| "Song on the Radio" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Al Stewart | ||||
| from the album Time Passages | ||||
| B-side | "A Man for All Seasons" | |||
| Released | January 1979 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 4:10 | |||
| Label | Arista Records 0389 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Al Stewart | |||
| Producer(s) | Alan Parsons | |||
| Al Stewart singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Song on the Radio" is a composition by Al Stewart introduced on his 1978 album release Time Passages . [1]
| Al Stewart on Song on the Radio |
|---|
| "I was kind of making fun of Arista Records" who had "asked for a mid-tempo ballad with a saxophone...They wanted a song that could be played on the radio, [so] very tongue-in-cheek I wrote...'Song on the Radio'. I thought they'd [get that] I was actually joking, but of course they didn't & ...put it out as a single [which] made the Top 30, [so] the joke was on me because I screwed up a preposition" - referring to the opening lines "I was making my way through the wasteland/ The road into town passes through" which ends with a preposition - "Worse, I used the same word [through] twice in the same sentence." [2] |
"Song on the Radio" was released in January 1979 as the second single from the Time Passages album, following the title cut which had been a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 [3] as well as being afforded a ten week tenure at No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. [4]
"Song on the Radio" would peak at No. 29 on the Hot 100 [5] and rise as high as No. 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. [6]
In Canada, "Song on the Radio" also peaked at No. 29 on the national hit parade as ranked by RPM magazine [7] whose Adult Contemporary chart afforded the track a peak of No. 3. [8]
"Sky High" is a song by British band Jigsaw. It was released as a single in 1975 and was the main title theme to the film The Man from Hong Kong. The song was a worldwide hit in the latter part of 1975, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States. It was composed by Clive Scott and Des Dyer of Jigsaw. The orchestral arrangement was by Richard Hewson. It was also a top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart. The 1975 Australian single was released under the name "British Jigsaw" due to an established and popular local band there at the time also called "Jigsaw".
"You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and performed by R&B singer Lou Rawls on his 1976 album All Things in Time. The song proved to be Rawls' breakthrough hit, reaching number 1 on both the R&B and Easy Listening charts as well as number 4 on the dance chart and number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100. This was the first and only time that one of Rawls' records reached Billboard's pop Top Ten.
"Walking in Rhythm" is a smooth rhythm and blues and jazz song by the Blackbyrds. It tells the tale of a man who is passionate about getting back home to his female companion.
"You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" is a song written and recorded by Rod Stewart for his 1977 album Foot Loose & Fancy Free. The song became a hit, reaching the top ten of many countries, including the United States (number 4), Canada (number 2), and Australia, peaking at number 1 for one week.
"Year of the Cat" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Al Stewart, released as a single in July 1976 in the UK. The song is the title track of his 1976 album Year of the Cat, and was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, in January 1976 by engineer Alan Parsons. The song peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the consecutive weeks of March 5 and 12, 1977. Although Stewart's highest placed single on that chart was 1978's "Time Passages", "Year of the Cat" has remained Stewart's signature recording, receiving regular airplay on both classic rock and folk rock stations.
"Bluer Than Blue" is a 1978 song recorded by Michael Johnson. The song was written by noted pop and country songwriter Randy Goodrum. Originally recorded as a demo, "Bluer Than Blue" was taken as the first single from Johnson's subsequent LP, The Michael Johnson Album. The song is from the point of view of a man who is in a failing relationship, and is trying to convince himself that his situation will improve once the one he loved moves on; however, it is evident by the lyrics to the song his efforts are thus far ineffective.
"Time Passages" is a song by British singer-songwriter Al Stewart, released as a single in 1978. It was produced by Alan Parsons and is the title track of Stewart's 1978 album release. The single reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1978, and also spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Easy Listening chart, the longest stay at number one on this chart in the 1970s. Billboard magazine also ranked "Time Passages" as the No. 1 Adult Contemporary single of 1979.
"Times of Your Life" is a popular song and advertising jingle made famous in the 1970s by Canadian singer Paul Anka, who recorded it in 1975 for an album of the same title. It was written by Roger Nichols (melody) and Bill Lane (lyrics).
"Yesterday's Songs" is a 1981 single by Neil Diamond from his album On the Way to the Sky. The song was a major adult contemporary radio hit, spending six weeks at #1 on the U.S. Billboard chart and four weeks atop the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at #11. On the Canadian pop charts, the song reached #15. "Yesterday's Songs" is ranked as the 77th biggest American hit of 1982.
"Something Better to Do" is a song written by John Farrar and recorded by Olivia Newton-John. The song was released in September 1975 as the lead single from Newton-John's sixth studio album, Clearly Love. The narrator of the song muses that she's having a hard time adjusting to life without her departed lover; even the birds are wasting their songs singing to her, and until her beloved returns, "the birds will have to find something better to do."
"If You Know What I Mean" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond. It is a track from Diamond's 1976 album, Beautiful Noise, and was his third number 1 on the Easy Listening chart, where it spent two weeks. "If You Know What I Mean" went to number 1 for two nonconsecutive weeks and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, the song reached number 19 on the pop singles chart and hit number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
"Midnight Rocks" is a song written by Al Stewart and Peter White and was performed by Stewart. The song appeared on his 1980 album, 24 Carrots.
"Daisy Jane" is a song written by Gerry Beckley of the group America included on the 1975 America album Hearts. Issued as that album's second single — following up the #1 hit "Sister Golden Hair" — "Daisy Jane" reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the final Top 20 hit by the original three-member incarnation of America. On the Easy Listening chart the track reached #4. In Canada, the chart peak of "Daisy Jane" was #16 on the Pop singles chart and #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
"Get Closer" is a song by American soft rock duo Seals and Crofts, released as a single in 1976. It is the title track of their eighth studio album, Get Closer and reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 16 song of 1976.
"Before My Heart Finds Out" is a 1978 single and hit song by Gene Cotton. It was the debut single from his eighth album, Save the Dancer.
"Can't Stop Dancin" is a song written by John Pritchard Jr. and Ray Stevens, which became a Top 40 hit for Captain and Tennille in early 1977. It was the first single released from their third studio album, Come In from the Rain.
"Lady" is a song written by Graeham Goble and performed by Australian rock music group Little River Band. It was released in September 1978 as the third and final single from their fourth studio album, Sleeper Catcher. The song peaked at number 46 on the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart. The song also peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1979.
"Wildwood Weed" is a 1964 country-western parody song written by Don Bowman. It was the first track on Side 1 of Bowman's debut LP, Our Man in Trouble..."It Only Hurts When I Laugh". Its most famous version was recorded in 1974 by Jim Stafford and became the fourth of four U.S. Top 40 singles from his eponymous debut album. Musically, the song takes its inspiration from the Carter Family's recording "Wildwood Flower". In both versions, the lyrics in the verses are spoken rather than sung.
"Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is a 1978 instrumental hit single by composer John Williams. It is the main theme of the soundtrack of the movie of the same name. The song became a hit in the United States (#13) and Canada (#12) during the winter of that year.
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