Amity Island discs: What songs are playing on the radio in JAWS
Hello, Islanders.
JAWS won an Oscar for it’s sound, and deservedly so. There is a key moment in the film where, just moments before Alex Kintner is attacked, that the beach is filled with various happy beach goers, enjoying the sun and the tunes on the radio. Or, to be more precise, several radios.
To my knowledge, there is only one radio station headquartered on the Island, WMVY. An adult-contemporty/easy listening station that has actually played my best friend Matt’s song, “My Very Soul,” occasionally over the years. There are at least three different radios heard in the time prior to the Kintner attack. Here is what the crowd was listening to:
As Pipit the dog chases a stick, an advertisement for the Nantucket Ferry is heard, informing listeners of the updated ferry service.
As the commercial ends we find ourselves in the chorus of the controversial-at-the-time “(You’re) Having My Baby,” by Paul Anka and Odia Coates. Not sure if it was controversial where you live, but in Cleveland, Ohio it was an outrage to some that there was even a question that she would have the baby.
Right after Chief Brody informs Harry that he has “some bad hat,” Lynn Anderson can be heard singing “I Honestly Love You.” This was a huge hit for Olivia Newton-John and some fans think that it is the ONJ version being heard. But if you listen close enough, you can hear Anderson’s distinctive country music “twang.” Of course, as it is the end of June 1974 in the film, neither version should have been playing. Newton-John’s version was not released until August of that year while the album that Anderson included the song on, “What a Man My Man Is,” was not released until late in 1974. Also, the song was never released as a single.
I’d like to dedicate this next paragraph to the fan who told me at the first JAWSFest that he was at the actual baseball game heard on the radio during the Fourth of July beach scene. The game broadcast was created by the sound department. When outfielder Jerry Christian catches a fly ball, it’s just some creative radio. Jerry Christian didn’t catch the ball because there has never been a player named Jerry Christian that played Major League Baseball. Same with fellow players John Stacy and James Troutman. The only time the three of them were on was the team that worked in the sound department of Steven Spielberg’s film DUEL. Nice catch, Jerry!
Words by Michael A Smith. Michael is co-author of Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel. You can order the book by contacting Michael at OsFanMike@aol.com.
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