"Always On My Mind" by The Pet Shop Boys

Tonight, the Radio Dial time warps back to 1987, to serve up a tasty track rarely heard on American radio since then, the Pet Shop Boys’ “Always on My Mind”!

Peaking at #4 in the U.S., and #1 in the UK, I thought the song was one of the most unlikely covers I had ever heard… a Pet Shop Boys synthpop cover of Willie Nelson! In truth, however, Willie's '82 country hit was itself a cover of the original 1972 recording by Miss Brenda Lee.

However, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe actually recorded the tune for an ITV (Channel 3) television special as a tribute to The King, Elvis Presley, who had recorded his own version shortly after Brenda's! With so many great acts attached to this song, its lasting appeal is no surprise, but Neil's deadpan delivery, combined with Chris' keyboard mastery, turns the iconic country ballad into a perfect late 80s pop masterpiece!

"Maybe I didn't treat you, quite as good as I should…
Maybe I didn't love you, quite as often as I could…
Little things I should've said and done, I never took the time…
You were always on my mind… You were always on my mind"

"He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)" by Alice Cooper

Happy Friday the 13^th! In order to celebrate this fabled scary day, the Radio Dial brings you the legendary Alice Cooper, with "He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask)", the 1986 single which served as the theme song to Friday the 13^th Part VI: Jason Lives.  

Also appearing on Cooper’s "Constrictor" LP, this tribute to slasher film icon Jason Voorhees, complete with his creepy "Ki-ki-ki Ma-ma-ma" chant, is accentuated with a heavy sound that is equal parts hard rock and new wave, and all parts '80s awesomeness!

Though it did not chart in America, "He's Back" did top the charts in one country… Sweden. It seems the Swedes love their Cooper and Voorhees.  When you listen to this rocker, who can blame them?

"You're swimmin' with your girl… out on lovers' lake… and the wind blows cold… it chills your bones… But you're still on the make… That's a BAD MISTAKE!"

"Shame on the Moon" by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

Here’s the latest tune to make you smile on Kyle’s Radio Dial, Detroit’s own Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band with the forgotten former hit “Shame On The Moon”.

A smooth, bluesy rocker from Seger’s 1982 LP “The Distance”, Shame on The Moon held at #2 on the Hot 100 for 4 weeks, and features former Eagle Glenn Frey on harmony vocals.

Written and originally recorded in 1981 by Rodney Crowell, "Shame" was covered by Mac Davis, Karen Brooks, and Tanya Tucker, but Seger’s version introduced the song to pop and rock audiences outside of Crowell’s country base.

A cautionary tale about knowing and understanding your lover, the song addresses both male and female listeners with lines like:

“Until you’ve been beside a man… you don’t know what he wants… you don’t know if he cries at night… you don’t know if he don’t.”

And… “Once inside a woman’s heart… a man must keep his head…heaven opens up the door… where angels fear to tread.”

I’ve heard SOTM twice over the “in store” music system at my local Kroger in the last week, after not having heard it at all for at least 20 years… perhaps Bob’s tune is making a comeback after all?