In this final episode of Season 2, Butch and Kevin dig into the song that is considered by many the greatest rock song ever recorded. What we specifically take a look at are the almost dream-like lyrics and whether or not they are filled with important symbolism or just words Robert Plant created to fit the music.

• The beer of the week was supposed to be Founder's Centennial IPA, but then Butch busted out Korbel champagne to celebrate our one-year anniversary. Cheers!
• Plant himself even said he can interpret the song's lyrics in different ways at different times.
• The song seems to change points of view multiple times.
• Plant also was highly influenced by the writing of J.R.R. Tolkein, which could explain some of the imagery, such as "rings of smoke through the trees."
• Taken on their own, many of the lyrics seem to resemble a cross between Spinal Tap lyrics and Monty Python quotes. And yet, there's something more ...
• Here is a thorough breakdown of the lyric: https://extrachill.com/led-zeppelin-stairway-to-heaven-meaning
• Here is Dread Zeppelin’s wonderful reggae-drenched version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7DqjyNGHJU

On this episode, the penultimate episode of Season 2, Butch and Kevin take on Green Day's protest hit, "American Idiot." It was a Top 10 hit in many countries, such as the U.K., Canada, Australia, Scotland and New Zealand, although -- despite its general popularity in the U.S. -- it only reached 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. Front man Billie Joe Armstrong write "American Idiot" as a response to his frustration over the national news media manipulating the public. A few points that were hit:

• The Beer of the Week was Sierra Nevada (hey, California band, California beer).
• The band members had been off doing their own thing, giving producer Rob Cavallo doubts about how the chemistry would be when they came into the studio to create the album American Idiot.
• The band had recorded a follow up to their 2000 album Warning, but near the end of mixing, the master tapes mysteriously disappeared. Rather than start over, they decided to go in a totally different direction.
• The album was to be titled Cigarettes & Valentines, and only two songs that were scheduled to be on the album have been heard by the public. Links to the two songs are below.
• "Cigarettes & Valentines"
• "Too Much Too Soon"
• And here's "Weird" Al Yankovic's send-up of "American Idiot," the legendary "Canadian Idiot."

Nearly 40 years ago, a rock anthem hit the airwaves -- and perhaps most importantly, MTV -- in the form of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It." The campy, fun video and the singalong chants made it an instant hit. Kevin and Butch go down the Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit Hole on this timeless classic that remains evergreen after all this time. A few show notes:

• This episode's so-called Beer of the Week is Mr. American IPA, made with plenty of Cascade hops, from Louisville brewery Noble Funk Brewing Co.
• The song resembles, in melody and structure, a well known Christmas classic. In fact, Twisted Sister recorded their own version, which you can experience here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV-SpT69IZ8&t=1s
• The drumbeat is unmistakable.
• Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center tried to censor the song, and was read the riot act by front man Dee Snider before Congress.
• Snider would end up recording an acoustic version of the song to help promote a cancer research charity, which you can experience here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7ya4UJTeZ4
• The '80s anthem somehow only reached 21 on the Billboard Top 40, yet it remains an enduring hit.

In 1982, Men at Work came from nowhere -- OK, actually from Australia -- to take the world by storm with their hits "Who Can it be Now?" and "Down Under," the latter of which is the story of a man's travels and the odd characters he meets along the way. Butch and Kevin dig into the song, its meaning, and some of the cultural revelations contained within, not to mention a sad twist that came years later. A few talking points:

• The Beer of the Week is, of course, Foster's, the beer that originated in Australia and rose on its ad campaign of, "Foster's: Australian for Beer." (It's brewed elsewhere today.)
• Butch busts out the Vegemite for an on-air, first-time tasting. The responses were a bit surprising.
• The original version of "Down Under" was essentially a throwaway B-side and much different sounding than the hit version.
• "Down Under" shares similarities with the Bruce Springsteen hit "Born in the U.S.A."

Season 2 of Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit Hole marches on with a dive into "God Save the Queen," the seminal punk rock classic by the Sex Pistols that whipped much of jolly old England into a frenzy in 1977. Butch and Kevin talk about a lot of different perspectives on the song and how it was received, in both positive ways and negative. A few show points:

• Our Beer of the Week is Carlsberg, probably the best beer in the world. Probably.
• Yes, this episode is in observance to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September.
• Was this song kept out of the No. 1 spot on the charts (in favor or Rod Stewart, to make matters worse) through conspiracy as part of a backlash?
• The band insisted it wasn't a direct attack on the queen but rather a tribute to the working class.
• 1983 SCTV satirical take on the song by the fictional band the Queenhaters is gold. It featured Martin Short (lead vocals), Eugene Levy (lead guitar), and John Candy (drums), among others, performing a song titled "I Hate the Bloody Queen." Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJU5x67Sz1o

That's right, we did it. The unrelenting "Wagon Wheel" gets the deep dive in this episode, as Butch and Kevin grit their teeth and trudge forward. This tune, which is played now by pretty much every cover band in the galaxy, started with a Bob Dylan demo. It was then completed by Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show. And then Darius Rucker, Hootie himself, decided to record it, thus ruining it forever. A few notes:

• Beer of the Week took the form of Terrapin Hopsecutioner IPA. Nomnom.
• We had to have a bourbon sidecar to get through this one, and that bourbon was Heaven's Door 10 Year. Heaven's Door, of course, is Bob Dylan's whiskey brand, so we deemed it appropriate.
• The song describes a hitchhiking journey to Raleigh, N.C.
• Is the song bigger than the group itself? How did it get so popular?
• Kevin, of course, mentions the Knack. Again.
• The song, of course, is based on a crude demo that Dylan recorded in the 1960s. Secor would later hear it and decided to "finish" the tune for Dylan. The two share songwriting credits.
• Why, Hootie? Why?

On this episode, Kevin and Butch take a deep dive into "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," a classic true story song by the great Gordon Lightfoot about the freighter that sank into Lake Superior in 1975, taking all 29 crew members down with her. A few notes:

• Beer of the Week is, of course, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter by Great Lakes Brewing Co. What else would it be?
• Wait, there's no chorus in this song?
• It's based on an Irish tune Lightfoot remembered hearing as a child, and he basically just told the story in the song as factually as possible, albeit with some enhancements to add visuals and drama.
• It narrowly missed winning a Grammy and narrowly missed being a No. 1 tune in America (though it did hit No. 1 in Lightfoot's native Canada).
• Interestingly, new evidence as to what caused (or didn't cause) the wreck came to light in recent years, prompting Lightfoot to change one part of the lyric when he performs the song live.
• The song got a shout-out in an episode of "Seinfeld." You can check out a clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A57tT30peaM
• And if you ever wondered what the first two hours of MTV looked like, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJtiPRDIqtI (So much Rod Stewart ...)

Hey, we're back! Sorry for the long hiatus, but we had a big show with the band and had to get a new drummer ready. It didn't help that Kevin messed up his back and was laid up for a bit. But Kevin and Butch return for another episode, this time focusing on "Money For Nothing," the memorable Dire Straits hit that ended up being a bit misunderstood and even controversial. A few notes about the episode:

• This week's beer was Spotted Cow, the much-loved Wisconsin staple brewed by New Glarus Brewing.
• We also had a Bourbon of the Week as a sidecar, that being Barrell Bourbon Batch 033.
• The guitar sound was inspired by ZZ Top.
• The animation was groundbreaking for its time and helped make it an MTV hit -- even though frontman Mark Knopfler wanted nothing to do with making a video.
• The song became controversial for some of the language used, but Knopfler wrote the song from the point of view of a "stupid" character.
• Nikki Sixx believes the character on which the narrator is based was watching a Motley Crue video when Knopfler overheard him. Knopfler famously was in an appliance store when he heard two workers making fun of the musicians on a wall of televisions showing MTV.
• There was a guy who used to make prank calls back in the late 1980s/early 1990s who used the name Mark Knopfler on his "victims." Here's an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8teY54fMsxY (please excuse the language ...)
• There's even a tribute page to the guy: https://phonelosers.com/mark/comment-page-3/