"Radio Lover" is a

murder ballad Murder ballads are a subgenre of the traditional ballad form dealing with a crime or a gruesome death. Their lyrics form a narrative describing the events of a murder, often including the lead-up and/or aftermath. The term refers to the content ...

written by

Curly Putman Curly is a surname, given name, nickname or stage name. It may refer to: First name, nickname or stage name * Crazy Horse (1840–1877), Oglala Sioux war chief nicknamed "Curly" * Curly (scout), nickname of Ashishishe (c. 1856–1923), Crow Ind ...

, Ron Hellard, and Bucky Jones and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

. Although originally recorded for his 1983 studio album ''

Jones Country ''Jones Country'' is an album by American country music artist George Jones released in 1983 on the Epic Records label. Background The album's name was taken from an outdoor music park operated and owned by Jones in Texas near his birthplace betw ...

'', it was released as the fourth single from his 1989 studio album '' One Woman Man''.

Background

"Radio Lover" is a murder ballad, playing on a recurring theme in country music: A husband who is frequently absent, the wife becoming unfaithful (due to loneliness and desperation for physical intimacy), the husband returning home unannounced to find his wife in the arms of another man and - in a fit of rage - killing both his wife and the man who was with her. In "Radio Lover", the murderer is a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

who works an evening shift. Despite assuring his wife on-air that he loves her, she turns to another man to meet her sexual needs. Then one night, he pre-records his show and decides to surprise her on their first anniversary. The song's recitation explains that the man killed them both, just as the pre-recorded sign-off giving his signature line that he loved his wife was playing. "Radio Lover" was selected as the fourth and final single from Jones' 1989 album '' One Woman Man''. The song had already been released six years earlier on the LP ''

'', as was another ''One Woman Man'' track, "Burning Bridges". "Radio Lover" peaked at No. 62 on the ''Billboard'' country singles chart. Since the song's original release, "Radio Lover" has seen airplay on classic country radio stations.

Critical reception

A review of the song in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' was positive, stating that "Jones tosses this well-paced radio tale out to the listener and, it's likely, up the chart."

Chart performance

References

{{George Jones 1989 singles George Jones songs Songs written by Curly Putman Songs written by Ron Hellard Songs written by Bucky Jones Song recordings produced by Billy Sherrill Epic Records singles 1983 songs Songs about radio Murder ballads