Our Tune

''Our Tune'' is a long-standing feature/segment on British radio presented by broadcaster Simon Bates. Having begun by at least 1979 it was originally part of his mid-morning show on BBC Radio 1, where it aired daily throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. The feature has more recently been heard on Smooth Radio, where Bates presented the Breakfast Show from 2011 to 2014. An edition of ''Our Tune'' typically features a personal story submitted by a listener together with a song that has significance to the person or situation. Many of these stories, which are read out over Nino Rota's Love Theme from ''Romeo and Juliet'' have a tragic narrative such as illness or death, although not all end on such an unhappy note.

The feature's sentimental tone has earned it criticism from some, including a columnist at Glasgow's ''Evening Times including some of the stories to mark its tenth anniversary in 1990.

''Our Tune'' continues to be referenced in popular culture, while similar features involving listeners' stories have been employed by other presenters, including Radio 1's Mike Read and Jo Whiley. US singer Jenn Bostic became popular in Britain after Bates played one of her songs on an edition of ''Our Tune'' in 2012. According to a programme aired on Smooth Radio in 2013 to celebrate the feature's 33rd anniversary, the most requested song for ''Our Tune'' is Whitney Houston's version of ''I Will Always Love You''. ''Our Tune'' was last aired by Smooth Radio on 27 September 2013. The feature made a brief return in October 2015 as part of a series of programmes about relationships in later life that aired on BBC Local Radio.

History

Simon Bates joined BBC Radio 1 in 1976, where he presented the network's mid-morning show from 14 November 1977. He has said that the ''Our Tune'' slot first appeared on the programme on 21 July 1980, although the ''Radio Times'' makes reference to it as early as 14 February 1979. It was intended to run for a few weeks. Bates had the idea for the feature after reading a letter from one of his listeners who had enjoyed a holiday romance during a two-week trip to Bournemouth which ended after both parties returned home, and her love interest joined the armed forces. She asked Bates to play the song they had danced to during the vacation, and he read the story out one morning shortly before 11.00am. Bates then invited listeners to write to him with their personal stories and was quickly inundated with letters. He would then read these out on air. The segment quickly proved to be popular and was extended, soon becoming a regular mid-morning fixture for listeners, with people in offices, factories and schools often stopping work to hear the stories. Indeed, at its peak ''Our Tune'' attracted 11 million listeners on a daily basis. The name ''Our Tune'' was decided by listeners who would often request a song that was described by them as "our tune".

Each morning at around 11.00am, Bates would read out one of the stories while sentimental music played in the background. At first this would be any music of the genre that Bates could find, but after he played Nino Rota's theme to Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film ''Romeo and Juliet'' this became the official music of ''Our Tune''. The stories tended to be about relationships to begin with, but as the feature grew in popularity Bates started to receive letters on other issues. ''Our Tune'' is perhaps best remembered for those stories that had a tragic theme, typically opening with a happy courtship followed by a disaster such as illness or death. However, they were not always heart-rending tales, and many had happy conclusions. The feature would close with a song or piece of music chosen by the correspondent, usually something that had significance to those involved in the story. It might be a song that a couple had danced to at their wedding or a favourite hit enjoyed by someone who had died in tragic circumstances.

In 1982 Russell Kyle of Glasgow's ''Evening Times

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