There Ain't Nothin' Wrong With The Radio

Album: Read Between The Lines (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by Tippin and country songwriter Buddy Brock, this novelty song is about a ramshackle car that barely runs but still has a working radio that can tune into all the country stations. Good enough for Tippin, who owned a car just like the one in the song.

    "It's my old car Daisy, 1975 Toyota Corolla. When she finally laid down, she had 271,000 miles on her," Tippin told Songfacts. "So Buddy and I have just finished up a song called 'I Wonder How Far it is Over You.' He said, 'What are we going to write next?' I said, 'I got the greatest idea in the world. It's about this guy and he's got this new girlfriend and she just keeps messin' with his radio, twistin' on the knobs, pushin' all the buttons back and forth. He finally says, 'Hey, knock it off, there ain't nothing wrong with my radio.' And Buddy said, 'No, we're not writing it about some guy you made up in your head.' He said, 'We're going to write that about your old beat-up car, Daisy, because the only thing on it that works is the radio.'" (Here's our full interview with Aaron Tippin.)
  • This was Tippin's first #1 hit on the country chart, and his longest-running at three weeks.
  • Tippin performed this with Alvin and the Chipmunks on their 1992 country album, Chipmunks in Low Places. The cover pokes fun at the song's bad grammar, namely the title: "ain't" is an informal contraction and when paired with "nothin'," it forms a double negative, implying there is indeed something wrong with the radio. Simon the stickler tries to fix it by singing, "there isn't anything wrong with the radio."

    Tippin tells the chipmunk that the lax grammar is what makes the song work: "It's a license we songwriters use to get the proper feeling."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.

Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues

Justin Hayward of The Moody BluesSongwriter Interviews

Justin wrote the classic "Nights In White Satin," but his fondest musical memories are from a different decade.

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Tim and his brother Richard are the Furs' foundation; Tim explains how they write and tells the story of "Pretty In Pink."

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"They're Playing My Song

When a waitress wouldn't take him home, Jack wrote what would become one of the Eagles most enduring hits.

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.