It’s Jim Monaghan from the WDHA Morning Jolt.

As someone who’s spent his entire adult life playing music on the radio, I can attest that there’s a certain magic in the airwaves.

Whether you’re one of those people who had a transistor radio tucked under your pillow as a kid late at night, or someone who had a cassette in the recorder at all times in case your favorite song came on, there’s something special about radio.

For years, bands were told that the best way to get a song on the radio was to write a song about being on the radio.

And in some cases, that strategy actually worked!

As we celebrate National Radio Day on August 20, here are some of my favorite songs about the radio.

Okay…it’s really four, but the fifth one fits in rather easily.

• 1 . Ravyns - "Raised On the Radio"

  The Ravyns were a band out of the Baltimore MD area with a sound that combined power pop and punk. Their single “Raised On the Radio” appeared in the film Fast Times At Ridgemont High and was the second single released from the soundtrack album.

  With its references to the impact hearing artists like Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles for the first time had on listeners, the song perfectly captured the essence of radio’s impact.

• 2. Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - "Roadrunner (Radio On)"

  Massachusetts-born Jonathan Richman recorded this song a number of times over his career, including once with John Cale (Velvet Underground) producing, and another time with the Greg Kihn Band backing him.

  The song nails the love affair with driving alone late at night going “faster miles an hour…with the radio on.”

  Richman’s band, the Modern Lovers, included Jerry Harrison (later with the Talking Heads) and David Robinson (he would later be in the Cars).

  The song has been covered by Phish and Joan Jett, among others. But for me, Richman’s version will always be the go-to.

• 3. Ramones - "Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio?"

  The fifth album by legendary punk rockers the Ramones brought with it a distinct change in sound for the band.

  Now produced by Phil Spector, the songs got a little more polished, and it was clear that the band was pushing for some commercial success to match the praise heaped on them by their fans and rock critics.

  With shout outs to everyone from DJs Murray the K and Alan Freed, to TV host Ed Sullivan, to John Lennon and T-Rex, the song looks back at some of the Ramones’ teenage memories, while wondering what the future of radio would be.

• 4. Steely Dan - "FM (No Static At All)"

  Another movie soundtrack…another song about the radio.

  When Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were asked to write a song for the film FM, pretty much all they knew was that it had to be about FM radio. With the superior sound over its noisy AM counterpart, the “no static at all” line seemed to come fairly easily.

  Recorded around the same sessions for the band’s Aja album, the background vocals included members of the Eagles.

• 5. Wonders - "That Thing You Do"

  Taken from the soundtrack to the movie That Thing You Do, the title song isn’t actually about the radio.

  But the sheer joy of Faye Dolan hearing her boyfriend’s band on the radio for the first time is definitely one of the highlights of the movie for me.

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