When Tiffany sang "you put your arms around me and we tumble to the ground," could I really have pictured a boy and girl tumbling down a hill—like, rolling down it log-style, maybe just before engaging in a potato-sack race? I've spent a lot of time trying to imagine how I sang that song without … Continue reading Memories of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40
FM Radio
Gordon Lightfoot
I've been listening to Gordon Lightfoot for 44 of my 44 years. It's a gimme, isn't it? If you were alive in the 70's, you listened to Gordo. That doesn't mean I knew the ins and outs of the man. Actually.....I heard from a reliable source that his life took some serious wrong turns, … Continue reading Gordon Lightfoot
There Must Be Some Misunderstanding – How a Missing Genesis Album was Eclipsed by Van Halen
This week's Raised on the Radio Guest Post, is by Doug Foster. Doug and I go waaaay back and I am thrilled to have him on Raised on the Radio. Please click this link to read this post about love and loss and Van Halen, There Must Be Some Misunderstanding As much as I have … Continue reading There Must Be Some Misunderstanding – How a Missing Genesis Album was Eclipsed by Van Halen
Radio Disc Jockey: Long Hairs Need Apply
So, you think radio was always the way it is today? Let's see, today, many "announcers" go into the studio, record all of their vocal breaks, and leave for the day. Oh, they might make a public appearance here or there, and cut a commercial or two, but in reality, radio has gone downhill over … Continue reading Radio Disc Jockey: Long Hairs Need Apply
I Wanted My Own Bitchin’ Camero
It's the mid 1980s. Bands like REO Speedwagon, Foreigner and Wham! ruled the charts. But there's an underground movement bubbling up -- punk rock. Listening to my Sony Walkman late at night, the local college station would spin strange songs and bizarre artists. Sometimes, the songs were so awful my ears hurt. Other … Continue reading I Wanted My Own Bitchin’ Camero
Music Transports Me
The other day, I woke up disoriented to the sound of my husband’s clock radio alarm going off. In the split second it took me to process my surroundings and realize that it wasn’t the middle of the night and my toddler hadn’t woken me up coughing again, I became aware of the song. … Continue reading Music Transports Me
I Thought Billy Joel and Billy Crystal Were the Same Person
I admit it, I watched a lot of TV as a kid in the 70's. So much TV, that as a virtual latch-key kid, my sister and I often joked that TV was our mother. That same kid somehow managed to watch SOAP when no one was looking, which was basically always. Except on those … Continue reading I Thought Billy Joel and Billy Crystal Were the Same Person
How On Demand Is Cheating Our Kids
In an age when it’s too easy to become a Ninja Netflix addict, stealthily clicking “next episode” on the iPad at 2am, knowing that you’ll regret it, and not being able to resist doing so, because it’s RIGHT THERE, right NOW, on demand, it’s hard to imagine that there was a time when life was … Continue reading How On Demand Is Cheating Our Kids
Memories of Jim Croce, Like Time in a Bottle – Guest post by Meg Hammil
I think most of us experienced in our youth what I think of as a “Day the Music Died” moment. We learned about the unexpected death of a performer we admired, and not only did we feel what was for many the first twinges of mortality, but we grasped the bitter truth that even our heroes … Continue reading Memories of Jim Croce, Like Time in a Bottle – Guest post by Meg Hammil
Thanks For That Magic Yellow Box
Thanks for That Little Yellow Box While children and teenagers across the land were secretly reading books by flashlight under the covers, I was covertly listening to the radio. My parents were none the wiser, thanks to a plastic yellow box -- the Sony Sports Walkman. With the Walkman came the ability to listen without … Continue reading Thanks For That Magic Yellow Box
New Releases by Classic Artists
Cher has just released yet another album. No, the plastic surgery hasn't hurt her singing voice. Still, the constant beat that accompanies her voice, one that we hear on 90% of the Pop tunes put out by idiotic record producers of today, tends to be annoying after a couple of songs. I wish it was … Continue reading New Releases by Classic Artists
You Thought They Said What? The Sadder But Wiser Girl Spills It.
My good friend Sarah, from The Sadder But Wiser Girl was kind enough to humiliate herself for our pleasure. I asked her to share they lyrics of a song she has sung wrong all of these years, and she happily obliged. The song? Jet Airliner by The Steve Miller Band J: So Sarah, do … Continue reading You Thought They Said What? The Sadder But Wiser Girl Spills It.
FirstNotes and ForeverMusic
I was raised in a pretty shut-down household, where the music available was a strict diet of Classic FM (which I now love), Classical CDs (I love some of them), ‘Churchy’ music (still not that keen), and Gilbert and Sullivan (hate it with a passion). There was one exception (other than the stalwart ‘sung Times … Continue reading FirstNotes and ForeverMusic
Raised on the Radio 