Well, you can't turn him into a company man,
you can't turn him into a whore.
And the boys upstairs just don't understand anymore.
Well, the top brass don't like him talking so much,
and he won't play what they say to play.
And he don't wanna change what don't need to change.
There goes the last DJ
who plays what he wants to play
and says what he wants to say, hey hey hey.
And there goes your freedom of choice,
there goes the last human voice.
There goes the last DJ.
Well, some folks said they're gonna hang him high
cos you just can't do what he did.
There's some things you just
can't put in the minds of those kids.
As we celebrate mediocrity
all the boys upstairs wanna see
how much you'll pay for what you used to get for free.
There goes the last DJ
who plays what he wants to play
and says what he wants to say, hey hey hey.
There goes your freedom of choice,
there goes the last human voice.
There goes the last DJ.
Well, he got a new station down in Mexico
and sometimes it would kinda come in.
And I'll bust a move and remember how it was back then.
There goes the last DJ
who plays what he wants to play
and says what he wants to say, hey hey hey.
There goes your freedom of choice,
there goes the last human voice.
There goes the last DJ.
Tom Petty
This song is about the firing of the last DJ in America who is not "with the program," so to speak. It refers to the commercialization and domination of modern FM radio by huge conglomerates, most notably Clear Channel Communications. By owning nearly 1200 stations nationwide Clear Channel has almost complete control of the market. They no longer allow DJs to play just any music. Instead, they sell playtime to record labels, and get around payola laws by using "independent promoters" whom they have control over. They dictate to their stations what songs they can play, and this has caused FM radio to sound painfully formulaic.
Worth noting is the bit "all the boys upstairs wanna see / how much you'll pay for what you used to get for free." Personally, I think this refers to XM radio, in which, fittingly enough, Clear Channel Communications is a major investor.
"Roninspoon: Am I the only one who thinks this song ironic considering the amount of air time it got?" No, you're not alone. I feel exactly the same way.. and it just goes to show that big money won again. :(