George Michael "Fastlove"

Two years before his infamous arrest for engaging in a lewd act, George Michael's career was sizzling. Radio stations all across the globe spun his slinky tune "Fastlove". The song would be his final Top 10 hit. Adele later performed the song during a tribute at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

Celine Dion & Barbara Streisand "Tell Him"

Very few radio stations other than Adult Contemporary chose to play "Tell Him" from soft rock goddesses Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand. The sleepy ballad opens with Celine singing "I'm scared." -- sooooo you can probably guess why most stations didn't want to touch it. Despite the song headlining two queens of the soft rock genre, the song only peaked at #5 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1997-98.

Pet Shop Boys "West End Girls"

During the 1990s (and even today), many Adult Contemporary radio stations featured "forgotten" '80s music during specialty lunchtime, weekend or nightly features (like "80s @ 8"). These features highlighted '80s songs from the station's playlist and sprinkled in some "deeper cuts" that weren't part of the radio station's core playlist--such as "West End Girls" from Pet Shop Boys.

Eve 6 "Here's to the Night"

This Christmas Eve we take a listen to the alternative rock band Eve 6. Their unforgettable song "Here's to the Night" gained airplay on many Hot Adult Contemporary radio stations in 2001.

Billy Ocean "Mystery Lady"

Billy Ocean's career took a turn for the better thanks to his 1984 album Suddenly. The album contained four big hits that radio stations gobbled up including "Caribbean Queen", "Suddenly", "Loverboy", and "Mystery Lady".

Chicago "Hard to Say I'm Sorry / Get Away"

My high school friend, Hilary, always fumed when radio stations faded out Chicago's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" just before the song switched gears from a soft ballad into the uptempo and brassy "Get Away". Since Adult Contemporary radio always play it safe, this is another case in point as they would fade out the song before things got too uptempo. Sorry, Hilary.

Dave Koz & Montell Jordan "Careless Whisper"

The first week in October of 2000 was a big one for Dave Koz and Montell Jordan. The duo's remake of the Wham! classic "Careless Whisper" entered the Adult Contemporary Chart. The following week, their saxophone-heavy tune dropped off the AC Chart and never returned. For Koz, his music would continue to find a home on the Smooth Jazz radio stations while Jordan will always have "This Is How We Do It" on his resume.

Michael Bolton "Once in a Lifetime"

The 1994 chick flick rom-com Only You featured the ballad "Once in a Lifetime" from Michael Bolton. The song found room on Adult Contemporary radio stations with the names like "The Lite", "Warm" and "Sunny".

Poco - "Heart of the Night"

Flip on the radio in 1979 and you likely heard Country-Rock groups such as Poco opposite Disco.  Poco's "Heart of the Night" featured Paul Cotton on lead vocals.  With a name like Paul Cotton, you know it has to be good.  After Cotton, radio stations went back to the polyester.

Billy Ocean - "Caribbean Queen"

Once a staple of Adult Contemporary radio stations, Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen" was a song that I head so many times that I dismissed the song simply because of the "burn" factor.  A decade or so removed, I can finally appreciate the song with its saxophone solo and cheesy sound effects of laser beams and panting.