Radar Love
| "Radar Love" | |||||||||
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| Single by Golden Earring | |||||||||
| from the album Moontan | |||||||||
| B-side | "The Song Is Over" | ||||||||
| Released | 1973 | ||||||||
| Recorded | 1973 | ||||||||
| Genre | Hard rock | ||||||||
| Length | 6:21 (album version) 5:07 (single version) 3:44 (single edit) |
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| Label | Polydor | ||||||||
| Writer(s) | George Kooymans/Barry Hay | ||||||||
| Producer | Golden Earring | ||||||||
| Certification | Billboard North America 13 | ||||||||
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| "Radar Love" | ||||
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| Single by White Lion | ||||
| from the album Big Game | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Glam metal | |||
| Length | 5:58 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Writer(s) | George Kooymans/Barry Hay | |||
| White Lion singles chronology | ||||
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"Radar Love" is a song by the Dutch rock band Golden Earring. Music critic Bill Lamb rates this among his "top 10 driving songs" due to its lyrics about driving all night and its pulse-quickening, up-tempo beat.[1] The single version of "Radar Love" reached #13 in the US. It hit the top 10 in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain.
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Subject[edit]
The subject of the song is the point of view of an automobile driver who drives to his lover ("baby") and communicates with her without physical means like telephone or letters. On his radio, he hears "Coming on Strong" by Brenda Lee.
Cover versions[edit]
The song has been covered by Omen, U2,[2] R.E.M., Ian Stuart Donaldson, Sun City Girls, White Lion, Blue Man Group, Def Leppard, James Last, The NWOBHM band Aragorn, Nine Pound Hammer, Carlos Santana[citation needed], and The Pressure Boys. The White Lion version charted at #59 on The Billboard Hot 100.[3]
Goth-pop band Ghost Dance recorded a cover of the song on the B-side of their "Heart Full of Soul" single, itself a cover of the Yardbirds track.
The song was also covered by industrial metal band Ministry on the 2008 album Cover Up.
A pre-Mercyful Fate band featuring King Diamond on vocals recorded a cover of the song. It is featured on King Diamond & Black Rose 20 Years Ago.
Notable song appearances[edit]
The song has been used in the following media:
- 1985: American Flyers, film
- 1993: "Radar Love" is included near the beginning of the film Wayne's World 2.
- 1994: Featured in the Ken Burns documentary "Baseball" during the 1970s Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" story.
- 1995-1998: Portions of the song were used in Téa Leoni's sitcom The Naked Truth as the theme song.
- In two episodes of The Simpsons:
- 1996: "Bart on the Road", where it is on the radio during the road trip.
- 2002: "Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge", where Fat Tony requests the song on the radio, and Homer begins singing along (although he more or less makes up his own lyrics)
- 1999: In the film Detroit Rock City when Trip throws a slice of pizza out the passenger side window of a moving Volvo and onto the windshield of a car full of "Stellas" and "Guidos," causing a confrontation, "Radar Love" plays.
- Also briefly featured in the 1999 film Pushing Tin.
- 2000: In the Strangers with Candy episode "Hit and Run".
- 2002: Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours Series 1 Episode 2 - "Belgium & Holland"
- 2006: In the My Name is Earl episode "Dad's Car"
- 2007: The song was featured heavily in the Reaper episode "Love, Bullets & Blacktop".
- 2010: In the Newfoundland TV series, Republic of Doyle
- 2011: The song appeared on the soundtrack for the film, Cedar Rapids (film).
- 2012 in the "House" episode "Post Mortem", allegedly by a band called Georgia Steamroller.
The song has also been used in at least one video game. It is featured as one of the background music tracks in the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version of the video game Rock N' Roll Racing. However, the song was omitted from the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Advance ports of the game.
Other appearances:
- In 2004, as the name of an episode in the popular web series Red vs. Blue
- The song is a regular part of the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band's playlist. Unlike most college bands, the LSJUMB concentrates on rock and roll, especially from the '70s.
- In a video of a training exercise with the Oregon Air National Guard
- As a part of the ambient soundtrack around Rita - Queen of Speed at Alton Towers
- As of July 2008, appears as the soundtrack to an on-line Jaguar promotion[citation needed]
- The White Lion version was included in the setlist in the PlayStation 2 exclusive Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's
- As part of the setlist of Rock Band 3
- In a Volcom United montage filmed exclusively at The Berrics skatepark.
- Radar Love was voted as the 2nd greatest driving song on the 6th series of Top Gear, behind Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now".
- The Ministry version is featured in the 2011 video game Test Drive Unlimited 2 Before of this, this cover appeared on their album Cover Up.
- The lyrics of the Devin Townsend song "Radial Highway" cite a passage of the first verse of "Radar Love".
- As featured on the in-game radio in Grand Theft Auto V.[4]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Radar-Love.net lists more than 500 cover versions, by artists including U2, R.E.M., Blue Man Group, James Last, Bryan Adams, Def Leppard, White Lion, Crowded House.
- Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
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