Number One With A Bullet

Back before he was John Mellencamp, but after he was Johnny Cougar, a very respectable recording artist by the name of John Cougar sat down to record a song about nothing in particular. Because that's how you make real art! This week, Andrew and Dan do their best to get into the mindset of this twisted individual and they also discuss some more movies they saw for waaaay to long. 

Though that can't agree on how to pronounce his last name, Andrew and Dan have committed themselves to talking about journeyman pop singer Vic Damone. Well, sort of. To be honest, they spend at least half this episode talking about movies and other music they like more. That's just how it happens sometimes! Sorry Vicky baby!

The boys finally get a chance to talk about their good boy Bowie, and boy do they take advantage of it! This entertainer of many faces had a long and storied career filled with multiple stylistic peaks and classic albums, but very few number one hits. Still, "Fame" was certainly one of them and it's got its own interesting backstory filled with drama, ex-Beatles, and lots and lots of cocaine.

Mazel tov! Welcome to the summer of 2009 AKA the Summer of Peas! Hot on the heels of the success of their single "Boom Boom Pow," the Black Eyed Peas continued their run of the charts with the pervasive hit, "I Gotta Feeling." As punishment for their future crimes, Andrew and Dan are now forced to talk about it. You're welcome!

What does it take to make a good protest song? Does it come down to smart messaging or pure passion? That's the debate on the table this week as Andrew and Dan revisit the 1970 Motown hit, "War." They also learn the surprising history of this nearly controversial(!) hit. Oh, also Dan got married.

Hope y'all are ready to walk a tightrope, because this week Andrew and Dan discuss the smash hit turned controversial single, "Blurred Lines." Is this dance track the herald of toxic masculinity or were Robin Thicke and Pharrell just in the wrong place at the wrong time? We certainly won't be the judge! That's too much pressure.

Back in the late '50s you either started a band with your sisters or you went off to do war. In the case of Jim Ed Brown, he did a little of both! This week, Andrew and Dan learn all about the Brown family and their folk-pop hit about a little boy who grew up to be a big boy.

Take a seat children and allow us to tell you the story of Redfoo and Skyblu. Two middle-aged boys from a wealthy family who struck out on their own with the intention of getting everyone party rocking. And then felt sorry about it. But, hey, they scored a number one hit along the way!

One week in the summer of 1989, something magical happened. The entire country came together and decided it would be really funny and cool if they took a six-minute song consisting mostly of clips from the new Batman movie and made it go all the way to number one. And a little purple guy named Prince helped them do it. Now hear us talk about it! Batdance!

In the inaugural episode of NUMBER THREE WITH A BULLET, Andrew and Dan are forced to take a little trip down the Billboard charts in order to avoid talking about the same song they talked about almost a calendar year ago. Luckily, Sam Smith is there to comfort them along with a gospel choir and some lonely post-coital thoughts.

Only '90s kids will remember when this reggae cover of an Elvis song was heavily featured in the promotion of the Sharon Stone erotic thriller Sliver! Or, maybe they won't remember that. Regardless, that's what happened, and Andrew and Dan are here to talk about it. They're also here to hopefully explain how the hell UB40 got popular in the first place.

Just as the '60s were coming to a close, a pair of pop-rock folk singers from Nebraska turned their eyes to the future and asked America the very important question, "Hey, do you think we'll have eyes in a couple thousand years?" And America responded with raucous applause. This week, Andrew and Dan try to figure out why. 

LA in the '60s was a pretty trippy place to be, man. The sun was shining, the drugs were flowing, and the bands were playing. Though, sometimes, like in the case of the Hollywood Argyles, the bands didn't even exist! Still, they managed to score a number one hit with a song about an old newspaper comic strip. Ah, the '60s!

Have you ever been out at a club and thought quietly to yourself, "Gee whiz, I sure would like to dance with somebody." But then one second later you think, "It's gotta be somebody who loves me though." Well, if you have, we've got a very specific song for you! Also, we've got our first guest! Andrew's friend Steve, a.k.a. the man who has seen no movies!

Have you ever wanted to see the movie Flashdance but don't know where your nearest RedBox location is? Not to worry! On this very special episode of Number One With A Bullet, Andrew and Dan realize they have no real information about this very popular song, so they just end up talking about the movie it's from the whole time. Enjoy!

This week, Andrew and Dan venture back into the Billboard annals further than they've ever ventured before. Unfortunately, they return with a truly embarrassing pop song from America's Swing Band Era (or should we say Sweet Band Era). These frat boys love yelling at us about girls that call them "daddy" and we are NOT here for it.

Back before NASA successfully landed a man on the Moon, it was up to musicians to inform the public about the scientific particulars of the great big night orb. Many people tried to score a number one hit with these "science songs" but only Les Paul (the talking guitar) and his wife were successful. Of course, none of this is true, but it's vaguely what this episode is about.

These days, the name Paul McCartney is synonymous with successful career longevity in the music industry. But, there was a time when Paul was just the guy who used to be in that very popular band and now couldn't write a hit song to save his life. Then, in 1973, America finally agreed to let Paul McCartney back into the Number 1 slot, but only if he wrote something truly boring.

It was only a matter of time before Andrew and Dan randomly landed on a song by the butt-shaking, guitar-slapping hit-maker known in these parts as Elvis Presley. We'll likely be talking about him again (and again) in the future, so this episode will focus primarily on his early career, his debut on Sun Records, and his 1957 RCA chart-topper, "All Shook Up."

"This Is America" and its accompanying music video kicked off yet another chapter in Childish Gambino's multi-faceted career. The song deals with complicated and sensitive issues involving race relations, media consumption, and racially motivated violence. Surely, the two very white, very stupid hosts of this podcast are the least qualified people to be talking about these subjects. But we try out...

After spending the first fifteen minutes discussing the nation's favorite movie, Detective Pikachu, and a Mountain Goats concert that only one of them went to, Andrew and Dan finally move on to this incredibly spooky cowboy song. Apparently, people wanted the shit scared out of them in the late '40s and Ol' Leather Lungs came through for them.  Listen with a friend so you don't get scared!

Back in the 1950s, all you needed to become a big star was a nice personality and reputation for being a great barber. At least, that's what you might assume after looking at Perry Como's career. Before families across the the country invited Mr. Casual into their homes via his various television programs, he recorded a number of hit songs included "Wanted," a ballad about arresting a woman for no...

After spending way too much time talking circles around Endgame spoilers and 2019 Oscars predictions, Andrew and Dan turn their attention to an epic tale about the music industry's most notorious assholes. Join us as we recount all the shitty things Don Henley said, all the stupid theories about what this song is really about, and all the bland guitar riffs that America seemingly fell in love with...

All you young kids listening probably don't know that once upon a time a little thing called "world hunger" excited. You've never heard of it because, at some point in the 1980s, a bunch of nice celebrities got together and completely fixed it with a few bland mayonnaise songs. We spend a lot of time talking about one of those songs this week but we spend even more time talking about the comment s...

In the spring of 2013, America got swept up in Macklemore fever as this fur-coat-wearing white rapper from the Pacific Northwest joined forces with a middle school jock named Ryan Lewis to inform people about the great deals going down at their local thrift store. Of course, a backlash ensued, and quite possibly for good reason! Whiteness and controversy abound in this episode. Enjoy!