Bill and Frank’s Guilt-Free Pleasures

Bill and Frank step out of their comfort zone to discuss a song not about romantic love, but instead about political change and hope. We cover everything from whistles to Apollo Creed's untimely demise. Follow us down the Moskva as we talk about the power of music and our hope that we can still experience a wind of change in our times.  Special thanks to Vic for requesting this song! Mixtape Music...

In order to properly discuss Bryan Adams first US #1 hit, we decided to bring back our good friend Kate Angle. Besides being an actual member of the official Bryan Adams Fan Club for the past thirty years, Kate famously played tambourine with Bryan Adams (and Linda Evangelista) when the Canadian rocker came to our city. We discuss the film that inspired the song, whether "nice" is ever an apt desc...

May this episode do justice to the powerhouse that is Mariah Carey, and may it serve as Bill's penance for being so wrong about her over the past few episodes...   More show notes will be forthcoming...   Mixtape You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Mastodon , and our website . You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com , too. Here is our Spotify playlist featuring every song we'v...

Of all the big multi-artist charity singles, this one is the might be the best - it certainly feels the most personal. Bill and Frank test the limits of their own friendship through the analysis and reflections of this song. Mixtape Original Video Alternate Video Live Performance You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Mastodon , and our website . You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gma...

Our good friend Bruce Soderholm joins us again to celebrate Foreigner's number 1 smash hit. We discuss percentages (at length), poetic devices, and that primal groan that gives so much heft to this love song. If there's one thing we hope you can take away from this episode, it is this: "It ain't worth a damn if it ain't got Lou Gramm!" Due to timeline constraints, we had to edit out our mixtape po...

Through revisiting Hootie & The Blowfish's first major single, Frank is finally able to come to terms with his shame. He is so sorry, Hootie. Links: Music Video Sesame Street Segment David Letterman Show How Our Cruelty Killed Hootie and the Blowfish - and Damaged Our Souls Mixtape You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Masadon , and our website . You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gm...

The original version of "Wild Horses" is difficult to find. Outside of the music video on YouTube, it's not available on any streaming service or for sale electronically. Stranger still, Wikipedia has no entry for the song or its corresponding album. This is a shame - "Wild Horses" is an incredible song. In this episode, we give you all the information (and more) that we could find out on the song...

We are thrilled to have Rich Terfry join us for this episode. Rich has been the host of CBC Radio 2's "Drive" since 2008. Besides his work for CBC Music, Rich is a published author who is also known as Buck 65 - a Juno-winning alternative hip hop artist. Today we examine Rod Stewart's glorious cover of Tom Waits' "Downtown Train." Links: Our Mixtape Tom Waits Original Rod Stewart Version Patty Smy...

[Transcript included at the end of these show notes] Fleetwood Mac's "Everywhere" is one of the greatest pop songs ever. Although forged in tumultuous times, "Everywhere" sounds like it comes straight from heaven.  Thanks for spending your time with us! Follows, ratings, and recommendations are always appreciated! Helpful links mentioned in the episode: Our mixtape The demo That awful video You ca...

The episode title is a little misleading. We didn't have the space to write, "The history of 'Santa Claus is Comin' To Town' and the search for the greatest version of the song from 1934 to the present time." We do get to the versions by both the Jackson 5 and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band by the final twenty minutes, but first we take you through the odyssey that is "Santa Claus Is Comin'...

In a similar fashion to last year, Bill is trying once again to convince Frank of the merits of his chosen Christmas song. Will Frank acquiesce and admit "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a great song? Tune in to find out! Links mentioned in the episode: 2004 documentary on the song original video Live Aid version BNL version Daddy's Home 2 version Glee version Mixtape Thanks for joining us! We en...

"Against All Odds" is so powerful that it not only gives you comfort in the misery of a failed relationship, but it somehow can make you look forward to those feelings. At least that's how we felt when we first heard this song. Phil Collins is a big deal here at our show and we are very protective of the man. Knowing this, perhaps you might be able to forgive Bill's mild tirade on how you have to...

Welcome to a very controversial episode! Is "Semi-Charmed Life” a guilt-free pleasure or should it never be listened to again? Mike V joins us to argue for its inclusion in the Guilt-Free Pleasureverse. Will Bill and Frank reach consensus? Tune in to find out! Thanks for joining us! We encourage you to subscribe/follow/rate/review wherever you find us! You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twi...

Brace yourself for one of the most heartbreaking songs of 1990. You can trust us as we journey with you through this track because we understand these feelings all too well: one of us has suffered the dreaded "turkey drop" while the other knows the searing pain of break-up regret on a winter's day.  Links discussed in the episode. Video for 1990 Video for 1987 Our mixtape for this episode Depressm...

"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 ye...

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 o...

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/ra...

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/ra...

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 ca...

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 podcas...

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: li...

Bobby Brown is at the peak of his powers in "Every Little Step" and we revisit it in all of its glory. Dave Kitchen returns for a record eighth appearance to discuss the events surrounding his purchase of Bobby's multi-platinum second album, "Don't Be Cruel." We bring back some old categories and create some new ones. Also, get ready for an epic mixtape from Frank: his music-listening life has bro...

Roch Voisine is a legendary musician who has sold millions of records in Quebec and France. He does not have the same level of popularity in the English-speaking world, but we hope to change that with this episode. "I'll Always Be There" was co-written with David Foster and made its debut in front of Queen Elizabeth II for Canada's 125th anniversary.  Unlike Frank, she did not cry as she listened...

You couldn't escape this in 1993, and why would you want to? We discuss the erroneous rankings from Rolling Stone and Blender concerning this song and the band. After an in-depth consideration of the music and lyrics, we revisit historical moments that occurred while "Two Princes" was peaking on the charts (27:55). To end the episode we pit Chris Baron's scatting against other rock heavyweights (3...

If you find yourself feeling warm during this episode, it's because we're turning up the heat with Al B. Sure!'s debut single.  Mixtape Original Video Dancing with David Bowie Thanks for joining us! We encourage you to subscribe/follow/rate/review! You can find us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and our website ! Here is our Spotify playlist for every song we've featured. Our theme music is by...