Thursday Writers Prompt: Radio Memories

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I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's, graduating in 1975 and back then, if you wanted to listen to music, you either bought records or listened to radio.
Then, radio was as vital as cellphones are today for staying in touch with news or music. Everyone had one or more at home, and, if out and about, they could carry hand-size portable radios. Of course, everyone had radio in their cars.
In was around 1972 that my Dad gave me a used radio he'd repaired. (Fixing electronics was his profession.) It had a boxy shape and played AM and FM. I was coming into my teenage years and started being more interested in listening to popular radio music. 

They're rock classics nowadays, but Top 40 Hits of 1972 I remember well include:
 Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond
Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress by the Raspberries
Knights in White Satin by The Moody Blues
A Horse With No Name by America
If Lovin' You is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right by Puttin' Game Down
American Pie I & II by Don McLean
The Candy Man by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Popcorn by At The Movies (an instrumental you have to look up to appreciate)

This was also the closing era of the Vietnam War and in 1973, Watergate happened.
A guy named Dickie Goodman, an American music & record producer came up with clever comedy radio pieces of "breaking news" where he conducted various types of interviews that had popular song lines for answers. For example, he asks Mr. Nixon about Watergate, "What will your position be from now on?" and the answer is the chorus from the song, "No more Mr. Nice guy."
These humorous bits were interspersed with the music all day. Really quite entertaining.
Dr. Demento bits were also played fairly often. I particularly remember, "They are Coming to Take Me Away," and "Shaving Cream."

As Mr. Nixon left office, another trend picked up on the top Top 40 play list and that was Trucker songs. "Convoy" was popular and full of C.B. lingo that was all the rage. Suddenly everyone wanted a C.B. radio in their car! "Breaker, breaker, you got your ears on?"
I think the Smoky & the Bandit movies helped incite that trend.

Nowadays, I don't listen to radio at all. What I listen to in my car when I drive around is theme music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers and National Treasure recorded on a USB drive.

Comments

John Holton said…
I'm a year ahead of you, and it was a magical time in music. Radio itself was magic: turn it on any time of the day or night, and the songs were there, the DJ was there, the news was there, even the commercials were there. The only time I can remember having trouble finding music on the radio was late Sunday night and early Monday morning. That's when a lot of stations did thei transmitter maintenance...
Mar 29, 2024, 12:18:00 PM
John Holton said…
And I'm happy to see you again...
Mar 29, 2024, 12:20:00 PM

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