Lead guitarist Steve Lynch described "Turn Up the Radio" as "a last minute song that RCA didn't even want on the album because they thought it had no commercial value." However, the band firmly insisted and were granted its inclusion. According to Lynch, Autograph didn't expect great commercial success for the song or the band in general because of their disillusionment with the music industry. Lynch also reflected that, although the song was never a personal favorite, he always appreciated its strong hook, commercial appeal, and "lyrics that were right for the times." A demo version of the song appears on the band's "odds and ends" collection entitled Missing Pieces wherein it has a slightly different chorus. The demo version, along with the song's "alternate electric" and "acoustic" versions, also appears on the band's "The Anthology" album which is a merge of the three albums Missing Pieces, More Missing Pieces, and Buzz.
Appearances
"Turn Up the Radio" was used in the Miami Vice episode "Little Prince" in 1984. It also played in the opening credits of the 2010 comedy filmHot Tub Time Machine which centers around 1980s pop culture. The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 2002 video game' on the fictional radio stationVRock. "Turn Up the Radio" was also used in the role-playing video gameAlpha Protocol as incidental music during a boss fight against a 1980s-obsessed Russian mafioso. In addition, the song has appeared on a plethora of music compilations, including not only those of an explicitly hard rock/glam metal genre, but also more mainstream compilations, such as ' and .
Music video
The song's music video gained significant airplay in the early days of MTV. Set in a 1980s technological future, the video opens with the band walking into a theater hall through an automated door. A RoboCop-like cyborg figure points, saying "sign in please", a direct reference to the album on which the song appears. In a blatant instance of product placement, a ray of light reveals a PaperMate Sharpwriter mechanical pencil, which had been released earlier that year. Using the pencil, the band members provide their signatures next to their names on a paper during which the pencil's name is prominently featured. Drummer Keni Richards writes an X, which sets off an error alarm; Keni then erases it, provides a proper signature, and proceeds to put the pencil in his hair. As the cyborg illuminates the stage lights and reflects them, the band is then seen performing the song to a crowd. In the final chorus, Autograph boards a limousine resembling a DMC DeLorean by its gull wing doors wherein lead vocalist Steve Plunkett throws the pencil to one of the female fans before leaving. As all the band members are aboard, the limousine's doors are closed by the cyborg, which then proceeds to drive them out of the venue. The video ends with a shot of the cyborg's head. The product placement was the band's manager's idea: she thought that the band's name and the album title "Sign In Please" presented a natural opportunity for a promotional deal with a pen-and-pencil company. In exchange for the prominent appearance of the pencil, the company helped fund the video — which was the band's first, and "a much more expensive video than the average new band" according to Plunkett — and also provided other financial support.
Awards and accolades
The song was ranked No. 93 on VH1's Top 100 Hard Rock Songs and was named an AMG Track Pick by Allmusic. In 1985, Guitar Player magazine awarded Steve Lynch "Guitar Solo of the Year" for his work on "Turn Up the Radio."
