Me-TV’s got a great programming idea planned for New Year’s Day …
An all-day salute to “Firsts on the First” … pilot episodes from some of your favorite television shows from the ‘60’s.
These include the first episodes of “The Honeymooners,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Leave It To Beaver,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Gilligan’s Island” and more.
(You can see the whole schedule via the link below) kk
They also pay tribute to some of the many stars we lost this past year …
https://metv.com/lists/in-memoriam-remembering-the-stars-we-lost-in-2022
We’ve all spoken out at one time or another about the complete saturation and repetition of Christmas Music being played during the holiday season (which now seems to kick off before the Halloween decorations have even come down.)
Well, Tom Cuddy sent us this article profiling The Lite, Chicago’s ratings leader for Christmas Music for over a decade now … and the results are quite shocking. (They use the example that while many people claim they’ve heard Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” five hundred times, the TRUTH is (if they actually caught every time WLIT played it this year) it would only be 199 times … which isn’t even the top song played ... (so I guess there's SOME comfort in that!!! lol)
In fact, Mariah's chart-topping favorite doesn’t even make WLIT's Top Five this season! For those of you keeping score (and who love this kinda stuff like I do!), The Top Five were actually:
“Carol of the Bells” by Mannheim Steamroller, which was played 224 times between November 1st (when WLIT kicked off their Christmas Music this year) and December 26th (when they wrapped things up) ... that was good enough for first place, followed by “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams (222); “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano (218); “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” by LeAnn Rimes (215); and “Winter Wonderland” by Amy Grant (211). Wow!
You can read the whole story here: https://www.insideradio.com/free/computer-programmer-goes-to-extremes-to-track-wlit-s-most-played-christmas-songs/article_340659b8-86f7-11ed-8bda-43f348273b52.html
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift continues to break chart records … she has had a PHENOMONAL year!!! Tom also sent us this ...
Taylor Swift's
'Midnights' Is the First Vinyl Record to Outsell CDs Since 1987
https://hypebae.com/2022/12/taylor-swift-midnights-vinyl-record-outsell-cds-1987
>>>If You Listen Close To The Start Of "ME & MRS JONES" -- Just Before Billy Starts Singing, Doesn't The Music Sound Like "ONCE I HAD A SECRET LOVE?" Or Is It Just Me That Hears It? (FB)
Mr. Buongervino is right. Even Wikipedia noted that "Secret Love" is referenced in the sax lines in "... Mrs. Jones."
As a result, Gilbert/Gamble/Huff were sued (separately?) by Fain and Webster, who reportedly won a share of the song's royalties!
Bob Frable
Frank was also won over by Rewound Radio’s Top 77 Countdown this year …
kk …
Monday I Listened To & Wrote Down All 77 Songs In The Rewound Radio Countdown.
On Tuesday, I Requested A Platters Song. I Was Able To Send A Message To Allan Sniffen, In The Studio.
At 5:35 PM, He Played #710 - "WITH THIS RING" by Sonny Turner & Platters (1967)
Good Countdown ... But Not Enough 1950's Tunes To Suit Me.
I Liked It Better When "IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT" (Me & Glen Fisher Love This One!) Was Always # 1 … Instead Of "HEY JUDE"
And … Can Any Of Your Experts Explain How "MAC ARTHUR PARK" by Richard Harris Gets Enough Votes To Check In At #5???
FB
LOL … it’s SO funny that you said this as we had a BIG discussion about “MacArthur Park” over the Christmas Weekend. Honestly, I don’t get it either … and I tried REALLY hard to listen to it on Monday when Rewound hit #5 in the countdown … in fact, Frannie and Paige listened, too … they both LOVE the song. (The whole while it was playing, all I kept thinking was “There’s seven minutes I’ll never get back!!!”)
Don't get me wrong ... I fully expected it to make the countdown … but #5?!?!? Seriously!?!?
By the way, you don’t have to write down all the songs and artists …
The Top 77 are already posted on the site ...
https://musicradio77.com/Top%2077%202022.html
And in another day or two, you’ll be able to see the entire list …
This means EVERY song that got voted for … typically somewhere around 3000 titles!
(Even 'tho Progressive Insurance keeps telling us that "you don't have to print the Internet," I still print it out every year … usually about 35 pages … and an entire ink cartridge!!! Lol But I’ve just GOTTA have it!)
Keep watching the Rewound Radio Website to see when it’s been posted.
(I also
agree with you that it’s time for another song to top this chart … and said so when the voting for this year's countdown was first announced.) If I’m not mistaken, the
only song to ever reach #1 BESIDES “Hey Jude” was “Rag Doll” by The Four
Seasons, which came in at #3 this year. (I was happy to see how much “God Only Knows” has grown in stature. It came in at #2.) Still, this means that "Hey Jude" has topped Rewound's Top 77 Favorites Chart for 24 out of its 25 years!!! (I am also from the listening era when "In The Still Of The Nite" topped the chart every year ... but I got tired of that monopoly, too, after a while.)
Another of the usual suspects, “Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones was voted #4 … so there’s your Top Five.
I heard Allan say that the year with the most countdown songs this year was 1971 … which kind of surprised me. I don’t know if that means the audience is getting a bit younger (?)
But in listening to the playback since Christmas Day, I also feel like there are a LOT more repeats this year for some reason. One of the things I really enjoy about their programming the week between Christmas and New Year’s is that you’re going to hear around 3000 songs with VERY little repeats … but this year it seems I heard quite a few every time I turned it on. (And, because of my new work situation, that meant typically on the way to and from work … and maybe a little bit at lunch time. With that limited of a listening space, I’m not sure I should have heard ANY!!!)
Still, I put Rewound’s programming up against them all when it comes to musical variety. You can listen for hours … and days on end … and still be surprised multiple times by what you’re hearing. (kk)
By the way, FOUR of MY Top Ten Favorites made The Top 77 this year:
"Since I Don't Have You" by The Skyliners came in at #61, Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" was #54, "Cara Mia" by Jay and the Americans was this year's #52 song and "Because" by The Dave Clark Five ranked at #47.
And once again disproving Jack Levin's theory that The Beatles' popularity was bought with Capitol Records' publicity dollars and they probably won't have made it otherwise, The Fabs have an incredible TWELVE of the Top 77 picks, including the #1 Hit (again, for those of you keeping score, that's just over 15%) some 58 years after the original hype of Beatlemania. (I'd say that's money pretty well spent!!!) kk
>>>At what time period was the song Lake Shore Drive considered to be at the height of its popularity? (Ron Lange)
I considered that same question when I found it in your Top 3333 Classic Rock Chart. I came up empty, almost. It didn't chart in Billboard and it doesn't even appear in the ARSA database.
I finally found one sole mention of it in Billboard, where in showed up as a "Top Request / Airplay" on WZMF Milwaukee on page 86 of Billboard's August 16, 1975 issue … years after it was recorded, but that's all I found.
Ed Erxleben
Our Top 3333 Countdown shows it as 1971 because that’s when the album was released. (Dann Isbell put together the extensive list of original LP’s and release dates to coincide with our list of favorites … an exhaustive search to say the least.)
One of the things I’m looking forward to doing in 2023 is updating our TOP 3333 MOST ESSENTIAL CLASSIC ROCK SONGS OF ALL TIME List …
After receiving literally HUNDREDS of emails offering opinions about what really should and shouldn’t be on the list … and continuing to monitor the tracks and artists that Classic Rock Radio are actually playing, I can see that a bit of “fine-tuning” is in order.
Don’t get me wrong …
Part of the reason for doing the list was to show Classic Rock Radio some of the HUNDREDS of other great classic rock songs they are overlooking by concentrating on the same 300-500 again and again and again. We rediscovered SO many great tracks once we opened it up to our readers to nominate their favorites.
But as much as we believe that Classic Rock Radio should also embrace some of the “Roots of Rock” artists who helped to pave the way, the general consensus seems to be that “That’s What Oldies Radio Is For.”
There are a few other artists who, by popular opinion, really don’t belong on a list such as this … so, somehow, someway, we’re going to revamp/revise and update the list to be more Classic Rock friendly.
And then, once that's done, our main goal will be to find somebody to actually PLAY it … start to finish …
Count down all 3333 Tracks … IN ORDER … so that Classic Rock Music Fans can enjoy our efforts in their entirety rather than as just a random “surprise” track every now and then. Hopefully, 2023 will afford us the time to do so. (Otherwise, we may not get around to this for DECADES … although I HAVE to admit that it would be pretty cool to count down The Top 3333 in the YEAR 3333!!! Can you guys stick around long enough to listen?!?!) kk
COMING UP:
After a little bit of shuffling of our own, we've now got Chuck Buell's New Years Eve piece scheduled for tomorrow ...
Phil Nee's final interview in our year-long series (with Randy Bachman!) coming up on Saturday (which IS New Year's Eve!) ...
And THE TOP 72 SONGS OF 1972 going up on the site on Sunday, January 1st ...
(with our final Coast-To-Coast 1972 Survey posting on Monday, the 2nd ...
and this time we're going all the way up to Alaska!!!)
Good stuff to get you thru your holiday weekend ...
Right here in Forgotten Hits! (kk)
