Have you ever caught yourself humming a tune you're too embarrassed to admit you love? That's where we find ourselves this episode, with the incomparable Andrew and Liam at your side, embracing the allure of those catchy tracks we label as guilty pleasures. In an amusing departure from our usual TV talk, we contemplate the songs that compel us to sing along, yet we might sheepishly skip when someone else grabs the aux cord. From the anthemic highs of football match favourites to the Europop earworms that refuse to be ignored, we dissect what makes these melodies cling to our conscience like musical bubble-gum.
Wrapping up, we invite you to wear your musical heart on your sleeve as we share our own guilty pleasures and encourage you to send in yours for a chance to be featured in a future episode.
Have you ever caught yourself humming a tune you're too embarrassed to admit you love? That's where we find ourselves this episode, with the incomparable Andrew and Liam at your side, embracing the allure of those catchy tracks we label as guilty pleasures. In an amusing departure from our usual TV talk, we contemplate the songs that compel us to sing along, yet we might sheepishly skip when someone else grabs the aux cord. From the anthemic highs of football match favourites to the Europop earworms that refuse to be ignored, we dissect what makes these melodies cling to our conscience like musical bubble-gum.
Wrapping up, we invite you to wear your musical heart on your sleeve as we share our own guilty pleasures and encourage you to send in yours for a chance to be featured in a future episode.
Living with Maid Ali.
Speaker 2:Hello, welcome to another bonus episode of the podcast Living with Maid Ali. Usually a TV based podcast, but these are the bonus episodes. We go outside our realm. My name is Andrew and I'm joined by Leonardo da Vinci. How's things? Very good, very very good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, a bit of an odd one this, weren't it Tough, it's hard to define and it will be very original to the person, so I don't really think you can tell anyone it's wrong if it's a guilty pleasure If it's something they enjoy, that they think it's hard, don't it? As we said, I'm not quite so guilty about some of mine, but we've tried to stick to a criteria.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the criteria.
Speaker 3:Do you want to try and summarise it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the criteria is essentially the way I was thinking about it is I'm picking someone up, a new star at work or something like that. Or I'm at university and I'm taking a girl somewhere and I've got my shuffle on my starred song's on shuffle, and this comes on and I go. I might have to explain why I've got this on.
Speaker 3:You had to try and skip it quickly, yeah. Or you feel like you might have to justify why that's on your track list?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I'm at the top of a guilty pleasure and stuff like that. And to me most of these guilty pleasures lists aren't guilty pleasures. You know I'm going to fill collings in there against all odds. I'm not guilty. I don't feel guilty about that. There's waiting for a start of all brilliant song. It's just genuinely good songs that might be a little bit cheesy. I'm not classing as a guilty pleasure, but the five I've picked are five songs where, if it were on in a car, I'd have to say oh, by the way, I've got this on because of this. So you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, I've kind of added a caveat you kind of mentioned it there, but Because right now it wouldn't bother me any of these songs at all, but yeah. So what I'm thinking, though, is when I was maybe 18, 19, if I was off to uni. I'm trying to kind of establish myself as a bit of a cool customer.
Speaker 2:What Soft character, like a big man around campus.
Speaker 3:No, just sort of not the sort of oh, is that the guy who likes a lot of the cheesy sort of Europop? I wouldn't have been known as a bit cooler than that, I think, when I was going. So I'm trying to think back at that moment in time of my life. Would I have kind of wanted people around me to know that these are songs I enjoyed?
Speaker 2:Well, another thing is that a lot of people have sent us their already sent us suggestions in. So we're going to do a bonus episode where we talk about the mysteries and suggestions, like what people have put in. So we're not going to mention any of them now because it'll go on for ages, but keep sending them in your guilty pleasures, yeah good feedback on the mysteries.
Speaker 3:One actually won't it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, and we'll go through them and we'll say if we agree guilty pleasure or not. Right, I started, I think, mystery, so do you want to start with your first guilty pleasure, liam?
Speaker 3:Okay, we've not really discussed too much what we're going to do with these. Are we playing a clip of each one?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we'll play a little clip of each one, so they might be some people who have not heard them.
Speaker 3:So, before we say what each one is, then we'll play the clip, and if you know it and like it, then it's Well. No, because then it's not your guilty pleasure. I'm not going to overexplain it, it is the clip.
Speaker 2:So what do you think? It's not my favourite songs, or anything. This is where the voice thing is so renowned, isn't it? You know the belief.
Speaker 3:Yes, you've taken one of my small bits of research on the song.
Speaker 2:Oh really, yeah, that's what I first remember, always remember if someone says that song. I think it's the first song I remember. I don't know if it is vocoder, I don't know like where, the sort of electronic voice sort of thing.
Speaker 3:So yeah, it pioneered. Sorry, it featured a pioneering use of the audio process software, autotune, to distort right. So, rather than previously where AutoTune had corrected vocals, it was deliberately done to distort and it became known as the share effect.
Speaker 2:Why did it? Could you just not hear the note, or it? Like you know, that sounds pretty cool.
Speaker 3:No, they just wanted to. It kind of turns the voice into an instrument, doesn't it? It's like a synthesiser. They do a lot in songs these days, but now I think it's brilliant. I genuinely think it's absolutely brilliant. I don't like a lot of share songs. I don't love a voice if I'm honest in some things, but this particular song. Yeah, electronic voice. This one, though, isn't it? Yeah, but honestly I think it's brilliant. I absolutely love this song.
Speaker 2:I don't know how I think like it annoys me, to be honest, like that chorus annoys me. I don't think it's a bad song. I'd like it if it didn't have the why. I just can't get me around it. Like I believe, Like why do you even want to fuck it now? Yeah, that's amazing. That stays here. I know you get it. Now. There's loads of Kanye West stuff and all that sort of stuff he's got like His voice goes, but he can't sing, whereas Shere Khan, so I don't know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they just wanted to make it a bit electronic. They just do something with it. I think it's only that one line in there. Do you believe? Do you believe?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 3:I mean it's done really well this song. I think possibly this is the most successful out of all my choices. It's up the charts in 23 countries and it's sold 11 million copies. Wow, it's the biggest single to date. Fifth number one, and yeah, I mean it's. I don't think a guilty pleasure needs to not be a major hit. I think, possibly that could be one of the criteria If it's a song that didn't go down well, it's a bit hard to have a guilty pleasure when it was so good.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to think, just Just when you think of this other way, then. So I'm sat in your car. I've never met you. You're giving me a lift somewhere like, oh, this new starter, you know, and I'm going in car and you've got this blasted out.
Speaker 3:So now, if you've got in, I'd turn it up, but when I think it feels like 18, 19, you've got in, I might think no, sorry, I've just been listed to Oasis and that one's come on.
Speaker 2:But what I mean is like from my so you can do this with mine. I'm sat there. What would I think? I'd be thinking? You've probably got absolute radio. I thought I wouldn't be thinking you've actually chose to play this song.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but then at the moment where you realised this was my playlist, what would you think? Would you think?
Speaker 2:What the fuck do you listen to that? For I would think it's a bit odd because I don't think anyone's chosen to listen to this song Since the day it came out. I think you only need to have anyone's ever heard this song because it's on radio. I don't know if anyone's ever put. What would you think?
Speaker 3:if I was singing along to it. And now, every lyric. What would you do, lee?
Speaker 2:It's like the electronic thing.
Speaker 3:If I had a voice to start in the car, that would be amazing.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Reminds me. There was an animation an adult animation out years ago called House of Rock and it was like I think it was Biggie Smalls, freddie Mercury, mark Bowlin the old lived in this. They're all dead and they were in limbo and Freddie Mercury got taken over by the spirit of a DJ and he just kept singing. I want to praise you like I should Like that. Oh, I'll rock it off.
Speaker 3:Final bit. On this one, I didn't know how much you wanted to do the facts and stats. I've not got much. It was released October 1998.
Speaker 2:And it's from the A bit later, a bit later actually.
Speaker 3:No, and it's from the album. I don't know because I didn't write it down.
Speaker 2:I get fair enough, Right? I know you wanted to play the tunes first, but background, a bit of background on mine. It's a sub song, right, and I know people are thinking sub's just cool man madness. You know what I mean. He's a good guy, but this is the most ashamed I think I'd be if I was with somebody. And this came on Because this is the FA Cup final song for Chelsea in 1997. That's the clap here.
Speaker 2:So if I were a stranger and this came on, I want people thinking I'm a fucking Chelsea fan, I mean, but I love this song. I think this song is brilliant. We've talked about this privately before. You're not a fan of this song? I think you were proper lyrics. This would have been a fantastic madness single.
Speaker 3:I really don't like the song but but I absolutely think it fits goodly pleasures because, yes, arrival, well, they're not a rival on it, but there are another, another team it's. Yeah, particularly, I mean, around that age. We didn't have a season ticket round about that age.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think we'll have. Yeah, yeah, nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah probably wouldn't. Even more reason why you would. I think you definitely feel you'd have to justify this. Yeah, I think.
Speaker 2:I would absolutely fit and it is on my start songs on Spotify, so I think it's brilliant. I think the thing is I have to stop. I still sing this. I think it's one of the most catchy songs ever. I'll walk around plays going Chelsea, chelsea and I have to stop myself thinking, fucking, I can't be singing that. People like Walking to Bromolaine and stuff in Chelsea, chelsea, we're gonna make it a blue day, yeah, so that's the reason I've gone for it. But I really, really, really like this song and I think if you'd have just made it about London, just generally, like, like in all of his songs, yeah, I do think it had been like a big hit for him. This is when he were having his hits with the Cecilia.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. I mean you put kind of on the radar something with me for this, which I didn't end up having, but Obviously I mentioned it previously my dad's my night fan. I watch a lot of their games, kind of second team. I know you're not supposed to have one, but I love blue moon song. Well, obviously to the city song. So I did consider that and I think you're right it fits.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was thinking about, I picked this. I thought is there any chef, the Wednesday chance that? You know, I, I really really don't like that, really like a song, should I say.
Speaker 3:But they're in because you don't love that, do you, ziggy's? I guess it's a chest of field. What the hell's up? I don't know if this is ever seen this or not, but kid at school I used to know what ziggy is it? I'm, then it were, convinced that were a chest feels on.
Speaker 2:Did it just feel fans in. Please let us know, because I didn't know. Just one more thing about two more things. And it's Chelsea actually won the cup final. This year was the first trophies in 1971, this when everything changed from this thought becoming like dominant and probably spurred on by the song actually. So there's some sang this live at Stanford bridge, fairly recently actually. And if you're watching the video, watch the video and just keep Penang. Dennis wise. I don't think anyone's ever been so happy to be on a music video is so Massive gring. So on the video it's all the players You've got Zola playing piano, the all is there From the booth looking very serious. But yeah, my first one sucks, yeah good choice.
Speaker 3:Well, it's not not a good choice, but it's a good guilty pleasure. I like it. Yeah, next one. I'm gonna play my clip again, first, dr Jones.
Speaker 2:Dr Jones. Yeah, we've seen, it's by me, russell Jones.
Speaker 3:Yeah that's not why I've had it, but I did used to make me laugh singing to Russell Jones, russell Jones, but this was a late switch, so you know this but the listener doesn't know. So I was gonna have to make time by aqua. But when I'll start looking into it, actually, seems it it's really well, kind of critically acclaimed, almost. It's really well thought of, even sort of now. So I'm not sure that's a guilty pleasure really and I mean that is a really good song. This is a novelty record. This is a bit more ludicrous, released in October 97. Again, I think if you, if you got in the car and this was on and the radio was on, I don't think you'd think anything of it. But I do think if this was on my playlist at the time, I'd probably have to say something like I really like Turn back time, and this is just another one. That's that's being added on, I think.
Speaker 3:I'm not sure, at the time I would like the idea of people me thinking I be a he, a he.
Speaker 2:I be a you. I, yeah, I'm not a fan of this one. I think it's too ridiculous. You think this is better than barbie girl one? Yeah, I do actually. Yeah, I don't think these are bad songs. By the way, barbie girl, I'll listen to the rejoke song, but it's quite I think barbie girl was really iconic actually.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's like clever in a way, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh my body, let's go. Not that bit. I was like come on.
Speaker 3:I don't think it probably does any harm that she's really pretty to lead singer. I think that's that's probably a bonus for it. I can't remember her name now.
Speaker 2:He's astrid or something.
Speaker 3:No, it's something like I don't want to say it. Get it wrong. Not sure I thought I made a note of it. Yeah, so it was the fourth single from the debut album, aquarium, and it followed up the most successful song, barbie girl. The video slightly ludicrous to like explorers, and they get captured by a tribe and then, for some reason, the bald guy who just does the shouting so pops up and then everybody's dancing. They're not interested.
Speaker 2:He's a funny man. Where did I get astrid from her name's René? Yeah. René's the man. Sorry, she's Lenny, is that right, lena?
Speaker 3:is it.
Speaker 2:Lena, lena. Where did I get astrid from?
Speaker 3:Yeah, there is no, but there is, is it? Which field weren't called astrid, was she? Or something like that?
Speaker 2:Sure, it seems like a Norwegian, but first of all, by the way, I've spelled acoron and put squad in and he said leasing with terry, all from specials, imagine him. He couldn't do that easy, though could he Come on party? Let's go party.
Speaker 3:This actually did really well across Europe. I mean, it didn't get to number one in a lot of countries, but it got sort of top 10 and most of the ones I'm looking at, like the full list actually, it's like I mean, you can see it, can't you? It's, it's Europop. It's quite cheesy Europop. You can see why it would do well across Europe. Yeah, it's a novelty song. There's some ridiculous bits in it, like some of the lyrics are ridiculous. But yeah, genuinely think it's a really really good song. I still listen to it to this day, fair play fair, play aqua.
Speaker 2:I'm glad they got one in there, right? This is my next one. I.
Speaker 3:I'm glad you've had this, because Almost when we first talked about it, I thought this should be your guilty pleasure song, but I weren't sure if you'd sort of be too cool to say that.
Speaker 2:Your friend Billy Piper, if people don't know. And 1998 Number one, the follow-up to the, more, much more famous because we want to, because we want to, and from the From the album honey to the baby's were another single honey to the. Be that you. That was ridiculous. That one it, chris. Well, I'll try to get that back in, charles about 10 years ago.
Speaker 3:The rhythm and the lyrics that I find ridiculous, like honey to the be that it's, like it's trying to be quite bluesy, but it's just sounds ridiculous. So this song, yeah, we may mention this before. The reason why I think you should have this song is because you kind of actually did what the criteria is. So we, we went so I'll make daemons, ours don't know 10, 12 years ago, something like that and we played we had a FIFA or a pro-evo or whatever it was at the time tournament and we ended up staying over me and you and he'd gone up to bed and we were sleeping on the sofa in the armchair and we were just putting random songs on the TV Early hours of the morning and I think you played this three times in a row. I was like why we do we keep having to listen to this? You said I was brilliant. I said yeah, but we haven't listened to any of the other ones. Like on repeat, why? And you just honestly, there's just a bit in it that I find brilliant.
Speaker 3:Yeah, obviously half drunk and just just loving this particular bit of a song.
Speaker 2:So the verse is pretty much standard, mediocre, manufactured pot, fair, and then the chorus just explodes. I think the chorus is really good, like do you have a girlfriend? We're looking really. It's very much like do I want to do? I want to? But that bit where it goes, we can spend some time. It's just like it lowers, it takes into a more serious place. I think one thing that listen what I didn't. I've never realized this before until we did this and I listen back. If you I'm not gonna play it again, but you can listen back Did you notice how she said girlfriend? She says girlfriend. She definitely says golf friend, nothing. Do you have a girlfriend? No, looking real cool.
Speaker 2:There's another lyric, where I looked at the lyrics because I I thought you said you're kissing me the way that you do and I thought that's a weird way to sing in it. But she doesn't say that she goes you kissing me in ways I can tell no Right, I'm gonna play that bit. Sorry, there's a lot of clumps for this one. It definitely sounds like she's saying I don't watch you, just weird way singing it. Anyways. The clip yeah, so it's called golf, friend anyway, which again I think adds some more depth. It's obviously about I don't know someone who we're in call for, like talking about, do you know? It's obviously called girlfriend, but I think I think it's a hidden message from Billy and so, friend, do you have a girlfriend? So a bit of facts about a bit like she became the youngest ever act to debut at number one with because we want to, which is a record still to this day, which I'm surprised about because you know me and like, with 14 year olds you weren't that young, think like 16 or whatever.
Speaker 2:Well like Michael Jackson in 70s and the Osmond's the far not ever to debut with the first single.
Speaker 3:Okay, I get you, yes, a debut single. That's to the more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the same team who created the trap were also responsible for this one girlfriend, which was actually a cover which I sent to you, didn't I? I was really surprised by this. Girlfriend is a cover song by a band called first class and r&b group For their album strict. We're all in. I'm not even going to play their version of it, because it's exactly the same as this, isn't it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I blew my mind a little bit like that. This was already, but what are you singing? Do you have a boyfriend?
Speaker 2:No, they were singing. Do you have a girlfriend? It's a girl group, all right, okay, and the only bit that's different falling off is we can spend some time and they do the r&b thing with it, but they go. We can spend some time, do you know?
Speaker 3:I'm being like they use the share trick, didn't?
Speaker 2:I yeah, they try to show off the voices on that bit and piping up other with that. Um, so there's two different versions of girlfriend, by the way. So if you're listening to this, thinking bloody hell, what's that? That's amazing and make sure you listen to the the single version, because the album version is quite different. But you might not like it, because I genuinely couldn't find a single good review anywhere on the internet for this song and I genuinely was searching and searching and searching old reviews, new reviews, people talking about on forums nothing.
Speaker 3:I never liked it, if I'm honest. Yeah, I never. I never really got it.
Speaker 2:I saw one review that said it's very much like Peter Andre in that his professional songwriter is trying to be cool and ended up with a supermarket own brand of r&b clumpy and thin which to me is a bit classist because for one same's bridges beans are definitely nicer than Heinz beans. I don't actually agree with that, but uh, yeah, certainly don't disagree.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm not gonna fall out about it, yeah.
Speaker 2:And the other thing I wanted to mention is around this time she was nominated for I think she won actually best female star at the smash it so pole winners party and she were booed. And can you do you know why she would booed and start crying as well.
Speaker 3:That's a salute. No, I don't know. I've got no idea.
Speaker 2:I don't think she'd be in doctor after that. Now, it's because she were going out with Richie Neville from five number it.
Speaker 3:Is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 14 at this time. I don't know I was remembering the mirror. I don't know if you remember this, me and Brennan. You suck that law. Richie Neville always used to be referred to in like the celeb gossip pages. Five hard man, richie Neville. Every single time he were like talk to by way.
Speaker 3:No, he weren't the hard man, there was another one, honestly.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you he was always labeled as five hard man. Richie Neville, no, no, no. Well, I know what you were on about the big guy, but I'm not.
Speaker 3:I've definitely I think I want to be older is supposed to like thought it were a bit of an odd case, but I always thought he was like the boy next door, neville, like the sort of do we sort of really over enhanced his eyes he was used to have like big, shiny eyes five hard man, I'm telling you that's what he used to be called.
Speaker 2:If anyone else, three, a number, three a m girls, it with them, I'm sure it with them. But yeah, so that's my. That is a fantastic song by Billy Piper that he seems like only I in the country like.
Speaker 3:Okay, right, let's move on to my number three. Maybe this is the best song on my list and apply, play the clip. This is a fantastic song. This is blame it on the weatherman by bewitched. Now, for some reason, they Well, I kind of get it. They were kind of a bit of a novelty act, weren't they? Because they were very sort of Manufa. Well, I don't if they were a manufacturer or not. They were, they were considered a manufacturer band. They were very sort of Over the Irish, like, in a sense that every time they were interviewed it the big thing about this is the Irish band and, yeah, I don't think they kind of got the credit they deserved. I think they actually could sing and I think they did a couple of good songs. But I think this song is brilliant. And if I read you the comment from the video on youtube top comment I've not looked down through any of the others, but Not being funny but if abba or the Beatles have recorded this song, then it be considered one of the greatest pop songs ever pop gold.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fair enough, just before you. You're on about the manufacture and stuff. I don't think they were manufactured, but you know there's two sisters in the band.
Speaker 3:Yeah, their brother is Shane from boys home and he, ah, yeah, no, that rings a bell and that got mentioned a lot and I think the people kind of said, all right, don't hear cuz, just the brothers famous. And yeah, I mean it got to UK number one and it got island, it only got to number eight, so they, they weren't buying into him.
Speaker 2:Because, he's probably too, too Irish for the Irish, if you know what I mean it's like because, like I, obviously the bigger song than this is say lovey.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm glad, like my dad as well. He's unbelievably Irish, he's like and I do, and they did even put the river dance thing into that, didn't they? Yeah, but this is it.
Speaker 3:I think they were maybe not manufacturers of band but manufactured as a kind of a this is what they are as a brand, and they were. You know, they were sort of Pushed down a route that they've been. People would have been better just getting them to do more Singing because they could actually sing. I mean, it wasn't a massive hit this 1999. It was released this particular song, um.
Speaker 2:Yeah, come back on that and they come back. I'm sure they rethought they might have been fun of those. By the way, did you see who wrote this song? I want to just talk this into Wikipedia.
Speaker 3:Uh, let me just check on one out song writers Ray madman hedges.
Speaker 2:Yeah, who's he? Ray madman hedges wrote this song.
Speaker 3:Uh, martin, branigan, Tracy, ackerman, andy Kane and Ray.
Speaker 2:I thought you said Andy Crain at first Ray madman hedges.
Speaker 3:Imagine if you if I said to you I've got like a song writer and he's called Ray madman hedges I'm which. Would you not expect it to be this song? I don't blame it on the weather man.
Speaker 2:Apparently he's had over 60 top 20 singles Um. He's worked with Struts, westlife, boyzone, bewitch, towers of London, lil Chris, take that. Brian Adams, faithless, cher Klamath, tom Jones, daniel Benningfield, boy George, ronan Keaton, emma Bunton, anton Dake, dizzy Rascal and James Corden. That's all right mix innit. Yeah, ray madman hedges. What a fucking name that is.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I've not really got those more to add. I mean, it's perhaps one of them. Now, if you don't remember it, give it a listen and You'll be surprised sort of how good it was and how it didn't really get any credit. I mean, I'm saying that I got to them one in the UK, so clearly people did like it, but Other than that the rest of Europe weren't interested.
Speaker 2:Hmm, and again, if I'm setting car with you by the way, we didn't do this for the last one if you're setting the car with me, um, or something you didn't know, and they had girlfriend on, what would you be? Would you be giving them a right?
Speaker 3:Well, like I said, it felt to me like we were a little bit older than that the university age but you did kind of have to just fight. Yeah, you did absolutely fits the brief.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this one. I think I would be thinking I've not had this song for fucking 20 years and and it weren't even that big, then what? What's this guy doing?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I think, both work. Maybe like if you saw my like island flag gear knob A fucking course.
Speaker 2:I don't know why I didn't pick up on this.
Speaker 2:You might just think it's just, it's just another Irish thing innit Of course you've had an Irish song, yeah, oh yeah, and you couldn't have the Pogues, and I don't know. Well, to be honest, I mean we're you want to have my next one yet as well. So, oh, anyway, this is my number three. I Right, I don't like Cliff Richard. As I've said before, baldrin on a, to be honest with Cliff Richard, he's on that fine line of like. So Now, don't like the guy. But is it hate? Is it? Is it proper hate?
Speaker 3:So I don't, I don't mind the guy. I think why, if the sound is a fantastic, fantastic song but yeah, I absolutely get, I get where you're coming from you would if you was. Yeah, it's a good song. This absolutely is a good song, but I do think you'd be slightly embarrassed to be playing it at a certain point in your life when you're trying to meet people.
Speaker 2:I mean, this is Richard's tenth UK number one, his first number one since congratulations Um bit. Background of the song Alan Tony wrote the song in 1979 and we're going to use it on an album on his own album. But after you play the demo of the song to a shadows member, bruce Welsh, welsh instantly knew if we're going to be a hit and found out Cliff Richard's manager, manager Peter Gormwight, and said there is only one person who can record this. Do you agree with that? Is it anyone else could have recorded this?
Speaker 3:No, I think there's Countless people who could have had a hit with this song, I'd say because I think it's a really good song. I think other people maybe would have had a bigger hit, because cliff, despite having a big following, also is always sort of seen as that slight novelty actors, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Do you think, for instance, if, uh, if I'd have wrote this and I said I've written this song, would you say, get any of the number of Cliff Richard?
Speaker 3:There's only one man who could take this further. Yeah, I don't know, maybe, maybe.
Speaker 2:But yeah, backing vocals by Brian ferry rock to music, by the way, so I love it. I just think it's a bit Christmas a and maybe that's why I like it, or maybe it reminds me of being Christmas a because it's cliff and I socially cliff with Christmas, but I love it straight in with the riff of the keyboard.
Speaker 3:I think the guilty pleasure of this is the fact it's a cliff Richard song rather than the actual song. I think the song, the melody, is great yeah.
Speaker 2:I think hot chip or future islands, someone like that. Proper synth pop bands today were a lot cooler would murder and pillage. To write a song right like this, I think the best bit in it, I think you imagine push up boys or it's so funny.
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually we don't talk anymore. Yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe, but they probably make it a little bit better because it They'd have like a dance beat. Yeah, I thought, yeah, fucking should have covered it. I think I'll chip it with brilliant it like it's so funny. He's got a high voice. The best bit is when he goes oh, we don't talk Like. I imagine that's a cliff adlib, so I'll give him that it's so funny, funny, we don't talk anymore.
Speaker 3:I think that's what hot chip would do with it.
Speaker 2:So it's so, it's so, it's so, it's so funny. Now, I think funny funny.
Speaker 3:Now we don't talk anymore.
Speaker 2:It's we don't, we don't we don't just it's fucking brilliant. I am. I was thinking about this as I was watching this song back, because I look at it, cliff. I'm thinking I don't like you as you were singing this song, because I think he's got four decent songs, one that you mentioned why for sound devil, woman's alright and save his day, which we talked about before? Do you think anyone in the history of music has recorded more shit than Cliff Richard?
Speaker 3:That's a good question. Yeah, I mean there must be people who've just been around for years and years. I mean We've given him massive praise before, aren't we Elton John? He's got so many hits and so many good songs, but he's also done loads of shite as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I'd say 95% of the songs for Richard does a fucking Really bad that all album that we talked about, the Christmas album rocking around the Christmas tree. I think this guy, if anyone could think, or anyone else who's been going a lot, he's been going 140 years, cliff Richard, if anyone's been around this long, I bet there's nobody who's put as much shit music to statement Cliff Richard.
Speaker 3:That's why I'm proposing Well, yeah, if you want to fight his case and defend him, then here's why you should. I really need your help. Anyway, your next one, liam my number four, so getting down the list now. So again, we mentioned the Irish thing is another Irish man. You say nothing at all.
Speaker 2:I don't like this one. Yeah, this is the one. I can't stand this song.
Speaker 3:So this is a song and it's probably his like works as a guilty pleasure. So this was released in 99. I used to be going to the gym quite a lot this time Well, no. But sometimes it used to come on like when they just have sort of like smash hits on or whatever was on in the gym, how do you do in weights? To this I used to sort of say split off. You know not this again, but secretly I think, oh yeah, brilliant.
Speaker 2:So yeah, it's the week extra bar, but I ate this song, so get another, fucking get another thing on this way. Here I'm feeling good, can do another one.
Speaker 3:It starts with him sat on a bench. So like grinning, I always just think I brilliant Ronan's back.
Speaker 2:It's from the album Ronan not in Hill and by request, so I saw a thing recently actually were boys are on live and kicking, because obviously all I do is watch all TV on YouTube. The least charismatic man on this this that I can't remember what it is. You people can't stop you to see it, but they've got people phone an upscene. So, ronan, do you think you'll go solo one day? Hi, I wouldn't have thought so. That's it. It's like you're like a bit like. Imagine your dad. He's quite like softly spoken. Your dad like man a few words, like he's just, these are fucking pop song. Your dad's not a pop singer, he does not run. And Keaton, I'm not sure. Yeah, we'll see what happens. Yeah, we'll see what happens. Everyone's like that, though Like them two of pissing about it should answer every question.
Speaker 3:I've got something I tell you, whatever anyone ever asked him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think he's come on now because I think he does like presenting and stuff, don't.
Speaker 3:I, I'm not sure to be honest. Yeah, but yeah, they scuttle. I did well in the charts, got to UK number one. The bit that really surprised me is I thought I was an age now where I was past those songs that come out and you think they're famous for a certain band, like there's a boys own song, that's a Tracy Chapman song. Yeah, yeah, I thought I knew of all those. Now was never gonna be caught out. I thought this was Ronan Keaton song. It's, it's not at all. It's a it's a country song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schiltz.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know this myself and I've just, as you were speaking, I put it on Wikipedia. It was the first solo tops. I've really laughed at this because I got it wrong. So it was the first solo top ten country hit by Francis Black, who is the lead singer at Pixies. Imagine him singing this.
Speaker 3:But then yeah and I think that's quite sort of snidey there what he did actually dinner, cuz Ronan heard Francis Black have a hit with it 95, so he released it 96. It's like there's normally a gap in. They just did it the next year. Uh-huh. I'm sorry, sorry. Her version 96, his was 99. His first solo single and number one hit in United Kingdom Island and New Zealand.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I can't get my head around Pixies doing this, uh-huh, uh-huh. When you say nothing got oh.
Speaker 3:You said nothing at all. You said nothing at all. No, I'm just doing a different. Anyway, yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm not gonna play it, so we've got to make clothes. But they want to hear really good pictures. Parody putting Chris Morris Pixies he's fucking, he's thought I'll send you my mother's cup of tea on my knee I said, mother, oh my god.
Speaker 3:I would have. Like you say, I was a guilty pleasure when it was released. It still is a bit now, I don't. I don't think he's a great singer. I don't know why he kind of has to really overdo some of his Shomphan, I see. I don't know why. It's all like a bit novelty but, yeah, really like this particular song, must admit, though, kind of went at the time when I sort of really loved it. I did think it was his song. I didn't realize, yeah, it already been a hit. So that takes away a tiny bit.
Speaker 2:What's the other one? What's that one? Um sorry, why is it? It's, Isn't it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you can't sure sure forgive me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've listed Tracey Chapman's album after that song and that came on. It's obviously a man, a bit a version of Tracey Chapman version, but yeah, yeah, no, I agree, yeah, right, so you're number four.
Speaker 3:We're getting right down now right.
Speaker 2:So this is my number four. So we all stand together. Paul McCartney, just a little bit on Wikipedia here. Reach number three, the UK singles chart in 1984. This is off Wikipedia, it says although intended purely as a children's song in the mold of the Beatles, jealous submarine, we all stand together is sometimes derided as an example of McCartney's Inconsequential songwriting by his own critics. This song got absolutely fucking Hammered when it came out. People held it against him for years as like the biggest sign that he totally lost it and, you know, blending with the brains behind the Beatles. It was like a punchline. Oh yeah, I suppose you're like we all stand together as well, don't you know? That's how good he is. I think this is brilliant and I genuinely think this is brilliant. It makes me smile, it makes me sad, I think it's a genuinely emotional piece of music. You know it reminds me of and I think it's. I think it's better than this is really controversial. I think this is very much like walking in the air, but better.
Speaker 3:Yeah, get where you coming from and actually I. I had both those singles when I was as little as Records and and yeah, it makes me think of of being little and listening to this so up. So I love it. I never quite got it, though, because it always felt like it should be Part of a Disney soundtrack. But it's just a standalone song, isn't it? It's it's. Am I right in thinking it wasn't written for a cartoon? The cartoon was done as a video for it, but it wasn't a story about some frogs that he was asked to write.
Speaker 2:No, I mean he bought the rights to Rupert the bear. We're after Rupert the bear for ages. I don't know why. I just want to read the bear, you know. Oh, he lost his fucking back out. I went for Rupert the bear houses and he's right, he's from the animated film Rupert and the frog song, so I don't know which way around it was to be completely honest, but it is. You know, it is Associated with that thing. Even he's mentioned it in the past, though, like when he's put himself down he said like, well, obviously, people you know, no, I did, the frog chorus was. People didn't like I would see him in Poland a couple years ago and the guys who I went with, we did our ideal set list and I had this Like in my ideal set list and everyone's saying, oh yeah, very funny, I was honest, like this is better than Yellow Submarine altogether. Now, maxwell Silverama, your mother should bastard. Now it's better than all of them over the.
Speaker 3:Elberda, I unheard this in years and years, but Remind me, what does he actually sing on it then, or is it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, chorus isn't it so? Oh, it's like, he's like a harmony like a. What is he like? A barbershop quartet or something who actually sings it. He sings the first bit, then a choir comes in and then a frog dancing, obviously, but that's a frog going in and boom, boom, boom.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, honestly, the violin. I've heard his classical piece as Paul McCartney's.
Speaker 3:Shanks. You're right One thing is certain, will never give in Brilliant.
Speaker 2:Like I say in the vein, if you take it in the vein, of something like walking in the air, and everyone's not going to agree with me with this, but I think this is better, this is. This hits me so much like it's like proper.
Speaker 3:That's what it seems to Mr Trick Like and you're telling me it is tied to this Rupert thing. But it seems like if there'd been a a Christmas Rupert released with this as the soundtrack, it could have been a great kid's hit. But it's almost like people seem to think it's a ridiculous piece of music. Well, yeah, but if it was just written as a kid for a kid's cartoon, why would it be anything different?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, look. But I think it transcends that and no one else agrees. But I think it transcends the fact it's a kids song, which some kids songs do and remain and become genuinely good songs. This is one of them. I think this is a fucking brilliant song.
Speaker 3:So that's probably where I differ then. So I like the nostalgia. This reminds me of being a kid and listening to this record. If this came out now, today, I'm not sure I'd be saying that's brilliant, it's another one.
Speaker 2:It's that in Carlyam Someone's got this on All see, deadly serious phase driving Boom, boom, boom. I hear I was talking to one couple of weeks ago because we were always even planning. We're doing this and I like going through some side of this, one of the ones I knew I was going to have, and she's always makes me feel sick. That song what? Why? I suppose it's the boom, boom, boom. You might think they're real frogs.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't know. I don't know, it's a hard one. I think it's a fair choice. I think it's your next, it reminds me of a bit like Aristocats or something like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I can see that your next is your final. I believe him.
Speaker 3:Yeah, my last one is the controversial one. I'm not going to tell you too much detail of it. Do you tell what it is yet?
Speaker 2:I don't know why it's nothing like him. You know he would use it.
Speaker 3:Go yeah here it is If you'll remember when we were two boys.
Speaker 3:Right, obviously we don't want to give the man any airtime. I love this song. My granddad was a policeman who was quite serious bloke. He liked a bit Shirley Bassey used to like some of that. I don't really remember him ever singing, other than when I was little he used to sing this song to me. Sometimes I can never think of him singing any other songs, if I'm honest. Maybe he did, I don't know. So I loved it and I still love it and I still like it as a song. I don't like it as something that makes me think of Ralph Harry. So I like it as my granddad singing it. So that's why I'm putting it on the list. Is this a?
Speaker 2:ball for original.
Speaker 3:No, so it's a much older song that somebody had released a long time, like 1900 or something like that. He did it for a BBC special and I don't know if you'd tweak the lyrics very slightly. I mean one thing if this was your song, so it was written by Theodore F Morse and Edward Madden, but like you think, what else could have happened like this is the awful. Ralph Harry's performed this song. But, actually, if you look on Wikipedia, on BBC Radio Blackburn in 1979, margaret Thatcher picked it as her favourite song.
Speaker 2:So it was doomed from 1979. We went to. Where did we go? Were it Tenerife.
Speaker 3:Yeah, tenerife and Gran Canaria have been to.
Speaker 2:And going back to the Irish thing again, we went to see an Irish band in one of the Irish bars and he sang this, but he did the. I think it was the Republican version.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm not sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it went up the line where. No, you're gonna say yeah, do you think I would leave you dying when I'd stand up and lying caught and it was just about like some Mairé Bombers getting sent down and this guy saying no, it was so bizarre.
Speaker 3:I always sort of like shouted at him when I'd stand up and lie and caught.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've seen him a couple of times. Ralph Harris. His best song for me is not this it's gonna be a fan day, gonna be a real fan day.
Speaker 3:I think it's a bit ridiculous. I mean, jake the Peg was another one of his novelty sort of songs, but yeah, he's like through down sport tolling, the gun down sport tolling the gun down and he's like horrible and he's like check out my chan-chan, and those are like weird noises, didn't he? Anyway, let's not dwell too much on it, but yeah, guilty. Pleasure is for several reasons. Actually One because it was never cool to like Ralph Harris, and for two, because he is now convicted, condone Ralph. Harris.
Speaker 2:Once again we have to say we did not condone Ralph Harris. I would be looking at you with a very I'd be quite worried actually if I weren't caught. You know what this song like? It's like singing like loud and proud To lit the boys in, to lit the boys in First. I knew about Ralph Harris in the sense that he did music. We're a stairway to heaven. Memory did that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah yeah, and it makes me wonder, and it makes him wonder.
Speaker 2:Absolutely ridiculous, yeah, anyway.
Speaker 3:Right, I'm out. That's my five.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm gonna end with my favourite of all these songs we've talked about. I've mentioned these before. These lads have done some genuinely phenomenal pop songs Deeper, Deeper. We are the Freds.
Speaker 3:So we sort of mentioned sometimes things, and it's a little bit tongue in cheek. We're sort of laughing at ourselves, but we both genuinely think these are brilliant, don't we? I think. Lassie and. Fred are a really good band and I know you absolutely love some. You're probably more into them than me, but I actually think they're really good.
Speaker 2:I think they're brilliant. And before, with Fori, I mean obviously now the more probably known for talking shit on GB News or whatever the fuck they go on. Forget all that. It's a bit like the Ralph Harris thing. I'm not bothered about that. This is the follow up to I'm Too Sexy, don't talk, just kiss. This is by right, fred. By the way, everyone thought there was gonna be a One it Wonder because it sounds like a One it Wonder, don't it? I'm too sexy. I'm too sexy for my shirt. You think, oh yeah, this is these lads and obviously the way they look and all this sort of stuff. But this got to number three in the UK charts. They never did have another in the States, but this, remember, they remain one in Wonder in the States, but this got to number three in the UK charts.
Speaker 2:This is a fucking one of the best written pop songs of the night, is this? This is the closest any of these songs can get into my top 100 songs of all time. I think it's absolutely fantastic, everything about it, the way he sings. I love how he goes. We're beyond words and sound. Done is like a baritone voice, aren't I?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, again, this is where we differ slightly, because I love them but I do see them as slight novelty. Still, you seem to just think some of that stuff is just pure brilliance.
Speaker 2:I think this one, which is a bit daft, is when he goes don't talk, kiss.
Speaker 3:Well, there's a bit where the woman sort of really screams but like Don't talk just kiss me boy. Kiss me boy. Yeah, but I think people sort of say, and people just shout him. But it wasn't. There was always some harmony, but this is just somebody just shouting.
Speaker 2:I think so a hard hero inside yourself, right? So the person who was just the backing singer for this or the duet or whatever it was Jocelyn Brown. She was all over the airwaves at the time because she was sampled on the snap here I got the power. That's her. Oh right, okay, I got the power. Ooh, yeah. So the video for this, liam, I made you watch. It's absolutely. It's such a bizarre video this, yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean this is. It's almost like an episode of Euro Trash that we covered before in there. It's like contained within a music video. It's really bizarre. He, as the video progresses, seems to get more naked. So I reckon if it was another minute longer, he would be fully naked by the end of the day.
Speaker 2:It's a four minute song and he changes outfit three times and every single time he changes he's got less and less clothes on. The weirdest bit, by a mile, is it shows you people dancing in background. They're all on this like white background stage. It's just like normal people dancing and stuff. The Freds are playing along and cheese there, Jocelyn Brown. Someone brings a baby out and starts like making a baby around and then the best bit is there's a scene where he's singing and he's just like in corner, like a little screenshot of that baby's in corner.
Speaker 3:I don't get what that's got to do with his high-list. We've never mentioned this before on the podcast, though we've just talked about it before. We've definitely discussed this before. There's loads of like suggestive dancing easy eye-rating.
Speaker 3:Easy eye-rating camera and people licking the lips, all this sort of suggestive stuff. And then, yeah, there's a baby there. It's almost like I just can't explain who thought that was a good idea. And then there's one bit where there's a woman holding a baby which seems to be crying. Most of the time, as you see it, it's not smiling. Yeah, yeah, but while she's holding a baby in this sort of group shot, there's a bloke sort of grinding on this woman from behind like gyrating his hips.
Speaker 2:What do they do? The friends would be having a lot to say about this video, wouldn't they? If he came out now, they'd be going. You see what this is all about? Now he's gonna hear the message about sexuality. You know, they're trying to get your kids into all sorts. But yeah, but look this. I will fucking defend this band for the day I die, in terms of the music, because I think I will say so.
Speaker 3:By the way. Sorry just to jump in, but I think I don't know if it was just because the bald heads completely shaved heads. I always assumed they were a lot older than they are. Like, when you look back to this video, it's quite young in it. I mean, it's quite a cool looking guy in it.
Speaker 2:I don't look like a pop star. I think neither of them look like pop stars, like they're quite muscley. They're obviously gym lads. You know what I mean? Bald heads, I don't know why. He's like shaved it. So I'm lucky 70 now. So what? We're talking here? 30 years ago? Yeah, so it had been in his. No, I haven't got a minute. What are we on today? I don't know when this come out. Night night, well, night night two. So it had been 32 at this point.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think in my head I thought they were older than that at the time. But yeah, I don't know. I think it is good. The videos are, the songs go, the melody's great. I think it's a bit as a lot of pop songs are. This is not particularly digg. It's a bit repetitive. It just kind of latches onto don't talk, just kiss, and it just says that an awful lot. No, I disagree.
Speaker 2:I think the verses are maybe the best bit Aha, oh yeah, we're most impressed to him. Don't talk, kiss Ooh.
Speaker 3:Maybe, not Perhaps it's just the ending, because you asked me to watch the video.
Speaker 2:Perhaps it's just one of them where, as it ends, the last minute and a half is just weird song for the round he sings so posh Brilliant band talked about it before and I wanted to end on it, so that's us, liam. That's the guilty pleasures. Living with me, the lonely.
Speaker 3:So that was Guilty Pleasures. Let us know yours. We accept they're very subjective, so you might have some that actually we think. Why on earth do you think that's a guilty pleasure? That's a great song. But yeah, if you've got any ideas, send them in.
Speaker 2:Say Liam before we go we should be behind the curtain. The ones that we were gonna have. There was some. I sent to you and said you know, is this shit enough? Basically, and you said no. So how are we gonna have what? Are we gonna have letter from America by the proclaimers? And you said no.
Speaker 3:I think they've had a bit of a sort of resurgence, haven't they?
Speaker 2:Letter from America. How are we gonna have? The best that you can do it's fall in love, but that is too good.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The total Africa, you know? Yeah, there was some you had as well, weren't there?
Speaker 3:Skaterboy, Avril Lavigne, I mean, there's loads of songs that I like that would probably be on your guilty pleasure list that you'd have to explain, but I don't know. I'm a bit more sort of flexible in what I care if people think I like or not. I think you are now to be fair, but I think Give them our roles.
Speaker 2:I've said this before no, our roles. But we built this city, we built it off, got that one. We built this city on rock and roll, but too good.
Speaker 3:The bit that I love in that, the best bit in it, while Cody plays the mambo. Listen to the radio.
Speaker 2:Brilliant, brilliant, so, super. So, thank you for everyone who listened to that. Send us in your guilty pleasures.
Speaker 3:We're gonna be doing feedback, comments, shit episode next Final bonus one, rather than having a subject. We've got some decent stuff. People sent in some comments worth reading, so we're gonna finish the series on a listen to feedback and then we'll be getting ready for it. Should we make the announcement in the final episode of what the next series is? Maybe in the?
Speaker 2:final, yeah, in the final episode of the series in the bonus. Yeah, you don't wanna put it out there? Nah, Get them tuning in. The old five of them to tune in again.
Speaker 3:You said that in your Scottish accent. Did you do that accidentally? Yeah, they wound it as hey.
Speaker 2:Get them tuning in. They didn't limit me. I don't know, I didn't mean to do it. Ah, come on man. Well, yeah, get tuned in, Cheat it in Living with Maidley.
Speaker 3:If anyone wants to get in touch with us, send us anything. Find us on Twitter at livingwithmade1, or you can send us an email at livingwithmaidleyatoutlookcom.
Speaker 2:Living with Maidley.