Radio Times

Album: not on an album (1936)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Who would write a song about a magazine? Henry Hall did. The bandleader and composer was a regular on the BBC, which was radio-only until 1936, and indeed a broadcast monopoly for a long time after that.

    In September 1923, the corporation began publishing the Radio Times, and by 1934 this listing magazine had a huge readership. "Radio Times" was written to try to take that readership over the 5 million mark, and it succeeded. By contrast, from January to June 2014, the listing magazine had an audited circulation of 762,814. Quite a drop!
  • "Radio Times" was recorded in October 1934 with vocalist Dan Donovan; the music was published as a supplement to the Christmas edition, which sold in excess of five million copies! The song was performed during broadcasts, although curiously the recording was withdrawn after complaints from the Newspaper Proprietors Association. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Desmond Child

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.