"Ariel" by Dean Friedman; Released in April; Peaked on June 25, 1977 at #26
"Ariel" by Dean Friedman; Released in April; Peaked on June 25, 1977 at #26
"Ariel" has been described as a "quirkily irresistible and uncategorizable pop song about a free spirited, music loving, vegetarian Jewish girl", from Paramus, New Jersey, where Dean grew up...
The music features an amazing saxophone solo !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_(song)
https://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?lyrics=27681
https://www.deanfriedman.com/newsletter/aug95.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGFW9jCFml4
"She was working for the friends of 'BAI
She was collecting quarters in a paper cup..."
Q #2: In the song Ariel, who are the "Friends of 'BAI"?
A: No, BAI is not some strange religious cult. 'BAI are the call letters of a non-profit radio station in New York, WBAI-FM, 99.5 FM.
My brother, Aram, once worked as a volunteer fundraiser "collecting quarters" for the listener association which called themselves the "Friends of BAI". WBAI is still on the air playing strange stuff...
My Comments:
Dean told me that, while the persona of Ariel was an amalgam of girls from the area, it was his brother, Aram, who was the basis for the name Ariel in the song.
i found one woman who was named Ariel after the girl in this song; she, like her name sake, is now an green tech reporter in the San Francisco bay area...
Even Dean did not realize WHY Ariel was collecting money for WBAI in 1977 !
Here is what i bet is why:
As you can see, WBAI and its parent, Pacifica, was in the middle of a legal battle that ended up at the US Supreme Court the next year.
This MUST have been an expensive fight, and also probably had adverse consequences for WBAI. As a listener sponsored non-profit, they always needed to worry about finances.
WBAI must have needed every quarter they could collect !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FCC_v._Pacifica_Foundation
Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation, 438 U.S. 726 (1978) is a landmark United States Supreme Court decision that defined the power of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over indecentmaterial as applied to broadcasting...
In 1973, a father complained to the FCC that his son had heard the George Carlin routine "Filthy Words" broadcast one afternoon over WBAI, a Pacifica Foundation FM radio station in New York City. Pacifica received censure from the FCC, in the form of a letter of reprimand, for allegedly violating FCC regulations which prohibited broadcasting indecent material.
Argued April 18–19, 1978 (almost exactly one year after the song came out)
Decided July 3, 1978