Comments: 13

• Montana 808 from MontanaHi. After many years of being a Harry Chapin fan, I must disagree with the statement that W.O.L.D. was a "play on World". It is clearly W OLD - highlighting the "OLD" referenced in the song. As you say, Harry was very astute at marketing, but even more so at lyrics. Just listen to "Better Place to Be" and his mastery of lyric screams out. I'm sure others are of the same mind.
  Regards
• Mike F. from Lancaster, OhI always thought the station call letters had to do with the aging DJ - hence the OLD in WOLD.
• Paul Wilde from Coonamble Nsw AustraliaStarted radio announcing at 3cs Victoria, then radio Freemantle Perth, then air FM Sydney, now MTM FM coonamble NSW, I play this song for my ex wife Joanne!
• Gary from Bethlehem, PaThis song is also about time marching on. I was around 15 years old when it came out and while not a huge Chapin fan I loved this song. I love the line "feeling all of 45 going on 15" and thought that not only was I currently 15 but 45 years old was light years away for me. I passed that birthday, coincidentally, 15 years ago. While there's nothing wrong with Taxi (overlong maybe and "Sequel" was unnecessary) W*O*L*D will always be THE Harry Chapin song for me.
• Ralph from DallasThank you to Bob from Farmington for correctly clarifing the title. The song is about an itinerant DJ who has made a string of bad decisions beginning with leaving his wife and who is now physically and psychologically “old” at 45. I first heard the song as a teenager and even then was struck by its poignancy.
• Susan from Atlanta, GaWOLD is indeed a radio station in southwest Virginia. It is in Marion, Virginia, and when I was visiting family there not long after this song came on, I encountered the owner of the station. When I mentioned the song, she became infuriated, saying how much she hated that he used their call letters. I thought, "What, are you nuts, lady? This is free publicity for your station every time it's played." I never did understand her objection to it.
  
  I had the great fortune of seeing Harry Chapin in concert in 1979 and later meeting him. What a talented singer/songwriter and wonderful person, and what a shame his life came to such a tragic ending.
• Jennifer Harris from Grand Blanc, MiI first fell in love with it at work.
• Garry from Wrexham, United Kingdomgreat insight to harry and his music and lyrics
• John from Lakeland, FlI loved how Harry would change the last radio station call letters to one of the popular local stations where he was playing at the time.
• Bob from Farmington Hills, MiIt's W-OLD. It's not about the "world", it's about a 45 year old DJ feeling OLD, past his prime, nothing to offer his ex-wife, not much to really offer anyone other than serving up the hits. It's beyond bittersweet.
• Dave from Liverpool, United KingdomIndeed!
  
  Check out Alan Partridge on
  
  bbc.co.uk/comedy
  
  Graveyard shift DJ on local radio
• Jeff from Liverpool, Englandgreat song from a very underrated story singer,whose career was tragically cut short in a car crash in 1981
• Mark from Lancaster, OhThis song had a great deal of radio play for one that only achieved #36 on the charts. But because it was about radio, and because elements of its story are distressingly common in radio, it was immensely popular with radio DJ's. Radio stations can be lonely places, and it seemed that almost every station at that time had an old, veteran morning man with a long, long history.

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