Opening Doors: Singles, Jukeboxes, and a.m. Radio

Dug into the Eagles Greatest Hits (’71-’75) on my walk this evening— “Already Gone,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “One of These Nights,” “Take It to the Limit,” etc. all unbelievably compiled before Hotel California, the first side of which is a career’s worth of greatest hits that most bands would kill for by itself-- and it got me thinking about singles.  Singles (45s for old schoolers out there) constitute the “in” door to rock and roll in many ways.  Generally, I’m more of an album guy meself (sometimes I’ve been know to pooh-pooh singles—shame on me), but the importance of individual radio friendly tracks in the life of us music consumers cannot really be overstated.

Let’s start with a definition of what makes a good single.  First, it’s gotta have a hook—a guitar riff, a melody, a chorus or refrain-- that sinks deep into your flesh, draws blood, and won’t let go: you can’t get the damn song out of your head (think Keith Richards’ guitar riff on “Satisfaction”).  Really,  the song has to have something you can sing along with, and so a great melody and some killer clever or heavy lyrical turns of phrase are also pretty much requisite (try listening to “Silly Love Songs” by Macca and Wings without singing along—I dare ya’).  Vocal harmonies are a big plus (these are what really make that Eagles GH record, I think). Next, it’s gotta sound great LOUD even or especially when blasted out of crappy, tinny, lo-fi speakers (the horn break on Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke”).  It’s also gotta be pithy: you’ve got 3 and a half minutes tops and so every second has to count (“American Idiot” by Green Day knocks you out lead-pipe-cold in 2 minutes and 56 seconds).  Sounds simple and basic, and when done right it’s elegant and also beautiful, but, of course, it ain’t easy.

A friend of mine was recently mourning the loss of a jukebox that was kept in her folks basement.  When she was growing up, the jukebox was stocked by kids’ purchases from the local record store, and was downstairs with a classic 70s wet bar and a couple of pinball machines, making that basement, most definitely, Downtown Coolsville.  She recently emailed a bunch of people who had shared evenings, weekends, and summers downstairs with her asking them to name songs that they remembered were on the jukebox at one time or another.  Here’s a sample of the old Wurlitzer’s offerings:
-Changes - David Bowie
-Fly Like an Eagle - Steve Miller
-Magic Man - Heart
-Love Will Keep Is Together - Captain & Tenille
-You're the One That I Want - Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta
-Crocodile Rock - Elton John
-Respect - Aretha Franklin
-Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce
-The Logical Song - Supertramp
-Do You Feel Like We Do (yeah, the short version) - Peter Frampton
-Lola - The Kinks
-A-B-C-1-2-3 - The Jackson 5
-Stuck in the Middle with You - Stealer's Wheel
-Cold as Ice - Foreigner
-S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night! - Bay City Rollers
-Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts
-Walk on the Wild Side - Lou Reed
I dunno for sure, but I bet you’re smiling and / or running to wherever / whatever medium and place you store your music to put some of this good stuff on…

I started buying music—albums— when I was 11, but how did I know what albums to buy, which musical branches were growing on my tree?  I had already spent hundreds, maybe thousands of hours listening, absorbing, growing musical roots I wasn’t even aware of, and these songs were the songs that developed them.  Blasted out of car dashboards, transistor radios, and buzzing through door of my friends older siblings, at the beach, at the campground, at the pool, being driven around by my folks, and, of course, pouring out of jukeboxes and everywhere else, these songs, unbeknownst to me at those moments were pulling, welcoming me through the “in” door to rock and roll. 

a.m. radio, indeed, is synonymous with rock and roll for many people.  While Elvis and the Beatles first pinged onto most people’s radar screens with their appearances on Ed Sullivan’s TV show, it was their presence on a.m. radio—with several of their songs being broadcast to millions of people every hour on every major pop music station in the country-- which made them, and rock and roll, a ubiquitous bedrock staple of American culture.  a.m. radio was the place where hits lived (and, I think, still is, to some degree).  This ubiquitous-ness had a snowball effect. What had started out as a wild and extreme bit of youthful musical craziness with a few far-out practitioners and followers drew more and more attention ‘cuz it was everywhere and easily accessible on the airwaves, and so more and more people— listeners and creators— fell under its sway and jumped on for the ride.  Singles on the radio were the entry point for these folks, who have been on the bandwagon ever since hopping aboard.

Once onboard, singles and a.m. radio continued to be important ways for people to pursue their listening interests.  Singles are rock and roll musicians way of introducing themselves and of introducing their latest albums—this is what we’re about and this is what this latest set of songs is about.  Queen’s “Killer Queen” is a great example: “Hi. We’re a band that features hooky melodies, richly layered vocal harmonies, a unique guitar sound, a big role for the piano, and lyrics which mess with a bit with traditional sexual mores and roles.  Pleased to meet you.”  Pleased to meet them, indeed.  A good way to know if you will be interested in a band, in general, is to check out their singles.  If none of them grab ya’, then you probably should spend your dough on something else.  While internet radio doesn’t work exactly the same way—you can create radio “stations” based on your own, known-to-you tastes which are likely to wind up playing stuff which you have a higher likelihood of enjoying than a.m. radio, broadcasting the same stuff to everyone, did in the past—they still serve a similar purpose.  Tell Pandora enough about what you like to listen to, and it will play single songs and bands that you haven’t heard but do dig.  I have bought dozens of albums as a result of single songs flitting through my Pandora mix, and am almost always happy with the results of these pursuits.

While I stand by albums as a richer and more intimate medium—musicians can spread out, experiment, expand, develop, and take more musical and personal risks than they can in a single 3 and a half minute song—singles are the door in.  In a general sense, they are what introduces many people to rock and roll (or country, hip hop, r and b / soul, bluegrass, or any other popular musical idiom, for that matter), and they are also the best way for people to meet new artists and musical paths to explore.

What singles do you remember blasting from jukeboxes, car radios, etc?  What singles have opened doors for you?