From “In The Air Tonight” to “I Gotta Feeling,” Mainstream AC stations have always played records that seemed dauntingly edgy as currents. It’s the nature of a format that brings new listeners into its target audience.

And yet some Mainstream AC stations still have the power to surprise, throwing in rock titles that aren’t much “harder” than “In The Air Tonight” or “Don’t Stop Believin’,” but still sound surprising because they aren’t as entrenched. Hearing Lita Ford’s “Kiss Me Deadly”—similar in texture to Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker,” a song that some ACs have played for years, but not as enduring—on WROZ (The Rose) Lancaster, Pa.’s “Flashback Friday” was still surprising. So was seeing Loverboy’s pile-driving “Loving Every Minute Of It” on a monitor of WYXB (B105.7) Indianapolis, which had signed on a decade ago as deliberately softer than the format center.

That set us off on a quest for Mainstream AC’s hardest-rocking songs—songs that had been softened enough by time to end up on AC radio somewhere, but not everywhere. As we trolled the bottom of the AC format’s most-played songs looking for unusual titles, a few patterns emerged:

First, the Midwest, for 30 years a bastion of AC radio that wasn’t afraid to rock a little, remains so. Besides WYXB, WLDB (B93.3) Milwaukee often popped up for harder ’80s titles. Both stations are in markets where Adult Hits stations have been a significant presence; that format has done a lot over the last decade to reclassify even the hardest of ’80s crossover rock as AC music. Both stations do ’80s weekends, which is where B105.7 PD David Wood says the Loverboy song played.

Also, the stations with the most edge were often those that had gone back and forth across the line to and from Hot AC, such as WLNK (The Link) Charlotte, N.C, and WJRZ Monmouth/Ocean, N.J. With currents from LMFAO and Gym Class Heroes, one could probably make a case that WLNK has already evolved back to Hot AC, despite its current chart status.

But even among those stations that made room for some rockin’ titles, it was interesting to see what made its way to Mainstream AC and what didn’t. Note, we tried to stick to songs that were getting at least 2-3 plays a week on a given station. So while some of the airplay for edgier titles may represent special airplay, it also represents more than an occasional few-times-a-year spike. And even on special weekends, there are some thresholds that stations won’t cross.

Def Leppard, “Pour Some Sugar On Me” – It has long become a Hot AC mainstay, and enough of an all-ages anthem that even Top 40 WXKS-FM (Kiss 108) Boston could play it as a recurrent in the mid-’00s. But is it mainstream enough for Mainstream AC? WLDB thinks so, with seven spins a week according to Nielsen BDSRadio. It’s also on WJRZ, WLNK, KBAY San Jose, Calif., and KRAV Tulsa, Okla., which, like Cox sister WFLC Miami goes harder into the ’80s than other ACs. WYXB’s Wood says the song tests well enough for regular rotation but hasn’t yet gone in.

Def Leppard, “Love Bites” – A handful of spins at KRAV and KSMG, but also WWLI (Lite 105.1) Providence, R.I.

Def Leppard, “Photograph” – Not as prevalent at Hot AC as the other two, but still on WLDB roughly six times a week, as well as WLNK, WFLC, and WYXB.

Def Leppard, “Animal” – A few WYXB spins.

Whitesnake, “Here I Go Again” – Not among the format’s top-played titles, but as a power ballad, not a stranger to the format, including WALK Long Island, N.Y., WSB-FM (B98.5) Atlanta, KBAY San Jose, Calif., and other stations that didn’t always come up in searches for other once-hard titles.

Green Day, “When I Come Around” – The band has a regular Mainstream AC presence, thanks to “Time Of Your Life,” but would it extend to their more rockin’ side? This was on WLNK and WALK.

Loverboy, “Working For The Weekend” – In Canada, it’s already a standard of the Oldies/Greatest Hits format. Here it’s on WLDB and WMGS Wilkes-Barre, Pa., which also came up in a number of searches for harder songs. WYXB is the only station with “Lovin’ Every Minute Of It” in meaningful rotation, however.

Dead Or Alive, “You Spin Me Round” – Once the most nugget-like of ’80s titles, it’s become more enduring as a result of being sampled by Flo Rida. But does that extend to Mainstream AC? It does at WSB-FM, WLDB, WFLC, KRAV and WJRZ.

Motley Crue, “Home Sweet Home” – Only WYXB was willing to brave the artist image issue of Motley Crue on Mainstream AC, although it’s comparable in texture to other power ballads that AC plays. Then again, this one wasn’t as big a pop hit to begin with.

3 Doors Down, “Kryptonite” – For many Mainstream ACs, there’s a line between 3DD’s “Here Without You” and the more aggressive ballad, “When I’m Gone.” Only KNEV Reno, Nev., another former Hot AC, WVAF (V100) Charleston, W. Va., and WROZ venture to 3DD’s uptempo breakthrough.

John Parr, “Naughty Naughty” – A signature record of the early Jack- and Bob-FMs, this one isn’t so unusual at Hot AC for texture, but just because it had otherwise so thoroughly disappeared from the radio. Gets several spins a week at WYXB.

More Resistance To Rhythm

For the most part, even the success of “I Gotta Feeling” at AC hasn’t given rhythmic titles the same crossover as their pop/rock counterparts (which, to be fair, have a 15 year head start).

Black Eyed Peas, “Let’s Get It Started” – This was one of the exceptions, with airplay at WFLC, KMGL Oklahoma City, WLNK, KRAV, and WINC Winchester, Va. Also, heavily played by WISX (My 106.1) Philadelphia, which lives at the intersection of Mainstream, Hot and Rhythmic AC.

Mary J. Blige, “Family Affair” – One of the earliest rhythmic titles to show surprising adult acceptance. It gets a few spins at WINC.

Tone Loc, “Wild Thing” – A few spins at WYXB. The follow-up, “Funky Cold Medina” doesn’t have any true AC airplay.

Young MC, “Bust A Move” – Mostly WLNK, except for a few single spins elsewhere.

Usher, Yeah" – One of the first mid-’00s songs to demonstrate the power of the “mom jam,” it would probably test well for any Mainstream AC willing to include it in music research, but even with the option of editing out Lil’ Jon and Ludacris, only WLNK plays it.

The Last Frontier

So what won’t Mainstream AC play yet, even at its harder rocking outlets?

Guns ’N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” – There’s only a stray WROZ spin—indicating lunchtime or Flashback Friday airplay.

AC/DC, “You Shook Me All Night Long” – Even a few Oldies stations dabble with this wedding/party staple, but no Mainstream ACs. And, of course…

Led Zeppelin, “Stairway To Heaven” – As the song most frequently invoked by PDs as proof that “high-testing” doesn’t necessarily equal “compatible,” the rock anthem probably comes up frequently in discussions of whether to play or test any of the above. But it doesn’t get any traditional AC airplay. In fact, it doesn’t get all that many spins at

Okay, what are the hardest records you’ve ever heard (or played) on a Mainstream AC?