It occurred to me over the weekend when “Get Closer,” the 1976 yacht rock standard by Seals and Crofts, came on: There may be some songs that radio shouldn’t be playing during a global pandemic.
So I reached out to an old friend, Rick O’Dell, program director of Me-TV FM, the Weigel Broadcasting soft-rock oldies station at WRME 87.7-FM, for advice on other songs to add to the list.
Here are the titles he suggested:
- "Touch Me" - The Doors
- "I Want to Hold Your Hand" - The Beatles
- "Come a Little Bit Closer" - Jay and the Americans
- "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand" - Diana Ross
- "Touch Me in the Morning" - Diana Ross
- "Rockin' Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu" - Johnny Rivers
- "My Little Town" - Simon & Garfunkel
- "Stand By Me" - Ben E. King
- "The Closer I Get to You" - Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
- "Be Near Me" - ABC
- "Close to You" - The Carpenters
- "Touch Me When We're Dancing" - The Carpenters
O’Dell said he hasn’t taken any of the songs out of Me-TV FM’s rotation, although he did receive complaints from listeners for airing “My Little Town,” which includes the grim lyrics: “Nothing but the dead and dying back in my little town.”
Then he suggested I challenge his competitors to come up with similar lists for their formats.
So . . . what songs would you add to the list?