Michael McDonald: "Sweet Freedom" (A special listener request)

It's hard to believe that it's taken us this long to do "Karma Chameleon," but maybe we needed to be at our A-game to handle a song this amazing. If you were alive in 1983, you would have heard this tune everywhere and you would have loved it! We go deep into the background of the band and the song, and we find out that it's a lot darker than we realized. Nevertheless, the joys of the song endure as our memories of 1983 come and go, come and go. Links: Official Music Video Live acoustic from 1983 You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

We explore the DNA remix of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" by taking a deep dive into the song's history and cultural significance, particularly how the original version became an integral part of the MP3 narrative. We also discuss the themes embedded within the lyrics - a stream-of-consciousness portrayal of someone experiencing life through a pane of glass, which gives us not only a time capsule of 1980s New York City, but also triggers our own bittersweet (painful) memories. Additionally, you’ll hear about the worst bartender in St. Catharines, a chaotic mixtape, and about the recognition of our own branding: Bill as the know-it-all and Frank as the sexy bad boy. Welcome to an episode featuring the intersection of music, technology, and personal memory – pretty much a good summation of what we do here! Thank you for joining us. Here are some helpful links to further your enjoyment of the episode: First known recorded version of "Tom’s Diner" The original video for the released version of "Tom’s Diner" The DNA video for "Tom’s Diner" (the one you probably know best) Tom’s Essay by Suzanne Vega And, finally, this is incredible: "Tom's Diner" Live at Royal Albert Hall, 1986 You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.  

From Rad to Knuckles, Real Life’s “Send Me An Angel” sets a perfect t scene. We hope you enjoy our discussion of the history and analysis of an 80s classic! Helpful Links Werewolf Video 89 Video You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

The Human League's "Human" is both irresistible and ridiculous. Despite the reprehensible content, Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam create an earworm of a melody, and when combined with the not-quite-as-robotic-as-before vocals of Philip Oakey (which we continually mispronounce as "Oakley"), we can't help but return repeatedly to the tune. We discuss the history of the band, the song, and whether we can ever deem this to be a "guilt-free pleasure." Thank you for joining us! Links: The Official Video You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

An incredible song with an absolutely ridiculous video, "The Warrior" is pure guilt-free pleasure. Besides discussing the history of the band, the song, and the video, we also explore Knuckles from Sonic The Hedgehog and its significance in Bill's life. And most importantly, we examine what it means to be a warrior in the world of love.  Links: The Warrior video Bon Jovi video with Scandal: Love's Got A Line On You You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

We can't think of many songs with as much purity of heart than Faith Hill's "This Kiss." All the joy of early and enduring love is found here, as well as a remarkable story about how this song came together. We have a dearth of episodes on country music, but we hope this marks the beginning of more steel guitar days in the Guilt-Free Pleasureverse! Links: The video 1998 Country Music Awards performance You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

The story of Alias is the story of tenacity. Coming out of the ashes of Sheriff, Freddy Curci and Steve DeMarchi were couriers by day and hard-working rockers by night as they honed their craft and waited for an opportunity to get back on the scene. The serendipitous resurrection of "When I'm With You" (check our previous episode) on the Billboard Hot 100 gave them the chance to get a record deal, which resulted in the release of this incredible power ballad. We discuss the band's history, the heroism of Curci and DeMarchi, and we discuss the power ballad's supernova as grunge began ascending.  Official Video Live Version Mixtape You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

One of the most unlikely success stories in Billboard Hot 100 history is Canada’s Sheriff. Despite having broken up years before, their ballad ascended to the peak of the charts to the chagrin of the record execs. The listening public will not be denied! Join us as we discuss the history of the song (a Valentine’s gift!) and the longest note in #1 pop history! Links: Music Video if it was actually made Live Version You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

When you send us requests, we do listen! This episode was recommended by frequent listener Jake Wiebe, who feels that Michael McDonald's "Sweet Freedom" is an essential guilt-free pleasure. We agree.  Official Video Running Scared Montage Sequence Our mixtape on Spotify Toad the Wet Sprocket and Michael McDonald You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

This song has been frequented requested from listeners, and finally we are honouring that request (this one's especially for you, Maureen!). Frank is a huge fan of this song, while Bill is a bit more reticent about naming this as a guilt-free pleasure. Despite our differences and sharp disagreements, this podcast manages to survive the episode. We follow the history of Poison in general and this song in particular. We give a deep analysis of the song and even have a botanical specialist weigh in on whether every rose has thorns. We are glad you have joined us! Links: Official Music Video You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.