Song · Selecter
“On My Radio” by Selecter
From the album Too Much Pressure (1980)
“On My Radio” by Selecter appears on 11 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1999 and 2026. It was first released in 1980 on the album Too Much Pressure. Its best result is #801 on The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,282 alternative song of all time.
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The Selecter put out "On My Radio" on 2 Tone on 5 October 1979, and it's a gleeful little jab at the wireless dressed up as a dance number. Neol Davies wrote it before the Selecter even existed, back when he was playing with a band called the Transposed Men, and it gripes about the same tired programming going round and round, with a sly twist: the singer's lover would sooner tune in to the radio than pay them any mind.
The band had made noise with "The Selecter", the flip of the Special A.K.A.'s "Gangsters", had toured in support of the Specials and signed to 2 Tone, which handed them £1,000 to make a single. At Horizon Studios in Coventry, with Roger Lomas producing, they balked at this one, reckoning it sounded like a Eurovision entry. It went to number 8 in the UK anyway, stayed on the chart nine weeks, and remains their most successful single.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1071 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1073 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 1075 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 1074 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2002 | 1556 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1059 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2003 | 1488 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2004 | 1059 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1058 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2022 | 1051 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time | 1055 |
| 2026 | 801 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound | 1055 |
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