Turn Up the Radio

"Turn Up the Radio" by Autograph from their 1984 debut album Sign In Please is a glam metal anthem that almost didn’t make the cut. According to lead guitarist Steve Lynch, the song was recorded at the tail end of the album sessions, and RCA Records initially dismissed it as lacking commercial potential. The band insisted on its inclusion, and their persistence paid off when it became their only Top 40 hit, peaking at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1985. The song’s anthemic chorus and catchy lyric “Things go better with rock” resonated with fans, and its music video, featuring a futuristic venue and a robot receptionist, became a staple on MTV. The video also included a clever product placement deal with Paper Mate, where the band used an erasable pen to “sign in,” a marketing move suggested by their manager to tie into the album’s title.

The music video for "Turn Up the Radio" has its own quirky charm. Directed by Oley Sassone, it shows drummer Keni Richards signing with an X, triggering an error alarm, before correcting it and sticking the pencil in his hair. The band performs to an enthusiastic crowd, and in the final scene, they board a limousine resembling a DeLorean, with lead vocalist Steve Plunkett tossing the Paper Mate pen to a fan. The video’s sci-fi aesthetic and the band’s energetic performance helped boost the song’s popularity, cementing its status as an ‘80s classic. Fans on platforms like Reddit still praise the song, with one user noting it’s a regular on their playlist decades later, and another lamenting that Steve Lynch’s guitar skills, which earned him Guitar Player magazine’s “Guitar Solo of the Year” in 1985, are underappreciated today.

Autograph’s journey to fame began in Los Angeles in 1983 when a group of seasoned musicians—vocalist/guitarist Steve Plunkett, guitarist Steve Lynch, bassist Randy Rand, keyboardist Steven Isham, and drummer Keni Richards—came together. The band’s name was chosen spontaneously while driving to Jacksonville, Florida, to open for Van Halen in January 1984. Their big break came when Richards, who jogged with Van Halen’s David Lee Roth, played their demo for him. Roth was impressed and invited Autograph to join Van Halen’s 1984 tour, giving them massive exposure. Around the same time, producer Andy Johns offered to help them polish their demos at Record Plant Studios, which led to their signing with RCA Records. Their debut album, Sign In Please, released in September 1984, went gold, driven by the success of “Turn Up the Radio.”

Despite their early success, Autograph struggled to replicate the hit with later albums That’s the Stuff (1985) and Loud and Clear (1987), and they disbanded in 1989. Steve Plunkett went on to become a prolific songwriter and producer, working with artists like Cyndi Lauper and Vixen, and even penned the theme for the TV show 7th Heaven. The band reformed briefly in the early 2000s and again in 2013 with original members Lynch, Rand, and Richards, joined by new vocalist Simon Daniels. Fans can connect with Autograph through their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X. For dedicated Zoo Freaks, fan communities like the Autograph Fan Club on Facebook offer a space to share memories and celebrate the band’s legacy.