Countdown
There is a tradition in rock radio circles of doing long, best-song-of-all-time countdowns on holiday weekends. As sure as the sun rises you could rest assured of spending your Memorial Day or July 4 or Labor Day weekend with the "Firecracker 500" or the "Top (insert frequency number) or whatever culminating in the ritual playing of "Stairway to Heaven" sometime Sunday or Monday night.
Who the hell picked that?
Now I know all these countdowns are is the usual database of format-friendly songs rearranged in some fairly arbitrary order keeping in mind the top song had to be "Stairway" and having "Layla" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" somewhere in the top five and oh yeah, just because you had to have a Beatles song throw "A Day in the Life" at number three or so.
Well, the classic rock station in NY doesn't seem to be doing a countdown this weekend but the, I don't know quite what to call it, "variety rock" maybe station is doing one. I wonder if the inevitable will take place. Or since they're more of a "modern" focus, maybe they'll pick the STH of the later rock era, but what would that be? "Smells Like Teen Spirit" maybe? It certainly has historical significance going for it since the cliche goes that the end of the "hair music" era of the 1980s was signified by that particular song. It's old enough (18 years, I think) which is mind-boggling to me when I consider that that record is more than twice as old now as the breakup of the Beatles was when I was introduced to that particular band in 1978 or so.
I might tune in later to hear what their top song is later but I figure I don't have to. See, I'm sure they'll list out the top songs on their website somewhere. That there as another improvement in musical consumption over when I was a teenager. If I missed the countdown I had to ask other fans of the radio station if they heard what the top songs were. Thanks to technology, I don't have to interact with other people to get my answers. Oh the joy and wonder of it all!
I remember one year where STH was bumped down to #2. I think they gave "Won't Get Fooled Again" or "Satisfaction" the top spot that year. Oh the controversy! Of course it was just a publicity stunt by the station I'm sure. And hey, it worked! Though that particular station (102.7 FM here in New York) has long faded into the mists of radio history. It has gone through so many format changes after decades as a rock station I have no idea what it even is anymore.
So this year some other station has picked up the reverse counting mantle. The one upside is that particular format does lead to some interesting awkward segues, like the other night when, well down in the 600s or so they had to go from "Can't Hardly Wait" by the Replacements to a Steely Dan song. Of course if the station had a broader format the segues could be more interesting, having to backlist say Brandenburg Concerto no. 5, A Love Supreme and Folsom Prison Blues in a set.
It'll never sell though. And selling is what this is all about.
Always be closing people. Always be closing. The next sale you have to make may be yourself. Sell yourself short, you'll miss the boat, lose the game, suffer the humiliation of falling behind the pack. Mustn't have that. Keep on pushing. Keep on buying.
Happy Labor Day.
Who the hell picked that?
Now I know all these countdowns are is the usual database of format-friendly songs rearranged in some fairly arbitrary order keeping in mind the top song had to be "Stairway" and having "Layla" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" somewhere in the top five and oh yeah, just because you had to have a Beatles song throw "A Day in the Life" at number three or so.
Well, the classic rock station in NY doesn't seem to be doing a countdown this weekend but the, I don't know quite what to call it, "variety rock" maybe station is doing one. I wonder if the inevitable will take place. Or since they're more of a "modern" focus, maybe they'll pick the STH of the later rock era, but what would that be? "Smells Like Teen Spirit" maybe? It certainly has historical significance going for it since the cliche goes that the end of the "hair music" era of the 1980s was signified by that particular song. It's old enough (18 years, I think) which is mind-boggling to me when I consider that that record is more than twice as old now as the breakup of the Beatles was when I was introduced to that particular band in 1978 or so.
I might tune in later to hear what their top song is later but I figure I don't have to. See, I'm sure they'll list out the top songs on their website somewhere. That there as another improvement in musical consumption over when I was a teenager. If I missed the countdown I had to ask other fans of the radio station if they heard what the top songs were. Thanks to technology, I don't have to interact with other people to get my answers. Oh the joy and wonder of it all!
I remember one year where STH was bumped down to #2. I think they gave "Won't Get Fooled Again" or "Satisfaction" the top spot that year. Oh the controversy! Of course it was just a publicity stunt by the station I'm sure. And hey, it worked! Though that particular station (102.7 FM here in New York) has long faded into the mists of radio history. It has gone through so many format changes after decades as a rock station I have no idea what it even is anymore.
So this year some other station has picked up the reverse counting mantle. The one upside is that particular format does lead to some interesting awkward segues, like the other night when, well down in the 600s or so they had to go from "Can't Hardly Wait" by the Replacements to a Steely Dan song. Of course if the station had a broader format the segues could be more interesting, having to backlist say Brandenburg Concerto no. 5, A Love Supreme and Folsom Prison Blues in a set.
It'll never sell though. And selling is what this is all about.
Always be closing people. Always be closing. The next sale you have to make may be yourself. Sell yourself short, you'll miss the boat, lose the game, suffer the humiliation of falling behind the pack. Mustn't have that. Keep on pushing. Keep on buying.
Happy Labor Day.
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