Album flashback

Barenaked Ladies - Gordon [1992]

So, you’re trying to bootstrap your band and land that coveted major label deal.

If you’re Barenaked Ladies, you do the following:

• You play anywhere they will have you. Busk on the street. Show up at radio stations. Whatever. You’re so good that they let you.

• You pay a loonie to record a video on MuchMusic’s Speaker’s Corner, which ends up in rotation, despite being one minute long.

• You inadvertently get free pub when the Mayor of Toronto wields the banhammer and will not let you play because of your name.

• You self-release no fewer than three cassettes of your music. The last of which goes gold (50,000 units), making you the first indie band to do this.

• Finally, you choose Sire Records in the ensuing bidding war and head to the studio to record your debut.

Nothing to it, right?

Let’s set the lineup for you. We have friends since Grade 4 Steven Page and Ed Robertson singing and strumming. Brothers Andy (keys) and Jim Creeggan (bass), and Tyler Stewart on drums.

Behind the glass is MPW, aka Michael Phillip Wojewoda who has produced so many CanCon gems - Rheostatics, Chalk Circle, Great Big Sea, Spirit Of The West, and on it goes.

And yes, one song on the album was recorded in the nude.

Enid - peaked #2, 1992

So, first things first. Steven, Ed, and myself were all born in 1970. That, and our Canadian passports may be all that we have in common, but I don’t know for sure. As such, I have always felt that I related to almost every word of this album, as well as the many pop culture references. YMMV.

The first of seven top tens for BNL in the 90s.

This is one of those tunes where the upbeat music belies a slightly dark underbelly. Lyrically it’s a post-mortem of a not great teen relationship, with Page heartbroken but also not being the most reliable of narrators.

The final volley is quite funny and seems to indicate that everyone is better off going in a new romantic direction.

I can get a job, I can pay the phone bills
I can cut the lawn, cut my hair, cut out my cholesterol
I can work overtime, I can work in a mine
I can do it all for you
But I don't want to

And, as usual, check out fantastic bass work from Jim.

Grade 9 - peaked #53, 1992

In the early days, the band took crap for being a novelty band, so this was an interesting choice for the second single.

It’s funny, it’s relatable, that much is true.

But the reggae-tinged madness gives way to a few cool interpolations including Tom Sawyer and The Spirit of Radio from Rush, as well as a nod to Linus and Lucy from Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts work.

Bonus point for you if you knew that BNL started life as a Rush cover band!

If I Had $1000000 - peaked #13, 1992

So sorry, but this video is part of another oppressive lockdown from the label.

You can watch Ed and Tyler talk about the making of the tune below, but it was a Toronto music scene collab of the highest order. Most notable is the lovely accordion played by Bobby Wiseman, of Blue Rodeo fame.

Behind The Vinyl

Brian Wilson - peaked #18, 1993

The novelty tag is about to get seriously disabused by two masterpieces by Steven Page.

First is Brian Wilson. This could be an essay on it’s own, such is the depth of these lyrics.

It’s mental health, retail therapy, burnout, music as medicine, and an internal monologue of a creative person all rolled into one.

Page wrote this at 19 and only later was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And yes, the man himself liked the song and went on to do a short cover as well.

What A Good Boy - peaked #34, 1993

Apparently not satisfied with one tour de force of a song, Page delivers another.

Our themes this time are societal expectations, emotional isolation, the terror of becoming an adult, as well as gender identity.

Having seen BNL live twice, this one brought the house down both times. Nearly everyone singing every word. Some with tears flowing down their faces, a pure cathartic response.

We've got these chains hanging around our necks
People want to strangle us with 'em before we take our first breath
Afraid of change, afraid of staying the same
When temptation calls, we just look away

This song is for literally everyone who feels they don’t fit the mold, and has taken on more significance over the years as such. It’s magnificent songcraft for a writer of any age, let alone a young person still trying to find their way.

Gordon was certified Diamond in Canada with sales over more than a million units. It took a few years for BNL to crack the US market, but after they did Gordon was awarded a gold record for American sales.

Page left the band in 2009, and this was national news in Canada. He’s had a modest solo career and is part of CanCon supergroup Trans-Canada Highwaymen. I saw them a while back and Page delivered a version of The Guess Who’s Undun that left me speechless.

Barenaked Ladies are still active, releasing new material on their own label and touring regularly.

They have not been the same since Page left in this writer’s opinion.