Obscure Songs About DJs (from WFMU's Beware of the Blog)

[Silkie]

Here's a sampling of Edna Mae, although "Please, Mr. DJ" is not included:
http://waxidermy.com/edna-mae-henning/
Apparently, she's quite sincere about her singing, and is still around.

(Yay, my 100th post...  )

A similar song was "Please Mr. Disc Jockey", by The Sensations
They're all quite sincere about their voices
Congrats on your 100th post - and many more.

[ChrisInMI]

Hillbilly Heaven by Tex Ritter. In the Los Angeles market 1280 KFOX (country)and 1110 KRLA (top40) Both had custom versions were Tex mentioned the station jocks.

CKLW in Windsor/Detroit had one too.  I heard it on an old aircheck.

Speaking of CKLW, I also heard an aircheck of Henry Gross singing a customized version of his hit song "Shannon" with lyrics rewritten for Detroit/Buffalo radio veteran Tom Shannon, who had a couple of tours of duty at the "Big 8."

I've also heard that at the time Starship's "We Built This City" was popular, some stations inserted their own DJs' chatter into the song's bridge.

In more recent history, circa 1999-2000, Eurodance singer Amber had a minor hit with a song called "Sexual (Li Da Di)," with the chorus going "The way I feel is sexual." WDRQ in Detroit had Amber re-record the chorus as "DRQ is so sexual."

[michael hagerty]

Hillbilly Heaven by Tex Ritter. In the Los Angeles market 1280 KFOX (country)and 1110 KRLA (top40) Both had custom versions were Tex mentioned the station jocks.

I've also heard that at the time Starship's "We Built This City" was popular, some stations inserted their own DJs' chatter into the song's bridge.

True. The label supplied a version without Les Garland's rap about San Francisco.  Some stations aired it with Les (figuring the Starship was singing about San Francisco, their hometown), some laid in their own guy with a spiel about their town and some just played it without the chatter.

But the interesting one (to me, anyway) was KFRC in San Francisco. Les Garland had been Program Director at KFRC from 1977-1980. The PD when "We Built This City" came out was his friend and Music Director/Assistant PD Dave Sholin. Les was talking about San Francisco..but Dave re-cut it, using the same words but speeding up his delivery so he could fit "610 KFRC" at the end of the rap.

[Corky Marlowe]

Does anyone remember station customs for the novelty hit "Shaving Cream"? WMEE in Fort Wayne had a custom version, and the only verse I remember is "Mike St. John went in for a haircut/In the first chair he wanted to sit/Now he wishes he'd chosen another/For the first chair was covered with/Shaving Cream..."

[anotherguy]

I didn't think about them until I looked st this thread,  but I can remember hearing Life is a Rock customiized for WLS in Chicago. WHBQ in Memphis had their version of Fire, and WMC FM100 in Memphis had a version of We Built This City.

When Rick Dees was in Memphis he had a version of Olivia Newton John's Please Mister Please called Please Mister Dees. 

[OldNumber7]

The obvious one: "Clap For The Wolfman" - Guess Who

And the not-so-obvious one: "My Name Is Lloyd Thaxton" - Lloyd Thaxton.

I'm reminded of Todd Rundgren's "Wolfman Jack," which I think cracked the Hot 100. A couple years after it was on an album, the label tried to cash in on the Wolfman's new national fame in the 70s with a single that substituted his voice over a part in the middle eight where Todd had imitated his patter on the album cut.

[michael hagerty]

The obvious one: "Clap For The Wolfman" - Guess Who

And the not-so-obvious one: "My Name Is Lloyd Thaxton" - Lloyd Thaxton.

I'm reminded of Todd Rundgren's "Wolfman Jack," which I think cracked the Hot 100. A couple years after it was on an album, the label tried to cash in on the Wolfman's new national fame in the 70s with a single that substituted his voice over a part in the middle eight where Todd had imitated his patter on the album cut.

Almost. Peaked at 105.

[buster2]

Not an obscure song, but in the early 1980s, when Smokey Robinson charted with "Cruisin'", then-KOPA FM in Phoenix (CoL Scottsdale), had a custom part cut by Smokey just before the fade out in which he sang "... and on K-O-P-A...." in tune and in time with the music.  I wondered then (and now) who at that station had clout with Smokey, especially since at the time KOPA was the number two CHR in town battling powerhouse KZZP, which had no custom fade out.

I also recall at about the same time when Huey Lewis' "Heart of Rock and Roll" hit, he had a shout out for "Phoenix! ...Tucson!" at the end, but that of course was not unusual for markets not already in the original song.

[firepoint525]

I've also heard that at the time Starship's "We Built This City" was popular, some stations inserted their own DJs' chatter into the song's bridge.

I didn't think about them until I looked st this thread,  but I can remember hearing Life is a Rock customiized for WLS in Chicago. WHBQ in Memphis had their version of Fire, and WMC FM100 in Memphis had a version of We Built This City.

I believe it was Steve Conley, then of FM 100, who was the voice on the bridge of "We Built This City."

Of course, FM 100 also had their own theme song, "Memphis, I'm Coming Home to You."  I managed to score the 45 of that one on Ebay a few years back.  I've always enjoyed that song, but it took on a whole new meaning for me after I moved here to middle Tennessee, and then happened to hear it on FM 100 on a trip to Memphis.  Even now, that song still makes me a little homesick for my native west Tennessee!  

I also remember hearing the WLS versions of "Fire" and "Life is a Rock."

[firepoint525]

I also recall at about the same time when Huey Lewis' "Heart of Rock and Roll" hit, he had a shout out for "Phoenix! ...Tucson!" at the end, but that of course was not unusual for markets not already in the original song.

You brought back another memory for me.  When Huey Lewis was in Memphis for a show back in the '80s, he was interviewed on the aforementioned FM 100, and admitted, "I left Memphis out of the Heart of Rock and Roll."  It always annoyed me that songs like "Livin' In America" and "Heart of Rock and Roll" and "Sweet Little Sixteen" mentioned almost every other major city in America, but left out Memphis!  But I always took comfort in the fact that we had our "own" song:  Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee," probably best known in the version by Johnny Rivers.  And then there's "Walking in Memphis," which I also still enjoy. 

Then I moved here to the midstate, and have since realized that Nashville has also been left out of the previously mentioned songs.  So go figure.  But we have "Nashville Cats," which is also cool!