Modern English "I Melt With You"

What the heck happened to The Dove? Since my last visit in March, the soft rock radio station that always sounds locked in a closet dated "1990" has clearly done a music test. Radio stations often "test" hooks of songs and then develop their playlist based on the results. While not an exact science, the methodology continues at most radio stations today.

Clearly The Dove's music test included some participants who were former Disco Queens as I heard more than my requisite fill of Donna Summer, KC & the Sunshine Band and Bee Gees during my stay in Bradenton Beach. Heck, The Dove even added some upbeat '80s tunes like "I Melt With You" from Modern English. All that aside, no part of me is upset that I missed "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" which seemed to play daily last March.

Toad the Wet Sprocket "Walk on the Ocean"

A visit to Bradenton, Florida means another chance to listen to Tampa's WDUV-FM "The Dove". With its no-hype delivery and playlist that rarely exceeds the year 1989, The Dove is a time capsule of Adult Contemporary radio from yesteryear. As per usual, I'll be cruising around Florida in my dad's Buick LeSabre with The Dove riding shotgun. 

Heatwave "Always and Forever"

Another trip to Florida meant another chance to drive my dad's Buick LeSabre and cruise to The Dove. What's The Dove, you ask? It's home to Tampa Bay's Continuous Lite Favorites (favorites which only seem to span the years 1975-1989). This radio station features core artists like Lionel Richie, Madonna, Chicago, and Billy Joel and is consistently Tampa's most-popular radio station. The format is symbolic of the rise in Soft Adult Contemporary radio stations we saw in 2018.

Gin Blossums "Found Out About You"

I first remember hearing the Gin Blossums during Spring Break 1994. Their song, "Found Out About You", was all over the radio that week I spent in Florida. Never mind that the song was originally recorded five years prior for the group's debut album Dusted, the Gin Blossums also included it on their second album, New Miserable Experience. The song was the album's fifth single and went on to be a Top 10 hit on the Alternative, Mainstream Hot 100 and Rock Charts.

Prince "I Wanna Be Your Lover"

A recent eight-day trip to Florida to renovate a beach house forced me to live like a Florida local and, for once, not a tourist. There were no trips to the pool, Gulf of Mexico or miniature golf, but rather lots of trips to the hardware and tile store. With a long list of things to do and limited time, I went to work each morning and even borrowed my dad's 1998 Buick LeSabre to make my first of a half-dozen treks to the local Home Depot. Trying to remember where I parked isn't easy in the first place, but when every other car in the parking lot is a Buick, it's that much harder.

One morning, I tuned on the Buick's radio and ended up listening to WDUV-FM "The Dove". The radio station clearly targeted an older audience as it didn't seem to play anything beyond the mid-1980s. The station was a time machine to what Adult Contemporary radio stations sounded like in 1988--minus any elevator music. Just lots and lots of soft rock. You know what? I actually found myself enjoying the no-nonsense and music-intensive delivery. One particular ride down Cortez Road in Bradenton featured The Dove spinning Christopher Cross, Lionel Richie, Chicago, and Prince's "I Wanna Be Your Lover" (and odd choice but, again, I'm not complaining). I even caught a bit of Delilah on my ride home and found myself having my own Calgon moment.

Enigma "Return to Innocence"

While most teenagers spent their high school Spring break getting drunk on the beaches of south Florida, I spent my high school Spring breaks staying with my grandparents in Bradenton, Florida. Bradenton is about an hour south of Tampa and neighbors the city of Sarasota.  Since my parents didn't have cable at home during my high school years, I got my fill of music videos from MTV and VH-1 during Spring break in between countless trips to the pool and The Outback Steakhouse. One of my many memories from Spring Break 1994 featured "Return to Innocence" from the New Age band Enigma on heavy rotation at VH-1. The relaxing tune seemed destined to be the soundtrack at massage parlors, but instead managed to receive heavy radio airplay across multiple formats. The ear worm turned into a hit song in over a dozen countries.