"On My Radio" is a song by English

2 tone Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to: Audio and sound * Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement * Two-tone attention signal * Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell * Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

revival band

the Selecter The Selecter are an English 2 tone ska revival band, formed in Coventry, England, in 1979. The Selecter featured a diverse line-up, both in terms of race and gender, initially consisting of Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson and Pauline Black on lead vo ...

, released as a single on 5 October 1979 by

2 Tone Records 2 Tone Records was an English independent record label that mostly released ska and reggae-influenced music with a punk rock and pop music overtone. It was founded by Jerry Dammers of the Specials and backed by Chrysalis Records. History ...

. It peaked at number 8 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, remaining on the chart for nine weeks, and became their most successful single.

Background and recording

"On My Radio" was originally written by Neol Davies whilst a member of another band, the Transposed Men, before the Selecter had been formed. "On My Radio" criticises radio as seen with the lyric "It's just the same old show on my radio", but also jokes at the expense of radio that the singer's lover prefers to listen to the radio than to them. Interest in the Selecter had grown after the release of their first single "The Selecter" which had been released earlier in 1979 as the B-side to the split single "

Gangsters A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and r ...

" by the Special A.K.A. They supported the Specials on tour and signed to

, who gave them £1,000 to record a single. However, at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

's Horizon Studios, the group did not want to record "On My Radio" as a single, as they thought it sounded “like a

Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

entry”. Producer Roger Lomas eventually persuaded them to record three songs (the other two being the eventual B-side "Too Much Pressure" and "Street Feeling") and let the record company company decide on which to release as a single. The song is also noted for its unusual 7/4

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

, instead of the common 4/4, which lead singer

Pauline Black Belinda Magnus (born 23 October 1953), better known as Pauline Black (), is an English singer, actress and author. In a music career spanning over 40 years, Black came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the 2 Tone ska reviva ...

says was "because we just didn’t know the rules". "On My Radio" peaked at number 29 on the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' Top Singles of 1979. In 2008, ''

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2000 ...

'' placed the song at number 44 in its list of "The Top 100 Songs of All Time".

Track listing

7" Single (CHS TT 4) #"On My Radio" – 3:15 #"Too Much Pressure" – 2:47

Charts

References

External links

*{{discogs master, 73277, type=single 1979 debut singles 1979 songs The Selecter songs 2 Tone Records singles Songs written by Neol Davies Songs about radio