Heard Carpenters

Just heard “Top Of The World” on myFM 104.9. Sounded like a remix from between 85-97, but the vocals really sounded pushed to the front, almost as if it was a radio-only mix and not one that’s been released on CD.
 
I heard Top of the World playing at Home Depot about a month ago.
And I wanted to share this: About 11 or 12 years ago during the holiday season I was listening to the radio in my car. The host Delilah played Home for the Holidays. I won't forget after it played she said 'She has a pretty voice, doesn't she?'.
 
Unfortunely, they don't play The Carpenters on 1400 AM & 104.1 FM "The Bay" in Pinconning & Bay City, Michigan though BUT it is the only "Soft Rock" or "Adult Contemporary" station in my area. I guess it's a thing of the past. Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
So yesterday I went on an afternoon gambling cruise --- don't judge me; I'm really not much of a gambler, but I do like cruises and this was a nice diversion. I digress... Upon boarding the ship, I distinctly heard 70s music, most of it in the soft-rock vein. I was enjoying my buffet lunch when I heard "Yesterday Once More." And I was ecstatic! Also played were "Make It With You" by Bread, "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)" by the Stylistics, and "One Bad Apple" by the Osmonds (not heard by me since the early 70s on the radio), among many others. As the day progressed, the tempo of songs clearly picked up, but still 70s tunes.

I approached a member of management and inquired about the music. She explained that the music was preprogrammed by the cruiseline's Information Technology department. She further stated that 70s music is often featured, but the genre changes, dependent on the date, day versus night, holiday, and guest demographics. I think it's safe to say that casinos are often populated by seniors, particularly an afternoon cruise. So my ecstasy of hearing the Carpenters was tempered somewhat by yet another realization of my advancing age...
 
So yesterday I went on an afternoon gambling cruise --- don't judge me; I'm really not much of a gambler, but I do like cruises and this was a nice diversion. I digress... Upon boarding the ship, I distinctly heard 70s music, most of it in the soft-rock vein. I was enjoying my buffet lunch when I heard "Yesterday Once More." And I was ecstatic! Also played were "Make It With You" by Bread, "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)" by the Stylistics, and "One Bad Apple" by the Osmonds (not heard by me since the early 70s on the radio), among many others. As the day progressed, the tempo of songs clearly picked up, but still 70s tunes.

I approached a member of management and inquired about the music. She explained that the music was preprogrammed by the cruiseline's Information Technology department. She further stated that 70s music is often featured, but the genre changes, dependent on the date, day versus night, holiday, and guest demographics. I think it's safe to say that casinos are often populated by seniors, particularly an afternoon cruise. So my ecstasy of hearing the Carpenters was tempered somewhat by yet another realization of my advancing age...

Ha ha! I was going to say look at the demographics of an afternoon gambling cruise and the music selection is not much of a mystery! living relatively close to Las Vegas, I've noticed the same in the ambient music at some casinos; having heard Carpenters played more than a few times.
 
And speaking of music targeting an older audience...
I think we all notice familiar music played during TV (radio) commercials. Currently airing are two commercials that have caught my "ear": Anoro, a prescription medicine used to treat COPD; and Ozempic, a prescription medicine used to treat diabetes. The former commercial includes a continual refrain of "Go Your Own Way," but clearly NOT Fleetwood Mac; and the latter commercial features a continual refrain of "Oh, oh, oh, Ozempic," the same tune of "Magic" by Pilot, although the original hit song beckons, "Oh, oh, oh, it's magic." But, cutting to the chase, the advertisers are targeting an aging population and its varied health problems through 70s music (when they were young and life was carefree). But I must rhetorically ask: in the 70s, were there commercials being played that targeted the older generation through their young-life music?!?!

One other thing: When I hear songs being coopted for commercials, I miss the original versions and instinctively sing along (aloud or just in my mind), but reverting the lyrics to the original. I have been doing this for as long as I can remember: including, from the 90s, Old El Paso's "Taco Man" ("Macho Man" by the Village People) and the 70s, Herbal Essence Shampoo (Beach Boys' "California Girls": "I wish they all could have Herbal Essence hair" in lieu of "I wish they all could be California girls").

Finally, one other rhetorical flourish: Why is it I have a hard time remembering so much, but I can vividly remembering hearing certain songs in long-ago commercials?!?!
 
And speaking of music targeting an older audience...
I think we all notice familiar music played during TV (radio) commercials. Currently airing are two commercials that have caught my "ear": Anoro, a prescription medicine used to treat COPD; and Ozempic, a prescription medicine used to treat diabetes.

Nostalgia (like music) is used to sell merchandise, food, and more and more where the big bucks are, prescription drugs. Makes me sad.
(Not your actual post James!)
 
Sadly I haven't heard one Carpenters song on the radio since I've lived here, or on any of the vacations when coming here over the last dozen or so years. Or in the shopping centers or stores. Wow.
 
I just saw an ad for “Operation Smile”. They are the charity the fixes cleft lips in third world countries. Anyway the song they choose, and really seemed appropriate, was “Can’t Smile Without You”. It wasn’t the Carpenters or Manilow version, but still it was interesting to hear it.
 
And speaking of music targeting an older audience...
I think we all notice familiar music played during TV (radio) commercials. Currently airing are two commercials that have caught my "ear": Anoro, a prescription medicine used to treat COPD; and Ozempic, a prescription medicine used to treat diabetes. The former commercial includes a continual refrain of "Go Your Own Way," but clearly NOT Fleetwood Mac; and the latter commercial features a continual refrain of "Oh, oh, oh, Ozempic," the same tune of "Magic" by Pilot, although the original hit song beckons, "Oh, oh, oh, it's magic." ...

I apologize for going off on a tangent here, but there's one other annoying commercial I meant to include (and it was too late for me to edit my original comment): Trelegy, a prescription medicine for COPD, played to the tune of "ABC" by the Jackson 5. I get the notion of pandering to a target audience via nostalgia. Yet for me, side effects of all these commercials for prescription medicines include nausea and irritability!

Now making a segue to the main topic at hand, it is indeed thrilling that, even in 2019, this thread is still relevant --- and not just at Christmastime!
 
... But I must rhetorically ask: in the 70s, were there commercials being played that targeted the older generation through their young-life music?!?!

I've thought about this too, and no, that rarely happened if memory serves. I'm pretty sure it's because, among other things, you couldn't go back 40+ years from the 1970's and find music that had been recorded in a way that made it sound good or was easily transferable (history audiophiles correct me if I have this wrong). 50's music was used, but go too far back and the music simply becomes badly recorded, and the tech didn't exist then to clean it up as well as they can today.

Also, pop music transcends generations. Roaring 20's or 30's music doesn't. Younger people hearing Fleetwood Mac may not know the band (many actually do), but the style of music isn't off-putting to anyone other than those of us who bought the Rumors album when it came out :wink:
 
I've thought about this too, and no, that rarely happened if memory serves. I'm pretty sure it's because, among other things, you couldn't go back 40+ years from the 1970's and find music that had been recorded in a way that made it sound good or was easily transferable (history audiophiles correct me if I have this wrong). 50's music was used, but go too far back and the music simply becomes badly recorded, and the tech didn't exist then to clean it up as well as they can today.

Also, pop music transcends generations. Roaring 20's or 30's music doesn't. Younger people hearing Fleetwood Mac may not know the band (many actually do), but the style of music isn't off-putting to anyone other than those of us who bought the Rumors album when it came out :wink:
Audio tape recording didn’t take off until after WWII, since it was the Germans that developed tape that wouldn’t burn up, blow up or do something crazy after only a minute or two. Really it was because of how many recordings of orders that were heard during WWII that featured Adolf Hitler that were so much clearer and higher fidelity than anything that the Allies had (the broadcasts were being made in multiple time zones, but sounded like LIVE.broadcasts rather than transcribed or wire recordings and longer than any 16rpm disc could hold), that made the world interested in audio tape technology. The Allies captured a number of German audio tape recorders close to the end of the war, when the Allies captured Radio Luxembourg and found a number of machines there. It is from these machines that all analog tape recorders created since then have been based on, And very little has changed. After the War it was because of Bing Crosby that audio tape caught on, since Crosby was able to make a recording that sounded live, but could be copied and sent to various stations to be played at different times.
 
Audio tape recording didn’t take off until after WWII, since it was the Germans that developed tape that wouldn’t burn up, blow up or do something crazy after only a minute or two. Really it was because of how many recordings of orders that were heard during WWII that featured Adolf Hitler that were so much clearer and higher fidelity than anything that the Allies had (the broadcasts were being made in multiple time zones, but sounded like LIVE.broadcasts rather than transcribed or wire recordings and longer than any 16rpm disc could hold), that made the world interested in audio tape technology. The Allies captured a number of German audio tape recorders close to the end of the war, when the Allies captured Radio Luxembourg and found a number of machines there. It is from these machines that all analog tape recorders created since then have been based on, And very little has changed. After the War it was because of Bing Crosby that audio tape caught on, since Crosby was able to make a recording that sounded live, but could be copied and sent to various stations to be played at different times.

Very interesting! You certainly know your stuff!
 
I've thought about this too, and no, that rarely happened if memory serves....

David: Thanks a million for your reply! So glad to learn of your interest in this subtopic of commercials. Also, I appreciate your explanation; it all makes sense.

I have always been fascinated by TV commercials, particularly those featuring songs. Even as a kid, I would reenact them (or sing them). They've made an impression, for better or worse...

And I think there were quite a few of us "who bought the Rumors album when it came out!" Maybe it's just "second hand news!"
 
Jambalaya is currently on bbc radio 2 as I type this.
Nice start to Paul O' Gradys show. Malcolm must have picked it as the producer.
 
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