IT (XM)

"IT" is the name of an annual special aired on XM Satellite Radio, in which a majority of charted pop songs (and some non-charted songs) from the 1930s to the 2000s are 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 airs each summer or fall, starting on the 40s channel and continuing on each subsequent channel as the music hits each decade. The special takes just over a month to complete. After completion, playlists for each of the channels are 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).

In 2007, XM aired an abbreviated version of "IT" (titled "The Greatest ITs") on their XMX channel during Thanksgiving weekend. No word yet on when XM will air "IT" for 2008.

"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. The following is an overview of "IT" for each of the channels.

The 40s on 4

"IT" begins 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 20's 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 features many big hits from 1950 through 1959. The channel also includes early non-charted songs from Elvis Presley and other rock and roll artists. Total running time in 2006: 2 days, 12 hours.

The 60s on 6

"IT" on the 60s channel features most of the charted Top 40 hits from 1960 through 1969. Many non-Top 40 Beatles songs are also included, as well as other lower-charting songs that failed to reach the Top 40 (such as "Purple Haze"). Total running time in 2006: 5 days, 6 hours.

The 70s on 7

"IT" on the 70s channel features probably 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 Heaven", "Truckin'", and "Candle in the Wind"). Total running time in 2006: 6 days, 12 hours.

The 80s on 8

"IT" on the 80s channel contains 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 are omitted, and there are 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 includes 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 differs from the other decades channels in that songs are 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 Hitlist channel) includes Top 40 and non-Top 40 hits from 2000 through present in chronological order. 2007 is the first year XM has done an "IT" special on this channel. Many of the 2000s songs played during 2006's airing of "IT" were omitted in 2007 (particularly country and hip hop songs that did not receive mainstream radio exposure).

External links

* [http://xmradio.com/it/ "IT" official website]