Ring ring: Songs about the telephone

This was a fun one. Well, two. It appeals to reason that a good number of songs written before the internet age were about communication on the telephone, so these playlists include a higher concentrate of tunes from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. Who could forget the time capsule that cites both a now-defunct phone provider (MCI) cutting off service and tells “AOL to make my email stop,” the great “Bug A Boo” by Destiny’s Child? This was also a great fit, Goose, many thanks.

Enjoy both official Thematic Static shows featuring songs about phones plus dozens more requests I couldn’t fit in on-air, all in a Spotify playlist. Future requests are warmly accepted anytime via telephone (really!) at 615-320-9100, or you can take to social media @WNXPNashville to submit your ideas for songs that fit a theme. We appreciate you for helping to make more clever mixtapes together on WNXP!

#ThematicStatic Playlist: 3/7/2024

Blondie – “Hanging on the Telephone”
Primitive Radio Gods – “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in my Hand”
Jim Croce – “Operator (That’s Not The Way It Feels)”
Al Green – “Call Me”
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone”

Carly Rae Jepsen – “Call Me Maybe”
Glen Campbell – “Witchita Lineman”
New Edition – “Mr. Telephone Man”
Kesha FKA Ke$ha – “Stephen”
No Doubt – “Spiderwebs”
Labi Siffre – “Bless The Telephone”
Destiny’s Child – “Bug a Boo”
Steely Dan – “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”

#ThematicStatic Playlist: 3/14/2024

Ben Folds – “Phone In A Pool”
Nilufer Yanya – “Keep On Calling”
Billy Woods & Kenny Segal ft. Samuel T. Herring – “FaceTime”
Andy Shauf – “Telephone”
Wilson Pickett – “634-5789”
Arctic Monkeys – “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”
Bleached – “Waiting By The Telephone”
Erykah Badu – “Tyrone” (Live)
The Replacements – “Answering Machine”
Reba McEntire – “Why Haven’t I Heard From You”
Grateful Dead – “Operator”

Chegall Guevara – “Still Know Your Number By Heart”
Todd Rundgren – “Hello It’s Me”
Sloan – “Pick It Up and Dial It”
Robyn – “Call Your Girlfriend”

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