Pondering post-pandemic playlists

Saturday morning has become a time to haul myself out of bed by 9 a.m. and listen to WXPN radio out of Philadelphia.

My friend Bruce Warren always puts together a fine show — it’s one of the few places I hear new music these days — but yesterday’s show was especially good.

(I came to know Bruce some years back when he wrote and published Some Velvet Blog; he now writes and publishes 10 Bands, a Substack newsletter. Check it out.)

As Bruce played “Pump Up The Volume” — the 1987 smash from M|A|R|R|S — near the end of the third hour yesterday, I couldn’t help but think there’s going to be a huge resurgence in fun, upbeat grooves old and new — dance, funk, R&B, soul, rock, disco, country, what have you — as we exit the pandemic.

People are going to want to let it SNAP.

This also occurred to me a couple of weeks ago as I played some records for my Women’s History Month listening project. As you know, we go four records at a time for that kind of thing.

As I listened to this batch from the late ’70s and early ’80s — Cuchi-Cuchi” by Charo and the Salsoul Orchestra, “You Broke My Heart In 17 Places” by Tracey Ullman, “Mad Love” by Linda Ronstadt and “Success” by The Weather Girls — I wondered: Where have all the fun records gone?

Once we get past the pandemic, I think we’re going to be blasting these grooves and having some fun.

But back to that third hour on XPN. Bruce started it with this one.

I blasted it. Summer’s coming. Told you we’re going to let it SNAP.