Bill and Frank’s Guilt-Free Pleasures

Ah, Nelson. For that brief period of time you were the shining lights of pop glam rock with your third generation musical pedigree and your insanely perfect long blonde hair. But then the world caught a whiff of Teen Spirit and the tide turned against you (while Beavis and Butthead sniggered at your video). We're here to celebrate Nelson's incredible first single and to switch the needle from guil...

Rick Astley most emotional song deserves an equally emotional episode. We dig deep to find out what makes us cry, why we need to cry, and why Rick Astley is still incredible.  Links Official Music Video Amazonics version You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and our website . You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com , too. Feel free to rate and review us wherever you listen! Here...

DeBarge may have been falling apart, but this track is one of the greatest summer jams of all time. We dive into the history of the band, song, and create one of the greatest mixtapes of all time. Links: Mixtape Music Video You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and our website . You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com , too. Feel free to rate and review us wherever you listen! H...

Frank has finally gotten his wish: we feature the king of freestyle's biggest song on our show. We cover the scrappy history of Stevie B and the culmination of his career in producing this giant hit that spent four weeks in December of 1990 at the top of the Billboard charts. Also, we dive deep into the song, discussing its divine origins and our own reactions. Thank you for joining us!  Helpful l...

If you went to a wedding from the mid-80s to the mid-90s, you were pretty much guaranteed to hear Chicago's "You're The Inspiration." Chances were also good that this would have been the song for the first wedding dance. Peter Cetera and David Foster's collaboration was a match made in musical heaven, even if it spelled the demise of Cetera's relationship with Chicago. Frank and Bill dive deep int...

Once you hear that irresistible (and nearly impossible) snare drum sound, you know you’re in for 3 and a half glorious minutes of pop perfection. We discuss the history of the band as well as the complicated process that resulted in this incredible track. Nathan Holmes joins us again to bring his thoughtful analysis and to take us on a little trip to Remix Corner.  Official Video Remix Corner: Phu...

Join us as we explore the impact of "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" by John Parr. We discuss Parr's journey, his connections in the industry, the tight deadline he faced with David Foster, and the true inspiration behind his lyrics. It doesn't matter that its namesake movie is a stinker, because its association with Rick Hansen will always keep the true St. Elmo's Fire burning!  Official Video N...

Time after Time is truly timeless. Dave Kitchen joins us for his record 11th episode to celebrate the greatness of both the song and its "so unusual" singer. We cover the early history of Cyndi Lauper, the making of her iconic ballad with Rob Hyman, and the stories behind the "Time after Time" music video.  Links: Cyndi Lauper and Hulk Hogan at the Grammy Awards Music Video Our mixtape Cyndi and R...

Swing Out Sister's "Breakout" has been a mainstay on easy listening stations throughout our lives, and we want to give it the proper praise it deserves. We discuss the history of the song and why we all love it!  Helpful links: The music video (in colour) Our incredible mixtape You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and our website . You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com , too....

You're not fooling us, John. You ain't missing her at all? Why did you then call your song "Missing You" and not "Ain't Missing You?" This is just a fraction of the type of high quality analysis that you'll find in this week's episode. We also dig deep into our own pain and suffering - all for your enjoyment! We're joined by our good friend Stu, who not only brings a Jungian reading of the song bu...

Ouch. Bill and Frank are not (registered) therapists, but we know that this is not how you seek reconciliation after being unfaithful. Still, this song sounds incredible. Special thanks to Rich and the Wolfman for requesting the song! Helpful links: Our Mixtape Official Music Video You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and our website . You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com ,...

Who would have thought that an album opening with a song involving electric drills shredding guitars would close with such a sweet sing-a-long tune? Walt Whitman was right - we all contain multitudes. This is our 100th episode - thank you for joining us as we celebrate with the song our sisters loved! Helpful links: Our Mixtape Official Music Video You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter...

There was a time when Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" could probably be found playing on a radio station at any given time of the day. This was not a bad thing. We dive into one of the great pop songs of the early aughts. Come and fall into the sky with us! Our mixtape Terry Crews iconic White Chicks performance The incredible music video The vice documentary You can find us on Instagram , Fa...

In this episode, we examine one of the most iconic "advice songs" in rock. For those of us who grew up on radio, we probably know of Night Ranger's "Sister Christian" as "MOTORIN'!" We dive into the story behind the song, discuss its strengths, and propose a Hallmark movie for the ages. Links: Our Mixtape The music video You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Mastodon , and our websit...

We welcome back our good friend Rick Morency to discuss the Billboard topping hip-house banger by the man futurely known as Mark Wahlberg. We discuss is history, the song's irresistibility, and even attempt to appreciate the lyrics. Go ahead - rap along like no one's listening ;) Helpful links: Our mixtape The music video The Arsenio Hall performance The workout video You can find us on Instagram...

Every once in a while we stumble upon a song that opens up a fascinating world that we have never before visited. Dan Hartman was not just the creator of a memorable guilt-free pleasure from 1984, but an accomplished singer-songwriter-producer who found success in rock with The Edgar Winter Group, in disco as a solo artist, and in soundtrack work throughout the 1980s. It was a thrill to not only d...

In this episode, we celebrate Eric Carmen's final big hit. It is a song that is both out of time and right of its time - a tune that harks back to early rock n' roll but also contains the unmistakable productions of the 1980s. We love it!  We discuss the song, Eric Carmen's perfect hair, and argue for a greater appreciation of his contribution to popular music. Turn your radio up! Helpful links: O...

Bill's Oma, Annie Page, absolutely loved Chris de Burgh's "The Lady In Red." This episode is in her honour and in the honour of everyone who loves this song. And how can you not love this song? Helpful links: Our Awesome Mixtape The Official Video You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Mastodon , and our website . You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com , too. Feel free to rate a...

Timmy T was just a man with a moog, an 808 machine, and a broken heart. He poured out his emotion into a song, and without a major label to back him, he was able to score a Billboard #1 in March of 1991 with "One More Try." This is the story of a victorious underdog and we are here to celebrate it! Links: Our awesome mixtape The official music video A Timmy T documentary   You can find us on Insta...

Whether you see this as a prayer, a science fiction tale, or just a rousing joyful song, there's no denying the power of Mr. Mister's "Kyrie." Have your laser charged as we take you down the road we must travel in discussing this incredible hit song from 1986! **This song came as a special request from Bill's sister, Marianne. We were lucky enough to get an interview with her (at the 35:00 mark).*...

Sure - Rob and Fab may not have sung the song. But it's still awesome - you know it's true! Music Video The Connecticut lip syncing incident Rob and Fab music video The Numarx interview Fab now The "Real" Milli Vanilli Grammy Acceptance Speech Our mixtape for this song! You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Mastodon , and our website . You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com , t...

We finally made it to the final entry of our 1984 Oscar series. It's a near impossible decision but we're (mostly) in favour of this staple song from all of the wedding dances we've attended. We'll take you through the history behind this song as well as its namesake movie. From face kicks to Kevin Bacon bribing DJs, we cover it all! Links: Footloose final fight and dance scene Footloose dance off...

James Taylor's "rocker" from 1977 puts a smile on our face and we hope it puts one on yours! Links:  Mixtape Your Grouchy Face Setlist from the concert we went to Wedding Singers Boys Choir You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Mastodon , 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 play...

Dave Kitchen returns for the 10th time to do 10cc! He finds himself caught in between Bill and Frank's competing readings of the song and whether or not the term "moped" should ever be used in this show. "I'm Not In Love" is one of the most lush and haunting productions ever made. We hope you can luxuriate in the sounds of this song like we do. Our incredible mixtape can be found here . Here's the...

Despite the toll that it takes on ourselves, we are diving back into the Jim Steinman pool of songs. We've been looking forward to doing an episode on Air Supply since we began our show. We're glad that day is finally here! Also, sorry about the initial upload. If this is only a minute long, please delete and reload. We fixed it! The original best video. The other video. Our mixtape. You can find...