Hip hop sounds fabulous on the radio. Contemporary hip hop mixes tend to have a spaciousness absent in their rock and pop correlatives. Rather than a wall of smashed, distorted, dimensionless guitars, we get deep, gut-rumbling bass, melodic samples, head-knocking distorted beats, and, in the case of "Smack That," this brilliant couplet courtesy of Akon & Eminem:

Wanna jump up in my Lamborghini Gallardo.
Maybe go to my place and just kick it, like Tae Bo.

I do!

What a beautiful thing, that rhyme...

"You wouldn't expect to hear such a hot guitar solo in a Connie Francis song."

Radio has become my surprise inspiration. And yet, commercial radio DJs and programmers don't seem to be music fans at all. Or else the gentleman playing the triple shot of ELO the other night would have told me some crazy story about the rare B side and why it never topped the charts.

When traffic irks me, I switch to the nostalgia station and watch the trees sway, the cars maneuver, the lights change, to the gentle tunes of the big bands and the crooners. This morning, I heard Andy Williams.

I will listen to "Can't Get Used To Losing You" anytime, to soak in its marvelous, minimalist musical arrangement and rollicking lyrics. This simple little nugget was released by Andy Williams in 1963 and ska-ified by the English Beat in 1980. The internet tells me Andy's version went to #2.

I'm a little sorry I missed him touring with Petula Clark this fall.