Bill and Frank’s Guilt-Free Pleasures

”Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town”: Jackson 5 vs. Springsteen (Another impossible decision)

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' To Town." Be prepared for space travel, swinging second notes, and an examination of more versions of this song than most ordinary podcasts can handle. 
Thank you for spending your time with us! 
Helpful links to deepen your episode experience:
History of the second beat
Alice Cooper version (that we mentioned but never played)
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 featuring every song we've featured.
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

Band Aid: ”Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (Open-Hearted Earnestness)

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 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 featuring every song we've featured.
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

Phil Collins: ”Against All Odds” (A Breakupable Face)

"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 have a "breakupable face" to truly appreciate this song.
Links to add to your enjoyment of this episode:
Our mixtape
This American Life: Break-Up
Official music video
Live Aid performance
Academy Awards performance
Richie Vee version
Postal Service version
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 featuring every song we've featured.
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

Third Eye Blind: ”Semi-Charmed Life” (Pleasure or Pain?)

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, Twitter, Masadon, and our website. You can email us at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com, too.
Here is our Spotify playlist featuring every song we've featured.
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn

Roxette: ”Must Have Been Love” (Depressmas)

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
Depressmas playlist
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 featuring every song we've featured.
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

Matthew Wilder: ”Break My Stride” (A success story)

"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.

Jewel: ”You Were Meant For Me” (Frank feels all of the feels)

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.
 
 

Celine Dion: ”It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” (Song of the Millenium)

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.
 

Ray Parker Jr: ”Ghostbusters” (Bustin’ makes us feel good)

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.
 

The Michael Bolton Paradox: ”Said I Loved You...But I Lied”

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.