Let's watch everyone lose their minds. KRTH is playing...

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

What is this weird obsession with that song now?

It is the title of this thread, which is now almost 200 messages. The OP is sarcastic, implying that a classic hits station is committing a grievous error by playing an 8 year old song.

Last week, I was on a cruise ship where the median age of passengers seemed to be about mid-70’s. There’s a lot of live music for dancing, with different themes for each night. This night was “70’s night.” So the band, a group of young people from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, was playing ABBA, BeeGees, etc.

In the middle of 70’s night, some passenger went over to the band and requested “Uptown Funk.” So the band went ahead and played it. I recorded some of it below. People are dancing with their toddler grandchildren, waiters are walking around, the seniors are up and bogeying, everyone is happy. It’s an old-school sound. It could be 70’s, 80’s , whatever. It’s singable, danceable, etc.
It’s a sound that people like to hear.

I’m not sure what the objection is to KRTH’s playing it. David says that sometimes a P.D. makes the decision to play a song because , "it sounds like our station." Maybe that's what happened at KRTH.

A cruise ship band hired to play oldies will have "Uptown Funk" in their repertoire. They will not have "Rollin' in the Deep" in their repertoire, because they won't get requests for it. Adele is a great artist, but Rollin' in the Deep is not something that is danceable.

I'll try to link this video, but it may not load accurately, because it's a big file. P.S. Nope - had to convert it to a photo. But believe me, they played it, and all the old folks got up and danced. - D.

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

Also - I wanted to add something I thought about when I was away.

I thought we were NOT supposed to start threads about specific songs, because that has nothing to do with the profession of broadcasting, radio station management, or technology related to radio transmission.

I thought we were advised NOT to do that. -- D.

 

[Weiserguy]

What is this weird obsession with that song now?

Notwithstanding what everyone else has written, there's a very popular Youtube video -- over 69 million views in the last 7 years -- that intercuts snippets of classic 30's and 40's movies to make it seem like they are dancing to Uptown Funk. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers, Shirley Temple, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Durante, Groucho Marx, the Nicholas Brothers and many others. My guess is that provided more than a little lift to that song after its initial flight on the CHR stations.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Also - I wanted to add something I thought about when I was away.

I thought we were NOT supposed to start threads about specific songs, because that has nothing to do with the profession of broadcasting, radio station management, or technology related to radio transmission.

I thought we were advised NOT to do that. -- D.

In general, that is true. But, using an ancient example, when Elton John redid a past hit to honor Princess Diana, that would have been a valid and interesting topic.

But asking why a station does not play a particular song is irrelevant and I am going to start deleting such posts.

"A station does not play a certain song because the don't want to". That is all there is to it.

Thanks for pointing this out, Daryl Lynn.

 

[michael hagerty]

It is the title of this thread, which is now almost 200 messages. The OP is sarcastic, implying that a classic hits station is committing a grievous error by playing an 8 year old song.

Nope. The OP, in the ummm...original post...says:

And it sounds good.

And throughout the thread the OP (he be me) actually points up why this particular record makes sense for KRTH at this moment.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Exactly. It is not that great of a song, even by today's (rather, ahem, low) standards.

The merits of the song aside, repeatedly dwelling on it in post upon post….that’s a bit much.

 

[michael hagerty]

In general, that is true. But, using an ancient example, when Elton John redid a past hit to honor Princess Diana, that would have been a valid and interesting topic.

But asking why a station does not play a particular song is irrelevant and I am going to start deleting such posts.

"A station does not play a certain song because the don't want to". That is all there is to it.

Thanks for pointing this out, Daryl Lynn.

And this thread, clearly, isn't anything like that.

This is a discussion of the programming of what is now the number one radio station in Los Angeles. Eight-year-old records are very much a rarity on Classic Hits stations and you pretty much have to go back 50 years to the last time anything that current got play on an Oldies station. However, to score in the demos and attain the position KRTH has in a market like L.A., "Uptown Funk" is a logical, possibly, essential record to play.

Which is what makes this thread a far cry from "Why would anyone play "You Light Up My Life" in the first place?"

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

It is the newest song on their playlist (2014). They skipped over a few other smash hits like Rolling in the Deep and some others to get to that one to add to their playlist.

So what? Honestly, what’s the issue? Something is always going to be the newest song. And if the other songs aren’t getting played, there’s a damn good reason. No one “skipped over” A to “get to” B. That isn’t how it works.

 

[michael hagerty]

I was thinking about doing just that.

And now you have.

Serenade Radio played "Close to You" by The Carpenters and it had a longer ending than I ever heard before. I wasn't sure how to ask about that. It seems to end, and then there is this pounding on drums and another ending, kind of like Count Basie's "April in Paris".

That’s the original, from the album released in 1970. The single fades out before the slow piano, drums and repeat of the chorus..

 

[tall_guy1]

So what? Honestly, what’s the issue? Something is always going to be the newest song. And if the other songs aren’t getting played, there’s a damn good reason. No one “skipped over” A to “get to” B. That isn’t how it works.

There is only one song from even that time frame though and makes me wonder why they would choose just that one, though it is probably the "retro" sound.

 

[vchimpanzee]

And now you have.

Nope, didn't start a thread.

 

[DavidEduardo]

And now you have.

And now I deleted it.

 

[DavidEduardo]

There is only one song from even that time frame though and makes me wonder why they would choose just that one, though it is probably the "retro" sound.

The do lots of research. Likely they saw a good reason to play it. Questioning the play of specific songs played on stations we know do research always has one answer: the PD saw the research and decided the song was of value.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Questioning the play of specific songs played on stations we know do research always has one answer: the PD saw the research and decided the song was of value.

Quite frankly, this whole thread is unnecessary. The snarkiness of the OP's title serves no other purpose than to antagonize those that do not have as much radio experience as him and to re-engage old arguments on this board that have, for the most part, been put to rest.

Most posters to this site understand what David E. has posted above. That is the only information anyone really needs.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Quite frankly, this whole thread is unnecessary. The snarkiness of the OP's title serves no other purpose than to antagonize those that do not have as much radio experience as him and to re-engage old arguments on this board that have, for the most part, been put to rest.

Most posters to this site understand what David E. has posted above. That is the only information anyone really needs.

A fitting close to this thread. I'm closing it.