Blue Oyster Cult: "Don't Fear The Reaper" (For whom the cowbell tolls...)

It's Jump Month! Each week, we will be covering a different "Jump" guilt-free pleasure. We begin with Van Halen's only #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit, covering the wild history of the David Lee Roth era and the story behind the writing of this single. Get ready for a deep analysis of both the song and video, as well as bizarre story involving Fred Durst. There's so much to talk about when it comes to this band. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did recording it. Also, special thanks to Bill's brother, Dave, for suggesting this special series of episodes. Links: Official Video Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review on the podcast provider of your choice, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends! We have lots of episodes - stay awhile and listen to some more ;) Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

It's our annual spooky episode! Bill's not so sure about this "cult" stuff, and Frank's not so sure that Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. It all gets sorted out. We also delve into the history of the band, the song, and its impact on popular culture. Don't fear it, because Bill and Frank are your men! Links: SNL Cowbell Sketch Closest thing we could find to a video by the band Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review on the podcast provider of your choice, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends! We have lots of episodes - stay awhile and listen to some more ;) Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

This one has been requested a lot over the years, and we're glad to finally bring our episode on Lisa Loeb's "Stay." We delve into Lisa Loeb's backstory, give a deep analysis of the lyrics, and discuss everything from Reality Bites to Martin Heidegger. We're glad you've been "thrown" into this moment, and we hope you enjoy what you hear! Links:  Official Video That 90s Show Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Dave Grohl's version Live at Daryl's House Yusei Kikuchi Walk Off The Earth's Version Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review on the podcast provider of your choice, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends! We have lots of episodes - stay awhile and listen to some more ;) Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

In honour of Frank's birthday (this was recorded in August), we brought together a live studio audience for our deep analysis of Steve Winwood's "Higher Love," which may be a song about seeking spiritual enlightenment or about picking up at a club. This episode has been an editing challenge, and, despite the chaos of the recording, we feel the final result is something we can be proud of. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we did recording it! Links: Official Video Dave Letterman performance Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review on the podcast provider of your choice, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends! We have lots of episodes - stay awhile and listen to some more ;) Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

We're back from our rerun break with a big one! The Bangles' irresistible "Eternal Flame" gave them a huge #1 hit, but also signalled the unfortunate downfall of the band (but not forever). Our good friend Stu joins us to discuss all sorts of flames, whether it's a true love, an Elvis memorial, or the Olympic torch. You had one job to do, Stu!!!   Links: Official Video Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review on the podcast provider of your choice, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends! We have lots of episodes - stay awhile and listen to some more ;) Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn

This is our last rerun episode for the 2026 season! We thought that a perfect way to end this would be with Sade’s “Smooth Operator" - a recommendation from our good friend Jeff from the So Much Crime, So Little Time podcast. (You can find them here!) We learned a lot about Sade back when we recorded this (almost three years ago!), and the band continues to loom large in our guilt-free pantheon. We hope our journey through “Smooth Operator” brings you joy no matter what coast you are listening from, whether it be it the one that harbours L.A., or the one that harbours . . . Chicago? Links: Official Long Video Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review on the podcast provider of your choice, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends! We have lots of episodes - stay awhile and listen to some more ;) Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

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 dive into "I Can Dream About You," but also to find out how special Dan Hartman was. It's a crime that he's not discussed more in pop music history. Helpful links: Our mixtape The official video featuring Dan Hartman as the bartender The scene from the movie featuring Winston Ford on vocals The first video with alternate Dan Hartman vocal over The Sorels Live version of "Free Ride" from the Edgar Winter Group Video for "Instant Replay" You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. Feel free to rate and review us wherever you listen! Here is our Spotify playlist featuring every song we've featured. Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

It's a rerun of our "Kiss Me" episode! We want to send our condolences to Sixpence None The Richer on the recent passing of their bassist, Justin Cary. Here is the original show notes from our original release: Dave Kitchen comes out of the bearded barley and joins us in the Winchester to discuss one of the sweetest (or most sinister???) songs of the past 30 years! Links: Truffaut Video Hollywood Video Dave Letterman Interview Perfect Strangers: Pipe Dreams Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review on the podcast provider of your choice, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends! We have lots of episodes - stay awhile and listen to some more ;) Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn

To honour the great Dolly Parton, we are releasing this rerun of our 9 to 5 episode.  Links: Official Video Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review on the podcast provider of your choice, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends! We have lots of episodes - stay awhile and listen to some more ;) Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn

Our friend Bruce Soderholm has recommended this week's rerun episode: "Tears Are Not Enough" by Northern Lights (the Canadian supergroup). This one was a joy to make and also an incredible challenge to research and edit. (We are grateful to Mel Bourque for assistance in the French portions of the song.) Enjoy!   Links: Superscaled Video Documentary Upscaled 40th anniversary doc A dedicated parody (tribute) version Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review on the podcast provider of your choice, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends! We have lots of episodes - stay awhile and listen to some more ;) Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn