazy over this song the last few years and I'd dare to say it's more popular now than it was in 1982. I remember when the original song came out and it was popular. But don't remember anyone being THIS nuts about it back then as they are now.

So in a way, I'm not sure if this is my generation's song or theirs.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/a37pq5/africa-toto-song-internet-meme
 
I can remember listening to former active rock station 92.3 Xtreme Radio (WXTM) in Cleveland (now WKRK 92.3 The Fan) circa 2001 or 2002 and hearing "Because I Got High" by Afroman once, if you can believe that.
 
Scott2013 said:
I can remember listening to former active rock station 92.3 Xtreme Radio (WXTM) in Cleveland (now WKRK 92.3 The Fan) circa 2001 or 2002 and hearing "Because I Got High" by Afroman once, if you can believe that.
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Most alternative stations back in 2001 played it, along with Mackelmore in 2012/2013.

Speaking of alternative, our local station in DFW, Alt 103.7, played Lady Gaga, One Direction, and New Kids On The Block? Been seeing Facebook posts about it and a lot of people are upset that an alternative station is playing pop artists.
 
E-Cam said:
Most alternative stations back in 2001 played it, along with Mackelmore in 2012/2013.

Speaking of alternative, our local station in DFW, Alt 103.7, played Lady Gaga, One Direction, and New Kids On The Block? Been seeing Facebook posts about it and a lot of people are upset that an alternative station is playing pop artists.
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that doesn't make sense, this is just easily insure KEGL 97.1 The Eagle as the go to for new rock of all kinds, even if they lean towards the harder rock and classic rock and have a hot talk show on for 4 hours each afternoon. that station needs someone who knows alternative/modern rock to run that station.
 
I always thought some of the choices AC made in 2011-2012 were way out of place, but heard them on multiple stations. Examples include Rihanna - We Found Love, Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love, and Lady Gaga - Poker Face. The other one that seemed out of place to me was Katy Perry - Dark Horse, since there doesn't seem to be a universally accepted no-rap edit. Back to Soft AC, I heard KSWD play Footloose by Kenny Loggins some months back, a song that does not belong on a station promoting itself as "relaxing favorites." I'll accept it on KRWM, but that station, now mainstream AC, shed the soft favorites image years ago.
 
Maybe several years ago ACs would play "Unforgettable", the "duet" between Nat and Natalie Cole. I suppose enough time has passed that WEZV in Myrtle Beach SC can get away with it, but this is a station that has been playing "Hey Soul Sister", "Girl on Fire", "Fallin'", "Breakaway", "Brave', "Unwell" and "Smooth". A year ago they were trying to make clear songs like "Unforgettable" were NOT a part of the format, so younger people would listen.

And we're back to normal. "In Your Eyes".
 
KSWD played Unforgettable several months ago. While I thought it fit the format, it was still one song I wish they hadn't played at all.
 
An alternative station had Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" in regular rotation awhile back. Maybe not that unusual as Cash had some alternative airplay on "Hurt"
 
gr8oldies said:
An alternative station had Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" in regular rotation awhile back. Maybe not that unusual as Cash had some alternative airplay on "Hurt"
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Plus the movie brought that title to most people's awareness. At the time, the wearing of a black t-shirt with the white CASH letters was trendy among some alternative musicians.
 
Bongwater said:
But the anomaly can work the other way. Take for example, Toto's "Africa".

You can't escape this song in 2018. Weezer covered it. The internet has been crazy over this song the last few years and I'd dare to say it's more popular now than it was in 1982. I remember when the original song came out and it was popular. But don't remember anyone being THIS nuts about it back then as they are now.
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It only seems more "popular" because of much easier access to the song over the internet and endless streaming. "Africa" was all over the airwaves in late 1982 and 1983 and reached #1 on Billboard. It was huge then. As for the version by Weezer, it's average. Toto's is better and enjoyable.

And by the way, I'm not hearing the Weezer version on the radio nearly as much as the original back in the early 80's.
 
oldies76 said:
I'm not hearing the Weezer version on the radio nearly as much as the original back in the early 80's.
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Because the remake is only getting played on alternative stations and some active rock, while the Toto version was #1 at Top 40 and AC.

So that means broader airplay. #1 alternative may mean 4 plays a day, while #1 pop is twice that, on stations with more audience.
 
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