FYI: I heard "Living La Vida Loca" on the local oldies station tonight.  Not classic rock, OLDIES.

Living La Vida Loca is from late 1998. That's just crazy.

I guess nobody gives a f*ck about oldies music anymore. Unless they're 60 and older, but I have a grandmother that doesn't like a lot of 50s music.

Kinda strange to think 1998 will be hitting its 20th birthday soon.

Makes sense as songs from late 1978 like "I Will Survive" and "Le Freak" were playing in 1996 and were new at the time for the format. What startles me is it seems like much of the early-mid '90s stuff hasn't been played on the oldies yet. We should be hearing New Jack Swing, House, Techno, Britpop, Alternative Rock (when it really was Alternative), Grunge, and Eurodance first, not the Latin pop and Millenial Teen Pop!

It's sad how those advertisers are ignorant of Generation X.

Kinda strange to think 1998 will be hitting its 20th birthday soon.


Along with 1999.

Living La Vida Loca is from late 1998. That's just crazy.


I know it is crazy even on WCBS-FM in New York, they were playing songs after 1990.

I guess nobody gives a f*ck about oldies music anymore. Unless they're 60 and older, but I have a grandmother that doesn't like a lot of 50s music.


radio stations want to appeal to a different audience now.

radio stations want to appeal to a different audience now.


Yeah, but that's not the point for oldies stations. They usually air music from the 1930s to the 1950s/early 1960s.

Yeah, but that's not the point for oldies stations. They usually air music from the 1930s to the 1950s/early 1960s.

If you want to listen to a "real" oldies station, that's what internet radio is for now.

Music that was popular when I was in middle school being considered "oldies" is not something that I'm even remotely prepared for. :(

It's too recent. I won't be 20 until the 30th of this month, and I remember it from my early childhood. If a young adult could remember a song, it's too new for oldies stations.

It's too recent. I won't be 20 until the 30th of this month, and I remember it from my early childhood. If a young adult could remember a song, it's too new for oldies stations.


Well, back in the late 90s, there were lots of young adults who remember hearing songs like "Hotel California" and "We Are the Champions" during their early childhoods. Everything through March 2, 1998 is now closer to the 1970s than to today. People today who grew up with *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys are basically the age equivalent of those in the late 90s who were raised on "I Will Survive," "September," and "Bad Girls."

Yeah, but that's not the point for oldies stations. They usually air music from the 1930s to the 1950s/early 1960s.


Those types of stations disappeared about 15 years ago (shortly after the time the late '90s Swing revival died), and those were considered "Adult Standards" or "Nostalgia"-type stations. Most people think of "oldies" as rock music that predates the Arena/Punk Rock era, and that is generally from the mid-1950s up until the mid-1970s (originally up through the mid-1960s with more of a focus on pre-British Invasion hits). Most of these stations are now known as "Classic Hits" and mostly play music from the mid '70s through the '80s, with an occasional older song as early as the mid-60s and increasingly, the occasional '90s, and I've seen a report of Santana's Smooth from 1999 even played before. But for now, the domain of that format seems to be from 1975-1987 or so, without too much disco or R&B hits which I find disappointing compared to the earlier rock-based oldies which was much deeper into the R&B/Soul music. That said, these stations that currently cater to the MTV Generation will eventually shift to the TRL Generation.

This just in: WCBS is playing Los Lonely Boys "Heaven", and that is from 2004! Sure, it sounds old school for its release just like Smooth (and you wouldn't hear it at a high school dance), but you know what direction these stations are going in!  :o

The real trick is when hip hop/grunge/alternative pop in to mix up with "Dad Rock" to create a more comprehensive station. In other words, you just have an AC station from back then. Checking a short playlist that I've compiled, this is what WCBS played this morning over a two-hour span:

U2- With or Without You (1987)
Survivor- Eye of the Tiger (1982)
Christopher Cross- Ride Like the Wind (1979)
Eric Carmen- Hungry Eyes (1987)
Patty Smith- The Warrior (1984)
Elton John- Your Song (1970)
Doobie Brothers- What A Fool Believes (1978)
Stevie Wonder- Signed, Sealed, Delivered (1970)
Bryan Adams- Cuts Like A Knife (1983)
Fleetwood Mac- Don't Stop (1977)
Paul McCartney- Maybe I'm Amazed (1970)
Los Lonely Boys- Heaven (2004)
Eddie Money- Take Me Home Tonight (1986)
Neil Diamond- Sweet Caroline (1969)
Michael Jackson- Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (1979)
Rod Stewart- Forever Young (1988)
Electric Light Orchestra- Sweet Talking Woman (1977)
Hall & Oates- Rich Girl (1976)
Spandau Ballet- True (1983)
Dionne Warwick(e) & The Spinners- Then Came You (1974)
The Police- Dee Do Do Do, Da Da Da Da (1980)
Frankie Valli- My Eyes Adored You (1975)
Heart- Alone (1987)
Eagles- Lyin' Eyes (1975)
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go (1983)

As you can see, the plurality of the music represented still comes from the Brady Bunch decade, with the Facts of Life decade right behind (or arguably being even depending if you consider Ride Like The Wind a 1979 or 1980 song). The 2004 song was just a way to be experimental. If you really want '90s music, preset a variety hits station (Jack/Bob Fm), a newer-leaning classic rock station, a classic hip-hop station, and possibly an R&B/Urban station that plays occasional "old school" cuts. A decent mix of some of the rock and hip-hop. The adult contemporary music and dance music? Well, you'll have to create your own, since they are either too stale, or too passe. Still, this is quite a change from 20-25 years ago when the domain of the format would be from 1958-1973 or so. Plus, despite being less than two weeks following his death, no Prince.

This just in: WCBS is playing Los Lonely Boys "Heaven", and that is from 2004! Sure, it sounds old school for its release just like Smooth (and you wouldn't hear it at a high school dance), but you know what direction these stations are going in!

My Father who is 75 used to listen to WCBS-FM almost all the time but since the direction it took within the past couple of years, it turned him off. He just lost all respect for our oldies station that we used to listen to for our doo-wop and rock and roll music fix.

Music that was popular when I was in middle school being considered "oldies" is not something that I'm even remotely prepared for. :(


1990s is an old period, but I don't think it's old enough to have "oldies" music. How strange. Not sure if this is just do to nostalgia pandering or if the people running station actually thinks the decade is really old.

1990s is an old period, but I don't think it's old enough to have "oldies" music. How strange. Not sure if this is just do to nostalgia pandering or if the people running station actually thinks the decade is really old.


some deejays think the early 1990's is considered "oldies".

1990s is an old period, but I don't think it's old enough to have "oldies" music. How strange. Not sure if this is just do to nostalgia pandering or if the people running station actually thinks the decade is really old.


60's music was considered oldies in the 80's (about 20 years) so maybe they do think 90's songs are old.

In my area the oldies stations claimed that there weren't enough listeners tuning in so they changed format to 80's and 90's music.  They dropped the word "oldies" and refer to themselves as the place for "classics." 

They shouldn't be oldies, TBH. Back then, it actually meant something. Now, you basically had 1950s - 1980s music, which I could say that's really old by now.

60's music was considered oldies in the 80's (about 20 years) so maybe they do think 90's songs are old.

In my area the oldies stations claimed that there weren't enough listeners tuning in so they changed format to 80's and 90's music.  They dropped the word "oldies" and refer to themselves as the place for "classics."


"oldies" and "classics" are basically the same thing.

They shouldn't be oldies, TBH. Back then, it actually meant something. Now, you basically had 1950s - 1980s music, which I could say that's really old by now.


you can hear oldies on internet radio stations now.

We also have some 90's rock being played on some classic rock stations today.

We also have some 90's rock being played on some classic rock stations today.


But they're not really called classic rock in the 90's.

But they're not really called classic rock in the 90's.


At the time that was known as "Modern Rock".