IT (XM)
Encyclopedia
"IT: The History of Pop Music" is the name of a special program that XM Satellite Radio
aired annually from 2002 to 2007, in which a majority of charted pop songs (and some non-charted songs) from the 1930s to the 2000s were aired in chronological order on seven of the platform's channels (The 40s on 4
, The 50s on 5
, The 60s on 6
, The 70s on 7
, The 80s on 8
, The 90s on 9
, and XM Hitlist
). The special typically aired each summer or fall, starting on the '40s channel and continuing on each subsequent channel as the music hit each decade. The special took just over a month to complete. After completion, playlist
s for each of the channels were put on XM's website, with the songs listed in the order in which they were played (in 2007, one large list was put up on the website, with the songs organized by year, but in alphabetical order instead of chronological order).
"IT" first aired on XM in 2002, when it was originally known as "The Monster". The special was renamed the following year, apparently due to legal action against the first name. In 2007, in addition to the regular "IT", XM also aired an abbreviated version (titled "The Greatest ITs") on their XMX
channel during Thanksgiving
weekend. The Greatest ITs was reaired in early November, 2008, although XM did not air the regular "IT" that year, allegedly due to issues surrounding XM's merger with rival Sirius Satellite Radio
. It is unclear if either version of "IT" will reair in the future.
The following is an overview of "IT" for each of the channels.
and other rock and roll
and rhythm and blues
artists. Total running time in 2006: 2 days, 12 hours.
songs are also included, as well as other lower-charting songs that failed to reach the Top 40 but have subsequently become iconic of the decade (such as "Purple Haze
"). Total running time in 2006: 5 days, 6 hours.
", "Truckin'
", and "Candle in the Wind
"). Total running time in 2006: 6 days, 12 hours.
channel) included Top 40 and non-Top 40 hits from 2000 and after in chronological order. 2007 was the first and only year that XM included this channel in the "IT" presentation. Many of the post-2000 songs that were played on the '90s channel during 2006's airing of "IT" were omitted in 2007 (particularly country
and hip hop
songs that did not receive mainstream radio exposure).
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
aired annually from 2002 to 2007, in which a majority of charted pop songs (and some non-charted songs) from the 1930s to the 2000s were aired in chronological order on seven of the platform's channels (The 40s on 4
The 40s on 4
'40s on 4 is a commercial-free music channel on the Sirius XM Radio platform, broadcasting on both XM and Sirius channel 4 as well as Dish Network channel 6004....
, The 50s on 5
The 50s on 5
The '50s on 5 is a commercial-free, satellite radio station on the Sirius XM Radio platform. It plays mostly Top 40 pop, doo wop, and rock and roll hits from the 1950s and early '60s, although they occasionally play historically signifficant songs from the late '40s and mid '60s...
, The 60s on 6
The 60s on 6
The '60s on 6 is a commercial-free, satellite radio station on the Sirius XM Radio platform. It plays music from the 1960s and early '70s, mostly Top 10 hits from the second half of the decade. Airing on XM since 2001, the channel became available to Sirius subscribers on November 12, 2008,...
, The 70s on 7
The 70s on 7
70s on 7 is a commercial-free, satellite radio channel on the Sirius XM Radio platform. It plays music from the 1970s, mostly being the hits, although the program list has shrunk considerably since Jon Clay was fired as Program Director...
, The 80s on 8
The 80s on 8
The '80s on 8 is a commercial-free, satellite radio station on the Sirius XM Radio platform, broadcasting on XM Satellite Radio and on DirecTV channel 805. As a result of the Sirius/XM merger on November 12, 2008, the channel was merged with the Big '80s channel on Sirius 8 and Dish Network 6008,...
, The 90s on 9
The 90s on 9
The '90s on 9 is the name of Sirius XM Radio's 1990s music channel. The service signed on September 25, 2001 and broadcasts on both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 9, as well as on Dish Network channel 6009. It was also on heard DirecTV channel 806 until February 9, 2010...
, and XM Hitlist
XM Hitlist
Pop2K is a commercial-free all-2000s radio station that is broadcast on Sirius XM Radio. It is located on channel 14 , though only on SiriusXM internet radio on the Sirius platform, and plays a range of top 40 hits in the 21st Century...
). The special typically aired each summer or fall, starting on the '40s channel and continuing on each subsequent channel as the music hit each decade. The special took just over a month to complete. After completion, playlist
Playlist
In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order. The term has several specialized meanings in the realms of radio broadcasting and personal computers.-In radio:...
s for each of the channels were put on XM's website, with the songs listed in the order in which they were played (in 2007, one large list was put up on the website, with the songs organized by year, but in alphabetical order instead of chronological order).
"IT" first aired on XM in 2002, when it was originally known as "The Monster". The special was renamed the following year, apparently due to legal action against the first name. In 2007, in addition to the regular "IT", XM also aired an abbreviated version (titled "The Greatest ITs") on their XMX
XMX (XM)
XMX Channel 2 was a commercial-free, satellite radio station on Sirius XM Radio, formerly XM Satellite Radio. Originally used to remind subscribers of overdue payments, the channel changed to a music format on August 1, 2007 and featured popular exclusive XM music programming played all day, every...
channel during Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
weekend. The Greatest ITs was reaired in early November, 2008, although XM did not air the regular "IT" that year, allegedly due to issues surrounding XM's merger with rival Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
. It is unclear if either version of "IT" will reair in the future.
The following is an overview of "IT" for each of the channels.
The 40s on 4
"IT" began on the '40s channel by playing many of the big hits from 1930 through 1949. Starting in 2006, "IT" was preceded by a 3-hour special titled "The Roaring '20s Pre-It Special", featuring some of the biggest hits from the 1920s, some of which had never been played on XM before. Total running time in 2006 (not including the "Pre-It Special"): 3 days, 15 hours.The 50s on 5
"IT" on the '50s channel featured many big hits from 1950 through 1959. The channel also included early non-charted songs from Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and other rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
artists. Total running time in 2006: 2 days, 12 hours.
The 60s on 6
"IT" on the '60s channel featured most of the charted Top 40 hits from 1960 through 1969. Many non-Top 40 BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
songs are also included, as well as other lower-charting songs that failed to reach the Top 40 but have subsequently become iconic of the decade (such as "Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
"). Total running time in 2006: 5 days, 6 hours.
The 70s on 7
"IT" on the '70s channel featured nearly every Top 40 charted hit from 1970 through 1979, in addition to songs that just missed the Top 40 and some non-charting and low-charting songs (such as "Stairway to HeavenStairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album . The song, running eight minutes and two seconds, is composed of several sections, which...
", "Truckin'
Truckin'
"Truckin'" is a song by the Grateful Dead, which first appeared on their 1970 album American Beauty. It was recognized by the United States Library of Congress in 1997 as a national treasure....
", and "Candle in the Wind
Candle in the Wind
"Candle in the Wind" is a song with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier....
"). Total running time in 2006: 6 days, 12 hours.
The 80s on 8
"IT" on the 80s channel contained a mix of Top 40 and non-Top 40 songs from 1980 through 1989. Unlike the previous two decades channels, many lesser Top 40 hits were omitted, and there were many more non-Top 40 songs included. The 2007 version also was plagued with many technical problems, including some songs being played out of order or repeated several times. Total running time in 2006: 6 days, 6 hours.The 90s on 9
"IT" on the '90s channel included Top 40 and non-Top 40 hits from 1990 through 1999. In 2006, the '90s channel also included songs from 2000 through 2006, though these songs were moved to XM Hitlist in 2007. "IT" on the '90s channel also differed from the other decades channels in that songs were arranged by the date they peaked on the charts, as opposed to the date they debuted on the charts. Total running time in 2006: 9 days, 8 hours.Y2K
"IT" on XM30 (the XM HitlistXM Hitlist
Pop2K is a commercial-free all-2000s radio station that is broadcast on Sirius XM Radio. It is located on channel 14 , though only on SiriusXM internet radio on the Sirius platform, and plays a range of top 40 hits in the 21st Century...
channel) included Top 40 and non-Top 40 hits from 2000 and after in chronological order. 2007 was the first and only year that XM included this channel in the "IT" presentation. Many of the post-2000 songs that were played on the '90s channel during 2006's airing of "IT" were omitted in 2007 (particularly country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
songs that did not receive mainstream radio exposure).