Even if you do remember the song, you probably don’t remember the artist, English singer/songwriter Charlie Dore. She came out of nowhere in 1979 with the catchy tribute to late-night disc jockeys, “Pilot of the Airways’ and the song went on to reach No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and also earned her the Record World New Female Artist of the Year, and an ASCAP award.  The song was off her 1979 album Where to Now which was recorded in Nashville, which might explain the country influence on the tune.

Nevertheless, it’s one of those haunting tunes that gets stuck in your head for days, and is easy to sing along to in the car if the mood strikes you.

Here’s more from Wikipedia:

The lyrics are from the point of view of a woman who frequently listens, late at night, to a radio disc jockey whom she calls a “pilot of the airwaves,” keeping what has often been called the “dawn patrol.” She admits that she has few real-life friends and that the DJ keeps her as much company as she believes she needs, describing her life and the feelings she has surrounding the fact that she considers the radio DJ her only true friend. The DJ does not need to play the selection she has requested; she does hope the DJ will do his best along those lines, adding:

I’ve been listening to your show on the radio,
And you seem like a friend to me.

We decided to go with the music video of the song, a simple version of the band appearing to play “live” except for opening and closing shots where everyone looks like they are part of a choir. Strange, but it works for this song.

You can follow Charlie Dore on her Facebook page, or visit her website for artist information and touring dates.