Bill and Frank’s Guilt-Free Pleasures – Details, episodes & analysis

The spookiest episode of the year arrives with a song John Oates says is about the dangers of New York City. We're not so sure about that, but whether it's a dracula or a city or a person you ought not to date, this song will strike fear into your heart! We walk you through a brief history of Darryl Hall and John Oates, from ducking a shootout in Philadelphia as teenagers to the unfortunate end of their partnership over publishing rights. We also analyse the song and plum the depths of its darkness. Finally, we propose a Hallmark movie that challenges our ability to hold a narrative together. Thank you for joining us!

Official Video

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too. Feel free to rate and review us wherever you listen!

Here is our Spotify playlist featuring every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

We make some magic for you in this week's episode. Kitch returns for #17 and Frank desperately battles to not only keep his position on the show, but also to argue for the existence of good witches. And we have lots to say and celebrate about America (the band, not the country) and their 1982 hit song.

Official Video

Our Mixtape

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too. Feel free to rate and review us wherever you listen!

Here is our Spotify playlist featuring every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

"Ride Like The Wind" is both yachty and naughty: a smooth song about an outlaw who has escaped hanging for the murder of ten men. In our (limited) knowledge of the so-called genre, we believe this is the only yacht rock song that dares to deal with this subject matter. Truth be told, the song is so enjoyable that it is hard to imagine that it is about anything else but a good time - and what a good time it is to listen to Christopher Cross and Michael Macdonald on backing vocals. We discuss the surprising history of the song, give our in-depth analysis of the lyrics, reflect on the incredible (and hidden) guitar solo, and finally give an alternative vision for a proper music video for the tune.

Mixtape

The Onion: "Christopher Cross finally reaches the Mexican border"

Official Music Video

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too. Feel free to rate and review us wherever you listen!

Here is our Spotify playlist featuring every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

"Break My Stride" is one of those songs that you heard everywhere in the 80s. It does not often feature on "best of" lists for the decade (even though it should), but it is arguably a song that is most indicative of the time - you would hear this in shopping malls, offices, radio, etc. And then, for a while, it just seemed to disappear. Or so we thought. The song has made its comeback in recent years, but even more satisfying is finding out who Matthew Wilder is and how this song reflects his life. His story is fascinating and we are thrilled to bring you this episode!

Helpful links that you will enjoy:

The Strangest Dream trailer

The video with the dancers

The Top of the Pops video

Our mixtape.

Thanks for joining us! We encourage you to subscribe/follow/rate/review wherever you find us!

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Masadon, and our website. You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too.

Here is our Spotify playlist for every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

This episode found our two co-hosts with different feelings towards this song. To be specific, we had different "feels" from this song. While Bill was able to come around to appreciate the song in the end, Frank gloried in all of what this song has brought to him in his life. So let's break our yolks and make a smiley face and put on our coats in the pouring rain: it's time to feel all the feels of Jewel's "You Were Meant For Me."

THE LINKS IN OUR SHOW NOTES:

Jewel explains the versions

Steve Poltz's Story of the Song

Steve Poltz's Version

Steve Poltz Says Even More

Jewel-Poltz Duet

Our Mixtape

Thanks for joining us! We encourage you to subscribe/follow/rate/review wherever you find us!

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and our website. You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too.

Here is our Spotify playlist for every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

According to the Right Honourable Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" is the greatest song of the (previous) millenium. We revisit this Celine Dion classic in all of its glory. 

Celine Dion's Music Video

Pandora's Box Music Video (you've been warned)

Meat Loaf's Music Video 

Bill and Frank's mixtape for this song

Thanks for joining us! We encourage you to subscribe/follow/rate/review!

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and our website! You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too.

Here is our Spotify playlist for every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

We're not quite sure what type of bustin' Ray Parker Jr. is singing about, but "Ghostbusters" is an undeniably incredible song. Dave Kitchen joins us (9th time!) to discuss the history of the song and it's meaning in our wider culture. 

Helpful links:

Original video

Mashup of Huey vs Ray

Who You Gonna Call (documentary) trailer

Mixtape

Thanks for joining us! We encourage you to subscribe/follow/rate/review!

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and our website! You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too.

Here is our Spotify playlist for every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

Love might indeed be a wonderful thing, but Michael Bolton knows that even that word cannot truly connote how he feels for his significant other. Welcome to The Michael Bolton Paradox: the closer you get to describing the indescribable, the further you get from actually saying what you mean. As Wittgenstein claimed, there is an unbridgeable gap between what can be expressed in language and what can only be expressed in non-verbal ways. "Said I Loved You...But I Lied" isn't just a love song, it's a philosophical treatise.

Links you will enjoy:

The original music video

Our mixtape

Thanks for joining us! We encourage you to subscribe/follow/rate/review!

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and our website! You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too.

Here is our Spotify playlist for every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

There was a time when country was very comfortable near the top of the pop charts, and after 1981, you'd be hard pressed to find country and the pop charts commingling again. "Queen of Hearts" is a perfect example from that era, and it is one of those songs that can lodge right into a young 80s kid's subconcious and then reappear decades later to keep bringing joy. It's a big moment for our podcast: Frank is finally able to say "lover" comfortably and Bill is finally able to describe the "clickity click click clack" that he hears in this tune. *Editor's note: we're pretty sure those are hand-claps, but if Bill and Frank want to call it strumming, so be it.

Juice Newton Video

Dave Edmunds version

Rodney Crowell version

Queen of Hearts mixtape

Thanks for joining us! We encourage you to subscribe/follow/rate/review!

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and our website! You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too.

Here is our Spotify playlist for every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

The song was heard all around when it came out. (See what we did there?) We discuss the history of "Love is all around," our difficulties with saying Wet Wet Wet, the reasons why this song is awesome, and whether it's worth your while to see Four Weddings and a Funeral. 

Helpful links to make your experience here even better:

Official video and live version

Love Actually version

R.E.M. version: live and studio

Troggs version: live and studio

Our mixtape

Thanks for joining us! We encourage you to subscribe/follow/rate/review!

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and our website! You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too.

Here is our Spotify playlist for every song we've featured.

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.