Classic Rock…If You’re 12

We held our first communications team meeting this morning here at the office, it was pretty informative. One person suggested getting publicity for an event on a classic rock station, which our program specialist said has started playing Creed, because Creed is apparently classic rock.

So I went through the station’s playlist just now. I didn’t see any Creed, but I found some other songs that made me scratch my head and wonder what that’s doing on classic rock radio. For example, the Black Crowes‘ “She Talks to Angels.” I’ve never really listened to anything by the Black Crowes, but I don’t think of them as a blast from the past.

I feel the same way about the Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ “Under the Bridge,” although it is about 17 years old and can be classified as a rock song. I’m not entirely sure about Pearl Jam or Nirvana having a few songs on the playlist either.

But then there’s Metallica’s cover of the Bob Seger classic “Turn the Page,” which was released in 1998. Huh? And I didn’t notice this the first time, but I about fell off my chair when I saw that the Rob Thomas and Santana collaboration “Smooth” is played. That song was popular earlier this decade! “Run-around” by Blues Traveler makes a little more sense than “Smooth” does, but not much.

Here’s another one I remember hearing on the Top 40 station when I was in middle school: John Mellencamp and Me’shell Ndegeocello’s version of “Wild Night”, originally by Van Morrison. Hmmm, I don’t know about that.

What this signals to me is that this is just another attempt by the media to adapt to the changes. They see people my age getting older and feel that warrants making any song that Rob Thomas is part of a classic hit. If I wanted to, I could probably take one of those magnets with the different faces that says “Today I feel…” and use that to write a song, because I’m pretty sure that’s how Rob Thomas does it.

When I think of classic rock, I think of the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, early Rod Stewart, Van Halen (moreso with David Lee Roth than Sammy Hagar), the Doors, the Who, AC/DC, Janis Joplin, even Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Yeah, these artists were in their prime before I arrived, but I grew up with them thanks to their being played on classic rock radio.

To the program directors of these stations, please scrap the more recent songs and stick with the older ones that have worked all these years.