Request Lines: When Siri Can’t Replace Sentimental Songs

Do you know what's ALMOST dead and gone in our line of work? The request. With the advent of technology, when somebody wants to hear a song, they just tell Siri, and boom, there's your request.

We still get the occasional listener who wants us to play some new or obscure song because it's really important for everybody listening to hear it. But those don't generally get played.

The one exception to the request rule is when you lose a loved one. When that happens, I always play those requests. Generally, it's one of just a handful of songs. "The Cowboy Rides Away," "Angels Among Us," and "The Dance" are very popular. But Vince Gill's "Go Rest High on That Mountain" gets requested the most.

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But I'll play anything that the family of the deceased wants to hear. If your grandpa dies and his song was "Rubber Duckie," then, dang it, "Rubber Duckie" it is. I know how important songs are to families at times like that.

Back when we did the Golden Oldies Hour every weekday from 9-10, it always kind of cracked me up how some people requested the same song every single day. I would explain that we couldn't do that EVERY day. And if they requested an Alabama song, I'd suggest a different Alabama song. Nope. They only like that one certain song.

My other exception to the request rule is that I will always play a song of my dad's when it's requested.