Songs which get overplayed on the radio

[Cartman]

I find this annoying. I listen to Greatest Hits radio when I'm out in the van and it's become so predictable, there seems to be about 50 or 60 songs which they just play to death, some of them are ones I like, but when they just keep playing them constantly, I've got bored with them and I mute it sometimes. 

A few that they do flog to death are Dancing Queen, Heart of Glass, Don't go breaking my heart, Brass  in pocket and Starman, which I do !ike. Queen get played every five minutes too.

The thing is, when a song is over exposed in this way, I think it loses its evocative connection with the period when it was released and becomes sort of familiar background noise almost.

Why do radio stations do this?

[Steve Austin]

Anything by George Ezra is overplayed 

[Nightfly]

Sept 2, 2023 12:37:33 GMT Cartman said:

Why do radio stations do this?

These days it's programmed by accountants rather than creatives and they feel they can't take any risks, so they will only play the biggest sellers from an artist to avoid the tiniest possibility of someone tuning away. The irony is that GHR took over most of the local stations a few years ago anyway, so there's not much competition. 

The Smooth Radio group put out a Smooth 70s station for a while which didn't limit themselves to just top ten hits, but it didn't last too long which was a shame.

Boom Radio is quite good if you have DAB and if it's carried in your area.

[Cartman]

The thing is, that the unimaginative and repetitive playlist is what does turn people away. It's so predictable, the DJ will say "and we've got Dire straits coming up, followed by Abba" as if it's going to be one which we haven't heard for a while, like Romeo and Juliet or Angel Eyes, and you just know it's going to be Walk of Life and Dancing Queen

[Nightfly]

Sept 3, 2023 7:18:50 GMT Cartman said:

The thing is, that the unimaginative and repetitive playlist is what does turn people away. It's so predictable, the DJ will say "and we've got Dire straits coming up, followed by Abba" as if it's going to be one which we haven't heard for a while, like Romeo and Juliet or Angel Eyes, and you just know it's going to be Walk of Life and Dancing Queen

You're right. I just found a site that tracks every play on UK radio up to a month. Yeah, a bit anoraky I know!  On GHR in the last four weeks, although Romeo and Juliet has had a few plays, it's mainly Walk of Life and Money For Nothing which get played every couple of days. Sultans also makes the odd appearance but that's it for Dire Straits - like they never recorded anything else but those four songs. If you want to hear Tunnel of Love, Lady Writer etc, you're out of luck.

[Cartman]

Same with Abba. It's only ever Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Knowing me Knowing you. Occasionally SOS and Money Money Money. 

[Steve Austin]

“Band Of Gold” by Freda Payne is one that gets a lot of airplay but I did hear “Pipes Of Peace” & “Goodnight Tonight” by Paul McCartney recently which don’t tend to get played too often. I think with Ken Bruce going to GHR, there is beginning to be a greater variety as he introduces new features to this station.

[Batgirl]

At an event outside on the lawns at work for the students there was a music DJ and the music pumping out was all 1980s. I thought it was odd that they would play that music for an audience of 18-21 yr olds mostly (apart from the odd mature age student and teacher... and we love the mature age students so don't think they are 'odd' at all ). One of the staff from 'music' said that the 1980s is the 'safe' era of music that will generically satisfy the majority of an audience.

The thing is even though I love the 1980s music because that is the music when I was going out and free of responsibilities some of the songs have been played so much that I switch radio stations when they come on.

My list of overplayed songs includes a lot of Aussie songs that are done to death on the radio here:

- Working class man (Jimmy Barnes)

- Khe Sanh (Cold Chisel - Jimmy B was the lead singer)

I loved Jimmy Barnes back then but you can hear them too much

- Down Under (Men at work) 

- The Day the music died (Don McClean)

- April sun in Cuba (Dragon)

- INXS - great band but again I can't hear 'Never tear us apart' any more on the radio

- Janie's got a gun - Arrowsmith

- Red red wine (UB40)

- Footloose (Kenny Loggins)

[Cartman]

Sept 3, 2023 12:36:18 GMT Steve Austin said:

“Band Of Gold” by Freda Payne is one that gets a lot of airplay but I did hear “Pipes Of Peace” & “Goodnight Tonight” by Paul McCartney recently which don’t tend to get played too often. I think with Ken Bruce going to GHR, there is beginning to be a greater variety as he introduces new features to this station.

Ken Bruce is the best thing on GHR, he does vary it a bit, last week he played I got you by Split Enz, which I like and rarely gets played, he also has a feature called Buried Treasure, where listeners can request a little played song.

In the afternoon, there is a feature called Cheese and crackers, where you can vote for a song considered cheesy, and a supposed cracker (almost always one off the boring, played constantly list) Guess what, the cheese usually wins!

[Nightfly]

Sept 3, 2023 12:51:44 GMT Batgirl said:

My list of overplayed songs includes a lot of Aussie songs that are done to death on the radio here:

Loved Down Under when it was first released, but it is an example of something that's been overplayed. You never hear Who Can It Be Now or any of their other stuff over here anymore.

The Kenny Loggins and UB40 tracks you mentioned are played to death in the UK

Steve Austin Band of Gold, Mary Wells My Guy and Phil Collins' version of You Can't Hurry Love also seem to be on repeat on the airwaves of the gold stations too.

I think Ken Bruce probably has a bit more freedom to stray from the playlist, being their star turn at the moment. The rest, probably a case of "Computer says 'no'".