Having a hit record is hard enough – try doing it twice!  Today’s special episode is filled with the stories behind the songs you know so well… from the artists that you don’t. 

How did the real-life “Sharona” and “Jenny” feel about the songs written for them?  (Spoiler – one of them loved it. The other? Not so much.)

Also - What group turned their failure as a bar band into a #1 hit?  And why did one group have to hide their identity before a radio station agreed to play their song?

Plus, Ivan from Men Without Hats explains how getting thrown out of Ottawa discos inspired “The Safety Dance” and Marc Almond from Soft Cell talks about the surprising success of “Tainted Love”. 

We’ve also got the stories behind “Video Killed The Radio Star”, “Shannon”, “I Can Help”, “Harden My Heart”, “What I Am”, plus the disco smashes “Knock On Wood” and “I Love The Night Life” (which both Christopher & Tom try to sing… and it’s not pretty). 

And we end it all with One Hit Wonder Cool Song Facts!

The Beach Boys were a weird combination of genius and fun. This week, we feature Mike Love and Dennis Wilson from the mid ‘70s. Mike talks about his cousin Brian Wilson and Dennis discusses the importance of recreating the Beach Boys’ distinct sound onstage during their tours.

We also have a late ‘60s interview with the great Eric Clapton, talking the dissolution of Cream and the difficultly of living up to his reputation.  Oddly, he also addresses the “Paul Is Dead” rumours and you may be surprised at what Clapton has to say about them. 

Plus, we have a fantastic interview with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics as he talks about his very close continuing relationship with Annie Lennox – and what happened the first time Aretha Franklin heard Annie sing.

     If there is one thing that Christopher can’t understand, it’s Tom’s love for KISS.  That argument is front and centre in this episode, which features clips from Gene Simmons from the ‘70s and Paul Stanley from 1999. Gene talks about everything from the importance of their live shows, to whether the makeup will ever come off (Gene says no – four years later, he changes his mind). Paul is much more likeable in his segments, whether talking about his family, starring in “The Phantom Of The Opera” or getting along with his “brother”, Gene.  Some great clips plus a rollicking chat between our two hosts.

    Then we have an amazing interview from the late ‘60s as Roger McGuinn talks about the biggest songs of The Byrds. McGuinn explains how they were influenced by Bob Dylan and how they in turn influenced Dylan back.  McGuinn also talks about dealing with the backlash of “Eight Miles High”. 

          When Marilyn Denis interviewed Stevie Nicks in 2001, it led to a deep friendship between the two.  During that chat, Stevie talked about Fleetwood Mac, her “coke & brandy days”, her Klonopin addiction, her friendship with Tom Petty and the best song she’s ever written.

          Tom couldn’t help but fawn over one of his favourite rock stars, Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, in a 2003 Chat.  Rob talks about his unusual childhood, the sudden success of M20, the Grammy-winning hit “Smooth” and the tragedy that led to the hit song “3 am”.  A very in-depth (but slightly embarrassing) conversation.

          We were absolutely thrilled to discover a 1980 interview with Lemmy and Philthy Phil from Motorhead in our archives!  They reveal their biggest influences (Joni Mitchell? huh!), how growing fame was affecting them and the very cool thing that happened to them the first time they walked into a bar in Canada!

          Plus, Tom and Christopher share some more Cool Song Facts – including the weird origin story of “Smoke On The Water”!

Steve Perry was none too pleased with his bandmates from Journey at the time of this 1994 interview. Tom asks Steve to describe the drama behind the scenes and Steve does, in painful detail.  Christopher describes his one and only (rather unusual) encounter with Steve.

Meanwhile from 2001, Jennifer Lopez talks to Marilyn Denis about her personal life, her music and the movie role that made her cry.

We also have a 2006 chat with Tom and Meatloaf, which is interrupted when Tom’s cell phone rings.  Meatloaf answers Tom’s phone – much to everyone’s surprise.  It’s a very funny moment.

And Christopher and Tom close out the show with some Cool Song Facts about Elton John, The Beatles, Elvis Costello and a Motown secretary who became a famous singer didn’t show up for work!

The irrepressible Lionel Richie is featured this week in a very engaging and energetic chat with Marilyn Denis from 2001. He talks about his favourite songs from his solo career and The Commodores – and his biggest regret.  Plus, we have Mick Jagger as you’ve never heard him – totally relaxed! Mick is in conversation with Roger Ashby from Eddy Grant’s studio in Barbados in 1986.  He talks about their upcoming album “Dirty Work” and reminisces about the infamous Stones visit to Toronto in 1977 that led to Keith Richards’ arrest.

          We also have a fantastic series of interview clips with Ray Davies of The Kinks as he talks about the meaning behind some of his band’s greatest hits.  Plus, a short chat with Tim Finn of Split Enz as he aims a very brotherly backhanded compliment at his brother Neil for writing their breakout hit “I Got You”. A jammed pack and very entertaining episode!

We have an entertaining collection of interview clips with The Police this week.  It’s Sting & Stewart Copeland at the height of their popularity… and arrogance.  Meanwhile, Tom defends the song “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” with a straight face!  Also, we feature a couple of ‘80s interviews with Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera from Roxy Music.  And we talk to the legendary Canadian Buffy Sainte Marie who reveals that her biggest song secretly got her banned from American television for years. 

Phil Collins was one of the busiest, friendliest and most talented musicians of the ‘80s. He was also one of the most disrespected. We have a great early ‘80s interview with Phil to share with you this week – plus Tom & Christopher discuss his legacy.

We also have a wild interview with The Foo Fighters from 1997 that shows how rabid their fans are – and just what an amazing ambassador Dave Grohl is for rock and roll. We also continue with our look at some more great Canadian songs, including the long and winding story of “New Orleans Is Sinking” by the Tragically Hip!

In one of the most raucous interviews in our collection, The Bee Gees have a ton of fun with Marilyn Denis in one of their final full-length interviews from 2001. Barry, Robin and Maurice talk about the moment they first harmonized with each other, the legacy of Saturday Night Fever, their late brother Andy Gibb and what annoys their partners most (Maurice has the best answer!).  Also, we’ll continue with more Great Canadian songs: Eddie Schwartz talks about writing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”.  And Arnold Lanni tells the incredible story of how Sheriff’s “When I’m With You” went to number one in the U.S. 4 years AFTER the band had broken up!

Burton Cummings & Randy Bachman reflect on “American Woman” 50 years after it reached #1 for The Guess Who! Gordon Lightfoot writes a classic that is so good, another songwriter "borrows" from it! Kim Mitchell explains what “Go For Soda” is REALLY about (and no, it's not about drunk driving), Gino Vannelli talks about the deeper meaning behind “Black Cars” and Grammy & Juno winner Alessia Cara tells us why her big hit “Wild Things” has the most meaning to her. Also – how a Rod Stewart song completely changed the life of a Canadian songwriter and why the Beach Boys turned down a song that ended up selling more than 10 million copies for a singer from Winnipeg.  Plus, on a hilarious episode of When Rock Stars Attack – Myles Goodwin of April Wine takes on the city of Toronto!