Summary: <p>In recent years, oldies radio stations have inched further into the future - and have begun to focus on favorites from the '70s (and even '80s) rather than from the '50s and '60s. So we wondered, forty years from now - in 2052 - will songs of the '90s, '00s and '10s make it onto oldies radio? What will be in heavy rotation - and what will be left off of the playlist? We ask Chris Molanphy - author of the "100 & Single" Billboard charts column in the Village Voice – and we talk with Scott Shannon - who was, back in 2012, a WPLJ host and creator of the syndicated radio network <a href="http://www.trueoldieschannel.com/">The True Oldies Channel</a> - about the state of oldies today. </p> <p>Check out Chris Molanphy's playlist (chronological listing):</p> <p>Twenty songs we’ll still be hearing on oldies radio in 2052</p> <p>by Chris Molanphy</p> <p><em>(In chronological order by original release)</em></p> <p>1. Sir Mix-a-Lot, “Baby Got Back” (1992) – This hit was underestimated by critics in ’92, compared with Arrested Development’s “Tennessee”</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1)</p> <p>2. Pearl Jam, “Yellow Ledbetter” (1992) – An example of how classic-rock acts are eventually remembered for a song that wasn’t their biggest radio hit.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 97)</p> <p>3. Radiohead, “Creep” (1993) – Still their U.S. biggest hit, and though they’ve recorded greater albums this is still most likely to be in rotation decades from now.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 34)</p> <p>4. Snoop (Doggy) Dogg, “Gin and Juice” (1994) – Because a great line is a great line, and “With my mind on my money and my money on my mind” is a great one.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 8)</p> <p>5. Mariah Carey, “Always Be My Baby” (1996) – She was the biggest pop star of the ’90s, but a lot of her hits got burned out long ago; this one hasn’t.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1)</p> <p>6. Sublime, “What I Got” (1996) – Because bros and stoners, like it or not, are going to have a new “The Joker”/”Slow Ride.”</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: N/A—Airplay chart peak No. 29)</p> <p>7. Blur, “Song 2” (1997) – Sports will still be the way we hear a lot of pop songs.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: N/A—Airplay chart peak No. 55)</p> <p>8. Backstreet Boys, “I Want It That Way” (1999) – Great song; but also the Chinese brothers’ lip-dub (2005) was one of YouTube’s first viral videos—the future of hits.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 6)</p> <p>9. Eminem, “Lose Yourself” (2002) – He won an Oscar for it, essentially because it’s this generation’s “Gonna Fly Now”/“Eye of the Tiger.”</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1)</p> <p>10. Coldplay, “Clocks” (2002) – Every generation has its easy-listening songs.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 29)</p> <p>11. The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army” (2003) – Because you can’t stop a good bassline, even when it’s actually played on a guitar.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 76)</p> <p>12. The Postal Service, “Such Great Heights” or Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps” (2003) – One of these will be the “Just Like Heaven” of our era—the hipster love song.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: N/A, No. 87)</p> <p>13. OutKast, “Hey Ya!” (2003) – Burned out in its heyday but will probably never die.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1)</p> <p>14. Kelly Clarkson, “Since U Been Gone” (2005) – It will be the Millennial generation’s “sass anthem,” akin to “Respect” or “I Will Survive”</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2)</p> <p>15. Gnarls Barkley, “Crazy” (2006) – Because of its malleability as a song; decades hence it might be a folk classic.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2)</p> <p>16. Rihanna, “Umbrella” (2007) – It’s the lyrics: beneath its hip-hop exterior lie the bones of an old-time, sentimental love ballad.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1)</p> <p>17. Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008) – Weddings alone guarantee this a permanent hit-parade spot.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1)</p> <p>18. Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind” (2009) – Rap’s Frank Sinatra ensured himself decades of royalties with his own Yankee-game-worthy perennial.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1)</p> <p>19. Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (2009) – Its nonsense lyric is “wamp-baba-lula” worthy; its video is a classic.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2)</p> <p>20. Taio Cruz, “Dynamite” (2010) – I’ve never met a kid under 10 who doesn’t love it, and they will all be in their fifties in 2052.</p> <p>(Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2)</p> <p> </p> <p> </p>
