The Best Oldies That Still Find Their Way On The Radio
Music tastes shift a little bit with each passing year but some songs are truly timeless. When music implants itself in the cultural zeitgeist, it doesn’t always take a year or even a decade before it drifts back out.
Obscurity may come for even the biggest hits of a given year, and the curious truth is that the songs people remember best weren’t always the biggest hits of the time. Yet, whether it’s because they did something truly different or because the stars seemed to align with their release, some oldies truly find a way to say golden.
Neil Diamond – “Sweet Caroline”
When multiple generations catch onto a song and associate it almost exclusively with their good times, it seems like it can last forever. That status has certainly reached Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” which is just as likely to be sung exuberantly at today’s parties as it was back when it came out in 1969.
The only question is how long it took before people started adding that “ba ba ba” part in the chorus, which is practically the law to include whenever this becomes the subject of a sing-along. Regardless, it’s clearly a timeless crowd-pleaser.
The Beach Boys – “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”
Of course, it’s hard to ignore the recent loss of Brian Wilson as an impetus for radio stations playing The Beach Boys a little more than usual. Even so, it’s not like it would have been hard to hear “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” among the Beach Boys cuts that still get play, as it’s the bright, sunny opening to the band’s masterpiece, Pet Sounds.
Wilson’s production techniques and ambitious compositional style were revolutionary at the time, which means they and a few other now-legendary acts were in the best position to stand the test of time decades after their classic works came out.
Mary Wells – “My Guy”
Although it would eventually be hard not to call Diana Ross the queen of Motown, that was the title Mary Wells once commanded in the legendary record label’s early years. And her most enduring mark on Motown’s history is the warm, tender ballad “My Guy.”
It’s an ode to not letting one’s eye stray from the one you love, and Wells’s soulful singing and the lush instrumentation around her make it pretty easy to see why the song became such a major hit in the first place. It may not be the biggest or flashiest Motown hit in retrospect but it still gets played for a reason.
Dolly Parton – “Jolene”
If there’s a song about romantic rivalry more timeless than Dolly Parton’s classic song “Jolene,” it seems that multiple generations would struggle to find it. There’s something about Parton’s plaintive plea to the titular woman not to take the one she loves that so many romantics in the world can sadly relate to.
Although this sadness is a little understated in Parton’s pleasant, bouncy original, some cover versions have made a lot of hay by bringing it to the forefront. All the same, it’s always going to be Parton’s original that comes to mind first, which means it’s the most likely one to be heard on the radio.
The Doors – “Light My Fire”
Although “The End” is as important to the legacy of The Doors as “Light My Fire” is, that song’s darkness and length tends to make it better suited for film soundtracks than radio play. Instead, the more likely song to grace the radio waves from this venerated band also constituted one of their biggest hits when Jim Morrison was alive, “Light My Fire.”
His voice runs the gamut from smooth to intense in a way that introduced so many listeners to his unforgettable mystique, but that keyboard riff still rings out with the same ear-catching power it had back in 1967.
The Beatles – “Hey Jude”
Whether it’s due to the cost of licensing their music or the fact that The Beatles haven’t needed radio to maintain their legacy for decades, one doesn’t actually tend to hear them that often on radio stations dedicated to older hits anymore.
That said, if a station does play The Beatles, chances are good that it’s going to be their tender, uplifting salve for Julian Lennon’s feelings, “Hey Jude.” Although The Beatles could build a house out of the records they sold in 1964, this hit from four years later still remains their biggest in history.
Earth, Wind & Fire – “September”
As Rick Astley can attest, it’s hard to find a better way for a song to stay relevant decades after its heyday than for it to inexplicably become part of a strange internet ritual. Yet, while some songs for this purpose (like Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”) seem randomly selected, others have a clearer logic behind them.
That’s the case with Earth, Wind & Fire’s endless joyful funk classic, “September,” which is sure to arise like Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day every September 21. It was already a beloved song before that started happening, but it’ll stay that way now.
Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Nothing sounded like “Bohemian Rhapsody” when it came out, and while Wayne’s World likely did a lot to keep the song alive as the decades went on, it’s hard to imagine anyone forgetting it long enough for obscurity to come. How many other songs with this many moving parts can so many people sing in their entirety from memory?
Like many of the other oldies that have stood the test of time, there was something jarring about the song’s shift from mournful balladeering to hard rock at the time that only became cooler in the years to follow. The iconic moments and mysterious lyrics have done a lot for the song’s mystique as well.
The Kingsmen – “Louie, Louie”
Although it’s hard to name a more quintessentially classic rock and roll song than “Louie, Louie,” it’s also true that it’s a toss-up as to when you’re most likely to hear it now. It’s certainly not out of the question to hear it on the radio, but it’s just as likely that if you see a cover band, they’ll eventually get to their rendition.
That said, those who do hear “Louie, Louie” on the radio are far more likely to hear the original Kingsmen version than any of the 1,600 covers (not an exaggeration) that followed. Indeed, though The Kingsmen once competed with Paul Revere & The Raiders for “Louie, Louie” dominance, the former’s version is more likely to appear than any of the latter’s songs at all.
The Rolling Stones – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
Similarly to The Beatles, the legacy of The Rolling Stones is concrete and expansive enough that there isn’t just one song from them that’s stood the test of time. Indeed, the continued presence of tracks like “Sympathy For The Devil” and “Gimme Shelter” create the impression that they were much bigger hits upon release than they were.
However, one song that rocketed to the charts and stayed as a classic, timeless part of their repertoire was their first number-one hit, “Satisfaction.” Keith Richards’s classic fuzzy riff is always going to hit hard, and being dissatisfied and surrounded by advertisements is just as relatable of a phenomenon as it was back then.
The Supremes – “Stop! In The Name Of Love”
Due to how impressively The Supremes stood out even from the formidable girl groups of the ’60s, it’s not exactly surprising that many of their hits would remain just as big today. Yet, while “Baby Love” certainly remains recognizable and “You Can’t Hurry Love” has been covered many times, “Stop! In The Name Of Love” seems to loom the largest over their legacy.
Whether it’s because of its show-stopping chorus or just the way it shows the power of Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson’s voices, it’s clear that this song has become their biggest signature over the years.
Heart – “Magic Man”
Although Heart wouldn’t release their most commercially successful music until the ’80s, the staying power of those hits has been significantly less than the classics they released a decade earlier. That makes “Barracuda” and “Magic Man” more representative of the sound people know them for than the number-one hits that came later.
Of the two, however, you’re more likely to hear “Magic Man” on the radio. Between its complex and psychedelic but loose guitar riff and Ann Wilson’s powerful melting during its soaring chorus, there’s something evidently crowd-pleasing about it that’s a perfect fit for radio even now.
Aretha Franklin – “Respect”
Although soul legend Otis Redding originally wrote “Respect,” it didn’t truly become a classic until Aretha Franklin and her sisters transformed it into a nigh-universal rallying cry. Yet, while took its message seriously, they also got down its fresh, bright arrangement.
Of course, a big part of what made this version timeless were the stray ideas the sisters threw into the proceedings, like the” just a little bit” and “sock it to me” ad-libs that keep the song energetic and iconic throughout. People may not say “sock it to me” anymore, but they do when this song comes on.
Elton John – “Tiny Dancer”
While it’s not unheard of to see a party dedicate a moment to happily singing “Crocodile Rock,” it’s a lot more likely for people to share a moment of togetherness by singing along to “Tiny Dancer.” Naturally, about half of them only know the chorus and awkwardly wait for that part when these sing-alongs happen.
Naturally, when the public continues to love a song decades after it’s released, radio DJs tend to take notice. So, while “Candle In The Wind” is sure to find its way back on the radio when some tragic news unfolds, “Tiny Dancer” is more likely when times are good.
Stevie Wonder – “Sir Duke”
Stevie Wonder’s music is legendary and (in his prime, anyway,) funky enough that so much of it continues to be popular and respected over half a century after he released it. However, one of his go-to choices when he wants to play something crowd-pleasing is “Sir Duke.”
This rousing number is just as iconic for its happy brass riffing as for Wonder’s soulful and joyful chorus, and there’s something about songs that express their debt to the past that make them timeless in their own right. There’s a reason that “Old Time Rock And Roll,” “American Pie,” and even “Video Killed The Radio Star” remain similarly beloved, after all.
