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 Matthews Band - "What Would You Say"

The year 1995 was a pivotal one for the Adult Contemporary format.  While format stalwarts like Gloria Estefan, Elton John, and Bryan Adams still provided plenty of radio-friendly ballads, bands such as Hootie & The Blowfish, Blues Traveler and Dave Matthews Band also entered the musical landscape.  Suddenly, the format faced music decisions that would mean bringing a new sound to the office-friendly Adult Contemporary format.  AC Program Directors rarely added an unfamilar song to their rotation as they tended to play proven and "safe" songs.  A year later, stations grappled over whether or not to add music from Alanis Morissette's edgy Jagged Little Pill album.  Soon stations would branch off into "Bright AC' and "Soft AC" sub-formats causing Bright AC stations to adopt the "no light, sleepy music" positioning statement.  In the case of Dave Matthews Band's "What Would You Say" only managed to chart at #30 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, but the tune helped usher in a more upbeat sound that would soon become commonplace.