24 July 2012 - P!nk - Sober

As you may or may not have read yesterday (and I hope you did), Tony and I have decided to add P!nk into the Wicked Guilty Pleasures Hall of Fame. She now joins our first inductee Katy Perry. I had no idea we were going to do this last week when I posted my two favorite P!nk videos, but you can revisit the magic here.

On to today's video. As I'm sure I mentioned before, I started to casually listen to pop radio a few years ago, mostly out of boredom with the local rock stations (including a mostly indie/hippie station). Something new, as odd as it sounds. While I had previously heard of P!nk, I really didn't know her music beyond Get The Party Started (which really didn't register in my world when it came out). But the new stuff I was hearing (off her Funhouse record) really impressed me and I started to pay attention. Here's one of my Funhouse favorites (and it's a pretty cool video to boot).

23 July 2012 - P!nk - Trouble

Today, we would like to induct P!nk as our second Wicked Guilty Pleasure Hall of Fame honoree.  Her volume of output alone has made her worthy.  Her willingness to replace the I in her name with punctuation makes her more so.  The fact that she hasn't had pink hair in years but still hasn't reverted back to calling herself Alecia ices it for me.

We know Scott featured P!nk last week, and we're going to have P!nk for you all week.  We start with my favorite P!nk song and video.  It's the first time in my memory that she truly steered away from pop and into straight-ahead rock.  From a chart standpoint, it wasn't her biggest success, but from the standpoint of establishing her voice, it was spot on.  Also, it highlights the range of her husky voice, better than any other song.

Plus, it features P!nk riding a horse.  No horses were harmed in the making of this video.

19 July 2012 - Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

It's 80s Thursday!

So I jokingly mentioned to Tony last night that I was going to post a Wham! video. Then this morning I thought to myself, why not? Then I watched the video for the first time in a LONG time. Needless to say the joke's on me.

It's all good though. It's kind of a fun video. And inspirational too! I think I'm going to clap and prance around the bar today just like George Michael...if only I had those rad shorts. Jitterbug!

18 July 2012 - Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing

Sure, most of you know this song from "The Full Monty".  But it was around a long time before that.

Hot Chocolate was a big time soul group in the Motown tradition, but with a disco twist.  The twist?  They're British.  One of only three acts to have a charting hit in the UK every year of the 1970's (Elvis Presley and Diana Ross being the other two), Hot Chocolate still tour today, even though they don't make hits anymore.  This song, which wasn't their biggest hit - it was in the US, but not worldwide - but is their most enduring.

So, enjoy this song, originally written and released as a B-side, because it could not possibly be a hit.

17 July 2012 - Pink - Please Don't Leave Me/F**ckin' Perfect

How the hell is it possible that we've had almost 180 posts here at Wicked Guilty Pleasures and not one of them dedicated to Pink? Friends, we've done you a great disservice. I'm sure many of you have heard her songs, but I wonder how many of you have seen her videos which have been quite entertaining over the last few years?

The first video is one of my favorites off her fantastic Funhouse record (think of it as a humorous version of the movie Misery...and for those who thought that Misery was a comedy...what the hell is wrong with you?).



The second video is for one of my favorite pop songs of 2011 (yeah, I know it was "released" in 2010, but it really didn't blow up until last year). And yes, this is the NSFW version (I really don't like the radio version), so if you're at work and watching this, good for you! Stick it to the man!

16 July 2012 - Walter Egan - Magnet and Steel

This 1978 hit is why anyone knows Walter Egan's name in the first place.  It's a little science-y - you know, magnets and steel are attracted to each other.... get it? - but still keeps a quiet sweetness about it. without losing its rock edge.

Produced by Lindsey Buckingham, this song is a classic.  Gravitate to it.

13 July 2012 - Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters

I know, it's a weak Friday the 13th tie in.  Still, I ain't afraid of no ghosts.

The movie was a lot of fun.  The video featured cameos by several celebrities that you would have known in 1985, like Chevy Chase, George Wendt, Teri Garr (!) and Irene Cara.  And the song was really good 80's R&B with a heavy snyth element.  It is a throwback, but an excellent one.

Plus, Ray Parker Jr. used a lot of Jheri Curl.