Harry Chapin: WOLD

With the revelations about Jimmy Savile and John Peel, life as a 1970s' DJ seems a lot less poptastic than it did even a couple of weeks ago. But Harry Chapin knew that at the time, as he proved in this 1973 song.

WOLD (not "Wold"- that would be a song about Lincolnshire) made no. 36 in the US singles chart that year, but does not seem to have been a hit over here even though I remember it being played at the time by some of Radio One's cooler DJs.

Harry Chapin, who was also an activist for social causes, died in car crash in 1981, aged 38. According to Wikipedia:

One report quotes his widow saying soon after his death - "only with slight exaggeration" - that "Harry was supporting 17 relatives, 14 associations, seven foundations and 82 charities. Harry wasn't interested in saving money. He always said, 'Money is for people,' so he gave it away." 

Despite his success as a musician, he left little money and it was difficult to maintain the causes for which he raised more than $3 million in the last six years of his life. The Harry Chapin Foundation was the result.

The Harry Chapin Foundation is still going, and you can learn more about his career on Harry Chapin Music.