A REFLECTION ON “OLDIES RADIO”

   Hello friends! The Dial has returned from its January break with a look at the evolution of the “oldies radio” format. Settle in for a little musical reminiscing that falls beyond the scope of our typical focus, and broaden your playlist with three great spotlighted tunes, a late ‘50s pop classic, a mid ‘60s folk rock ditty, and an early ‘70s soul ballad. Happy New Year and welcome to Kyle’s Radio Dial.

 

When I was growing up in the glorious 1980s, my local oldies station featured songs from the dawn of rock n roll (mid ‘50s) through the turbulent ‘60s and into the first years of the groovy ‘70s. This meant songs like Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” and Elvis’ “Hound Dog” were heard alongside tracks by Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, The Miracles, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Herman’s Hermits, The Buckinghams, and The Mamas and The Papas. Probably the most “current” songs I recall hearing on oldies radio at the time were “Draggin’ the Line” by Tommy James, and “American Pie” by Don McLean, both of which were big hits in ’71. Though the main oldies station I listened to was XTRA 104 (WXTR out of La Plata, Maryland), other oldies stations I happened across seemed to follow the same general playlist.

 

As a result, I learned much of the history and evolution of pop music by listening to oldies radio in conjunction with current top 40. I heard elements of The Temptations in Hall & Oates and De Barge, Bob Dylan in Bruce Springsteen and John Cougar Mellencamp, The Jackson 5 in New Edition and the New Kids on the Block, and the Beatles and the Stones in practically everything.

 

So without further ado, I'd like to spotlight three songs that I haven't heard on the radio in years, but which have stuck with me from hearing them on XTRA104 back then.

 

 

BOBBY DARIN'S "DREAM LOVER"

 

 

   This great tune perfectly encapsulates the longing one feels for that special someone that you have not yet met. Though its orchestral sound is definitely a product of its era, and its romantic innocence and sweetness seems quaint today, Dream Lover has a class and beauty that transcends all pop eras. Bobby’s hit is recommended listening whether you are lonely… or even if you’re not.

 

Reaching US #2 pop, and #4 R&B in 1959, “Dream Lover” was actually a bigger hit across the pond, hitting #1 for four weeks in the UK. Released as a stand-alone single, and not as an album extraction, (a fairly common practice back then), Dream Lover eventually ended up on the compilation LP The Bobby Darin Story in 1961. Bobby’s biggest hit at the time of its release; it was surpassed by his very next single, the iconic “Mack the Knife” which topped the US pop charts several months after “Dream Lover”.

 

“Every night, I hope and pray… A dream lover will come my way…

A girl to hold in my arms, and know the magic of her charms…”

 

 

 

 

THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL'S “DID YOU EVER HAVE TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND”

 

 

This hit by New York based quintet the The Lovin’ Spoonful describes, and quite humorously I might add, the struggle a man feels in having to choose between two women. The folk-pop classic peaked at US #2 in ’66, and was pulled from the Spoonful’s 1965 Do You Believe in Magic LP, which also contained the band’s famous US #9 title track.

 

I always chuckled at the scenario about the sisters, in which their father steps in and tells the male protagonist “you better go home SON, and make up YOUR MIND”. Never had that happen to me, and I’m pretty glad it never did.

 

“Did you ever have to make up your mind? Pick up on one, and leave the other behind…

It’s not often easy, and not often kind… Did you ever have to make up your mind?”

 

 

 



 

 

THE TEMPTATIONS "JUST MY IMAGINATION (RUNNING AWAY WITH ME)”

 

 

Our selection of oldies wraps up with a very relaxed soul classic from The Temptations.

 

Taken from the 1971 Sky’s The Limit LP, “Just My…” was the third pop chart topper for the Temps, following 1964’s “My Girl”, and 1969’s “I Can’t Get Next to You”. It was also their eleventh chart topper on the R&B singles chart.

 

The string heavy orchestration always puts me in the mind of a lazy spring day with blue skies, white clouds, and birds songs in the air.

 

However, in contrast to the mellow music, the lyrics describe an unrequited love in which the male narrator describes his fantasy of settling down with the girl of his dreams. “Just my…” plays out like a harmless romantic daydream until the bridge portion (transcribed below), which reveals the heartbreak of the love struck singer. It’s quite emotional, absolutely brilliant, and unquestionably one of the greatest soul songs of all time.

 

“Every night, on my knees I pray… Dear Lord… hear my plea.

Don’t ever let another take her love from me, or I will surely die…

Her love is heavenly… when her arms enfold me… I hear a tender rhapsody.

But in reality… She doesn’t even know me.”



 

  



 

Over the years, I noticed the playlist of XTRA 104 and similar oldies stations was evolving. The oldest songs were played less and less frequently, as newer songs took their place. The format seemed to adopt a “rolling library” of about fifteen years’ worth of hits at a time. I noticed this in the mid ‘90s, when the first early ‘80s hits started to appear on the format, while the oldest songs being played dated from around the mid ‘60s. Similarly, the first early ‘90s hits were added to most oldies playlists in the mid-2000s, while songs from the ‘60s and early ‘70s had largely been retired from the oldies airwaves by that time.

 

Of course this is happening to better target the lucrative “Adults age 18-49” radio demographic. As listeners aged, the demographic itself did not, so the music that appealed to that specific demographic needed updating… even in an oldies format.

 

Nowadays, it’s difficult to find a station calling itself simply “oldies” anymore. The format has splintered into a variety of offshoots such as “classic hits”, which tends to play ‘80s and ‘90s top 40, “jammin’ oldies” which offers an R&B, funk, and disco heavy playlist of the 70s through the 90s, and the “we play anything / we play what we want” type stations, typically an AOR rock leaning mix of the last four decades of pop music. If you dig deep enough, you can even find “classic country”, “classic hip hop”, and “American music”, which features a mix of adult contemporary pop, soft rock, and instrumentals from the 60s through the 80s.

 

As time rolls on, and the format continues to evolve, it will be interesting to consider what comparable stations will be playing in the 2030s, the “classic hits” for the millennials. I’m imagining a mix of Skrillex, Daft Punk, Imagine Dragons, JT, Taylor Swift, 21 Pilots, Flo Rida, Drake, Adele, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, and Bruno Mars. Can you imagine tuning into a station (terrestrial or satellite), hearing a bouncy little oldies radio station jingle, then being slammed into with Lil' Jon screaming “Turn Down For What”? It’s coming…

 

But for now, I hope you enjoyed this examination of the evolution of the oldies radio format, and the spotlighted songs which will always be “oldies” to me, no matter the year on the calendar.

 

Kyle’s Radio Dial, the MORE you listen, the MORE you remember!

(and yes, the below image is a real XTRA104 bumper sticker from back in the day!)