Pilot of the Airwaves
| "Pilot of the Airwaves" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Charlie Dore | ||||
| from the album Where to Now | ||||
| B-side | "Falling" | |||
| Released |
| |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | Crazy Mama's | |||
| Venue | Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Charlie Dore, Julian Littman | |||
| Producer(s) | Alan Tarney, Bruce Welch | |||
| Charlie Dore singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Pilot of the Airwaves" is a song by English singer-songwriter Charlie Dore. It was released as a single in 1979 from her album Where to Now.[1]
The song reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, and earned her the Record World New Female Artist of the Year, and an ASCAP award.[2] The single also charted in Canada, Australia, and Europe.[3]
Content[edit]
The lyrics are from the point of view of a woman who frequently listens, late at night, to a radio disc jockey whom she calls a "pilot of the airwaves," keeping what has often been called the "dawn patrol." She admits that she has few real-life friends and that the DJ keeps her as much company as she believes she needs, describing her life and the feelings she has surrounding the fact that she considers the radio DJ her only true friend. The DJ does not need to play the selection she has requested; she does hope the DJ will do his best along those lines, adding:
I've been listening to your show on the radio,
And you seem like a friend to me.
In History[edit]
On 5 November 1990, "Pilot of the Airwaves" was the final track played by Radio Caroline as an unlicensed offshore radio station.[4]
Chart performance[edit]
Weekly singles charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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Cover Versions[edit]
French singer Sheila recorded a French cover version, entitled "Pilote sur les ondes", in 1980. Ingrid Peters recorded a German cover version, entitled "Weißt Du Wo Du Hingehst", in 1980.[12]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Blume, Dan (1983). Making it in Radio: Your Future in the Modern Medium. Continental Media Company. pp. 66–67. ISBN 9780912349008. Retrieved January 22, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ Jancik, Wayne (1998). The Billboard Book of One-hit Wonders. Billboard Books. p. 397. ISBN 9780823076222. Retrieved January 22, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 166. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Pilots of the Airwaves – a tribute to Deejays". Puget Sound Media. June 11, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Top Singles - Volume 33, No. 13, June 21 1980". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08.
- ^ Pilot of the Airwaves (NZ)
- ^ "Pilot of the airwaves (UK)". Officialcharts.com.
- ^ "Pilot of the Airwaves (US 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Pilot of the Airwaves (US AC)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1980/Top 100 Songs of 1980". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
- ^ ""Pilot of the Airwaves" von Charlie Dore". MDR Fernsehen. June 10, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
