What Would You Play As The Last Song Ever For A Radio Station?

Recently in my area, WBCN went off air, changing formats. It got me to thinking if I was the last DJ on the last show, what would I play for the final song ever on the station. The first thing to come to mind for me was;

Radio Radio - Elvis Costello.

Sort of sums up the state of affairs in corporate radio, even after 30+ years from when it was written.

What are yours?

I've only once heard a station go off air, and it was an alt/indie station in the mid-90s, and of course it closed out with "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"

Why? by Yoko Ono would be pretty good.

Nabisco--was that station in Minneapolis per chance?

It was out of Colorado Springs, I think. That REM would not be my pick, obviously; I would probably choose something bitter and snotty, or compose/record a song called "Screw You All for Not Getting Your Friends to Listen."

"Weasels Ripped My Flesh," and I'd loop and decay the bicycle-horn-squeak at the end for 30-40 minutes.

on the last episode of our college radio show, my friend and i played dragonforce, mastodon, fuck the facts, mia and reel big fish simultaneously on all five tracks. speaking of which, our first show of the new year is coming up next week ya'll got any suggestions for a first song to play?

i don't even remember my last official radio show... ok, found it. pretty good, i ended with "Bitch Wanna Ride My Dick."

but if i were to answer this question, i'd say the Doors, dude. obv.

When The Music's Over, right?

Nabisco--was that station in Minneapolis per chance?

― Nate Carson, Wednesday, September 16, 2009 11:09 PM (35 minutes ago)

hahaha this was my first question as well

When I was in high school our local ALTERNATIVE ROCK station (based out of Pensacola, Florida) was being transitioned over to an oldies format. Apparently in protest, they played a Macarena CD single, remixes and all, on repeat for more than a day. I want to say it was like three days but I'm not sure. I do remember on the way to school tuning in to see if they were still playing the Macarena, and everyone at school talking about it, so it was definitely for more than a day. My girlfriend even remembers the radio having made promos that said something along the lines of "All Mac, no rock". There were never any DJs on or anything to explain it. It was incredible.

that does sound good! it seems a little like the time this girl didn't show up to her show and so i looped two CDs. one was a 10 second clip of mexican wedding bands, and the other was a PSA that said "buying drugs or doing drugs, it was either one or the other."

this went on for two hours. i have it recorded somewhere. (also, i only left because i had a vicious hangover and needed some reefer).

Did you record the whole two hours? I'd like to think you did, and that you had to sit there waiting to flip a tape to get that last hour of repetition.

I think I'd choose ABBA's "Thank You for the Music". I like the idea of thanking the audience for the music, because it makes me feel confused.

Bauhaus "Spirit" would be good. It ends with that long loop--"We Love Our Audience!" (ad infinitum)

yeah didn't they do "end of the world" for like a whole day?

i totes remember that

Yeah I've heard several stations use the R.E.M. as their final song. A few years ago WHFS's last song was Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye."

I've only once heard a station go off air, and it was an alt/indie station in the mid-90s, and of course it closed out with "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"

― nabisco, Wednesday, September 16, 2009 6:08 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Why? by Yoko Ono would be pretty good.

Nabisco--was that station in Minneapolis per chance?

― Nate Carson, Wednesday, September 16, 2009 6:09 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

ha, lol, xp to jj et al, i came all ready to "attn minnesotans of my age cohort, u know the answer to this one"

thing is, rev 105 shuttin down actually, like, ~hurt

as a nerdy dramakid/comic collector/jazz band dweeb, having rev105 turn into BOB FM country radio was like having my best pal throwing down a game controller, becoming the QB, and then givin me a swirly in a special toilet set up in the gym for assembly

xpost - I was only in MPLS for 9 months in '94 but you know...

My favorite stations always shut down, they are usually on the AM dial. The last one that was my favorite was an easy listening oldies station. I don't know what their last song was, but they always played "Born Free" by Roger Miller, so that would have been appropriate.

Maybe Miles Davis' In A Silent Way (the whole disc; it's only two (long) songs). Kinda sends the radio station into a space-y afterlife.

the cable FM station I used to be at in Indiana had this long, elaborate signoff tape for the end of every evening, it had The Beach Boys "Add Some Music To Your Day" (or whatever the title of that is) at the end. I always thought that sounded good.

for my last show on that station in uh August 1990 I played John Fahey's "The Transcendental Waterfall".

John Cage 4'33"

"video killed the radio star" - the buggles

one of Basinski's 'Disintegrating Loops'

Yeah, that's a very good, very appropriate choice.

Human League - WXJL Tonight

xtc - "history of rock and roll"

Do Make Say Think - "In Mind"

Maybe do something gimicky like longest pop song ever according to Guinness World Record: "The Devil Glitch" by Chris Butler at 69 minutes

actually for a gimicky long song I would rather go with NǽnøĉÿbbŒrğ VbëřřĦōlökäävsŦ - Doom Apocalypse X, The Ultimate Fate of the Universe (Part IX: The Photon Era) - 404:26
"Self described as "ambient cosmic extreme funeral drone doom metal""

I think Shellac take this one

Gah, beaten to it.

Obviously Shellac's 'The End Of Radio'. Obviously.

The theme music to my new show, which I guess I'll be ending with is the Kon Tiki/Martin Denney sounding one off 'Touchpool' by L.Pierre.

"Ride into the sun" The Velvets. Not the "Fully Loaded" version...

.. I mean, if you wanted to be literal, "The Last Broadcast" Doves...

I would play something laced with profanity.

I remember WLIR went off the air in the mid-80's (before becoming the similarly-inclined WDRE) and their final track was Sid Vicious' "My Way" from The Great Rock N' Roll Swindle.

"Is That All There Is" - Peggy Lee (or Cristina)

There’s a disc jockey in Hartlanberg
Who works at W.A.N.T.
He puts two or three eggs in him
And he’s in your car by 6.00 am

He lives for his job and he accepts his pay
You can call and request ‘Lay Lady Lay’
He’ll play Stanley Jordan, The ‘Dead and Little Feat
And he’ll even play the band from the college down the street

And his name is Rex Bob Lowenstein
He’s forty-seven, goin’ on sixteen
His request line’s open, but he’ll tell you where to go
If you’re dumb enough to ask him why he plays Hank Snow

Well, he tries to keep his talkin’ to a minimum
He’s a Democrat, he’s a Republican
He’s an ad man with a great voice, say some
But when he spins those records he’s neither one

He’ll talk to the truckers on the interstate strip
The housewife and the car dealership
And when his second wife left him for a paper millionaire
He cried unashamedly right on the air

And his name is Rex Bob Lowenstein
He’s forty-seven, goin’ on sixteen
His request line’s open but he makes no bones
About why he plays Madonna after George Jones

Now, one day a man in a pinstriped suit
Took the owner of the station to a restaurant booth
His pitch was simple, “you’ll increase your sales
“If you only play the song list we send in the mail.”

He guaranteed a larger audience
Less confusion and higher points
“But your drive-time jock won’t get to do his thing.
“Hey he’s not half bad, tell me, what’s his name?”

Well his name is Rex Bob Lowenstein
He’s frequently heard, but he’s seldom seen
His formula’s simple and his format’s big
“I just play anything, you call and tell me what you dig.”

Now Rex Bob David Saul Lowenstein
Quit his job a week later, but before he’d leave
He locked and bolted the control room door
And played smash or trash till they cuffed him on the floor

Well they drug him into court and the judge said, “Rex
“I’ve got to lock you up, for what I’m not sure yet.
“But your boss here says he thinks you’re wrapped too tight.
“But, by the way thanks for playing ‘Moon River’ last night”

And his name is Rex Bob Lowenstein
He’s a flaming bell inside a tambourine
He could play it all if he was just set free
Just to find what the people WANT

I always wondered if "Moon River" was smash or trash.

I always wondered what a flaming bell inside a tambourine was.

'Awaken' - Yes