The Smooth Operators present 'Mellow Radio Moods'

The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) pay tribute to the 1970s FM radio sound with our series Mellow Moods. This is our latest chapter: Mellow Radio Moods!

One of the tracks is 'On the radio' by Donna Summer, released in late-1979 on the Casablanca record label. It was written for the soundtrack to the film 'Foxes' and included on Summer's first international compilation album 'On the radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II'. It came out as a single and became, in January 1980, her tenth top-ten hit in the U.S. as well as her eighth and final consecutive top five single. 'On the radio' peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the soul chart. Especially the lyrics about a message from an old boyfriend to his ex-lover over the radio are worth listening to:

“Yeah, it kinda made me feel proud
When I heard him say
You couldn't find the words to say it yourself
And now in my heart I know
I can say what I really feel
'Cause they said it really loud
They said it on the air
On the radio...”

Journalist Dave Marsh wrote about these lyrics in his book 'The heart of rock & soul':

“That's a message the King of Rock and Roll himself would have to salute.”

Tracklist:

Harry Chapin – W.O.L.D. (1973)
Samuel Purdey – Lucky Radio (1996)
Roxy Music – Oh Yeah (1980)
Tom Robinson – Listen To The Radio (1983)
Al Stewart – Song On The Radio (1979)
Dillard & Clark – The Radio Song (1968)
Corinne Bailey Rae – Put Your Records On (2005)
Donna Summer – On The Radio (1979)
Goody Goody – #1 Dee Jay (1978)
McFadden & Whitehead – I Heard It In A Love Song (1980)
Edwin Starr – H.a.p.p.y. Radio [The Apple Scruffs Edit] (1979)
The Blue Denim Band – Spunk In The Funk (1983)
Charlie Dore – Pilot Of The Airwaves (1980)
Gene Dunlap - Rock Radio (1981)
Roger Voudouris - Don’t Turn My Music Down (1978)
Archie Bell & The Drellls - On The Radio (1977)
Aretha Franklin - Mr. DJ (5 For The D.J) (1975)
Steely Dan - FM (No Static At All) (1978)
Ed Motta - 1978 (Leave The Radio On) (2013)
Larry Graham & Graham Central Station - My Radio Sounds Sure Good To Me (1978)
Linda Ronstadt - Mr. Radio (1982)
Van Morrison - Wavelength (1978)
Heston - Radio (2008)
The Bird And The Bee - Heard It On The Radio (2010)
Hall & Oates - Portable Radio (1979)
Jamiroquai - Radio (2006)
Esperanza Spalding - Radio Song (2012)
Harry Nilsson - Turn On Your Radio (1972)