Ten Favorite Radio Reference Songs: Clap for the Wolfman (#6)
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (61848)
United States
June 7, 2019 9:31am CST
NO. Do NOT go there. Yeah, I made those jokes about the title of this song, too, but that's not what it's about. This is the next song on my list of songs making a reference to radio in ways other than using "radio" in the title.
#6: Clap for the Wolfman - Guess Who
Not Bruce Who. We solved that last year! 
As I said, this song is not about diseases and penicillin and whatnot.
Wolfman Jack (ne Robert W. Smith) came to national fame as the oldies-playing DJ in American Graffiti. Although he'd been a disc jockey for years before that, the movie turned him into a superstar. He became the host of Midnight Special, the Friday late-night concert/music show on NBC.
So naturally he'd show up in songs. This wasn't the only song that referenced him, but it was the biggest hit. The song featured Wolfman Jack talking between the lines of the chorus ("clap [applause, y'all] for the Wolfman, he's gonna rate your record high") and at the end of the verses.
The gist of the song is the narrator is trying to "score" with a girl, but she's more interested in listening to the radio.
Sheesh, sounds like me!
Clap for the Wolfman
Written by Burton Cummings, Bill Wallace, and Kurt Winter
Recorded by the Guess Who
From Road Food, 1974
Seventy-five, eighty miles an hour:
As I said, this song is not about diseases and penicillin and whatnot.
Wolfman Jack (ne Robert W. Smith) came to national fame as the oldies-playing DJ in American Graffiti. Although he'd been a disc jockey for years before that, the movie turned him into a superstar. He became the host of Midnight Special, the Friday late-night concert/music show on NBC.
So naturally he'd show up in songs. This wasn't the only song that referenced him, but it was the biggest hit. The song featured Wolfman Jack talking between the lines of the chorus ("clap [applause, y'all] for the Wolfman, he's gonna rate your record high") and at the end of the verses.
The gist of the song is the narrator is trying to "score" with a girl, but she's more interested in listening to the radio.
Sheesh, sounds like me!
Clap for the Wolfman
Written by Burton Cummings, Bill Wallace, and Kurt Winter
Recorded by the Guess Who
From Road Food, 1974
Seventy-five, eighty miles an hour:
"CLAP FOR THE WOLFMAN" peaked at the #6 in 1974 on the Billboard Hot 100.
5 people like this
4 responses
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
19 Jun 19
That's bringing back memories.
1 person likes this
@xander6464 (40821)
• Wapello, Iowa
18 Jun 19
As long as you got the curves baby, I got the angles!
Love that song. Out of all the Wolfman songs, it's my favorite.
1 person likes this
