Today’s classic song of the day is about an aging disc jockey discovering that the world has passed him by. The song is “W.O.L.D.,” and it was written and recorded by singer-songwriter Harry Chapin.
“W.O.L.D.” was released as a single in December of 1973 and it peaked early in 1974 at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100, #26 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #37 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Chapin said it was inspired by radio personality Jim “JC” Conners, program director and morning drive host on Boston’s WMEX-AM, who was one of the first DJs to discover Chapin and play his big hit, “Taxi.”
The song’s lyrics take the form of a phone conversation from said DJ to his ex-wife. He recounts losing his dream job in his hometown due to getting too old, then spending the resulting years criss-crossing the country on ever-smaller stations before returning to work again in his hometown. By this point in time, however, his ex-wife has moved on, much to the guy’s regret. But that’s the life of a disc jockey, or at least it was before radio got corporatized and lost its regional flavor.
By the way, there is an actual radio station with the call letters WOLD-FM, in Marion, Virginia. It went on the air in 1968, five years before Chapin wrote his song, but was not an inspiration.
Harry Chapin died in an auto accident in 1981; he was just 38 years old. DJ Jim Connors also died in an auto accident, in 1987; he was 47 years old.
And here’s today’s daily bonus track of the day, Harry Chapin performing “W.O.L.D.” live on the November 26, 1974, episode of PBS’ Soundstage. Harry was a terrific live performer who left us way too soon.
