# Rarely heard favorites. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 15, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379 "2005-06-15T14:41:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/1 "2005-06-15T14:41:14Z")
I’m not sure if this should go into IMHO since I’m asking for examples, but it’s about songs, so here it is. What songs do you really like but hardly ever get to hear on the radio? A couple for me include: “Polk Salad Annie” by Tony Joe White “25 Miles” by Edwin Starr (More famous for “War! What is it good for…?” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot There are others, but since I hardly ever hear them, I can’t remember them. What about all y’all? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/2 "2005-06-15T15:04:00Z")
Heck, the majority of my favorite songs _never_ get played on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/3 "2005-06-15T15:19:55Z")
I could make up a list of songs I like that never get played on the radio that would take all day to write and read. Suffice it to say that this is the reason why I never listen to the radio, but I have more than 20,000 songs to listen to in my record/CD collection, anytime I like. (I had “Polk Salad Annie” going through my head on the bus ride to work!) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/4 "2005-06-15T15:32:45Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > Heck, the majority of my favorite songs _never_ get played on the radio. The majority of my favorite _genres_ never get played on the radio. Radio sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/5 "2005-06-15T15:39:27Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Radio sucks. Damn straight. If I wanted to hear the same 25 songs over and over again, I’ll pick two CDs and set my player for repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/6 "2005-06-15T16:22:42Z")
You people are no fun. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/7 "2005-06-15T16:38:58Z")
OK. Joe Tex - I Gotcha Bread - Let Your Love Go (their only rock record) Status Quo - Pictures Of Matchstick Men Jimmy McCracklin - The Walk Five Man Electrical Band - Money Back Guarantee; Julianna Dave Edmunds - I Hear You Knocking Stephen Stills - Marianne Rare Earth - Born To Wander; I Just Want To Celebrate Three Dog Night - Pieces Of April Wings - Getting Closer; Girls’ School; Daytime Nighttime Suffering Kate Bush - Babooshka The Dixie Cups - Iko Iko Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88 (actually Ike Turner & His Rhythm Kings) Elvis Presley - Way Down Jan Bradley - Mama Didn’t Lie Jackie Shane - Any Other Way Stevie Wonder - We Can Work It Out Billy Mysner - Rock And Roll Band Myles & Lenny - Can You Give It All To Me Leigh Ashford - Dickens A Foot In Coldwater - Who Can Stop Us Now Crowbar - Too True Mama Downchild Blues Band - Caldonia Robin Trower - Caledonia (different from above) The Clovers - Riot In Cell Block #9 …shall I continue? ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/8 "2005-06-15T16:41:15Z")
“Girls Talk” by Dave Edmunds. Fargin’ classic pop song. “Police on My Back” Clash version. “There’s No Other Way” Blur “Girlfriend” Matthew Sweet “A Girl Like You” Edwyn Collins (get better soon, man!) …and many more! ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/9 "2005-06-15T18:28:26Z")
Madman Across the Water, by Elton John. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/10 "2005-06-15T18:29:47Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > Madman Across the Water, by Elton John. Love Lies Bleeding/Funeral For A Friend too. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/11 "2005-06-15T18:49:08Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Love Lies Bleeding/Funeral For A Friend too. The stations rarely play the long pieces even with digital compression. I got seriously pissed at the local oldies station when they cut two or three verses out of “American Pie.” The thing that caused me to post this thread was that ever since I got XM Radio, I’ve actually been getting to hear some of those rare tracks. And at full length. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarely-heard-favorites/308379/12 "2005-06-15T19:22:03Z")
For some of these kinds of songs, a local DJ at a given station may play them every so often as a personal favorite. Of the songs mentioned so far, the following get a decent amount of airplay on at least one station I’ve listened to regularly over the past decade: “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot “I Just Want To Celebrate” by Rare Earth “Iko Iko” by The Dixie Cups (a local New Orleans favorite + a Mardi Gras staple) “We Can Work it Out” by Stevie Wonder “Girlfriend” by Matthew Sweet One of the classic rock stations in Jackson, MS plays “Love Lies Bleeding” pretty often … I’d catch it maybe twice a month during drivetime. … A few of my own personal “why don’t they ever play this?” songs. They may be on the radio in your part of the world: “World Turning” by Fleetwood Mac “Notorious” by Duran Duran “Opportunities” by The Pet Shop Boys