Born on a Pirate Ship

Last updated

Born on a Pirate Ship
Barenaked Ladies - Born on a Pirate Ship.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 19, 1996
RecordedApril–July 1995
StudioThe Gas Station, Toronto
Reaction Studios, Toronto
Manta Eastern, Toronto
Right Tracks Studio, Saskatoon
Genre
Length51:39
Label Reprise
Producer Barenaked Ladies, Michael Phillip Wojewoda
Barenaked Ladies chronology
Maybe You Should Drive
(1994)
Born on a Pirate Ship
(1996)
Rock Spectacle
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Born on a Pirate Ship is the third full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies (BNL), featuring the songs "Shoe Box", "The Old Apartment", "When I Fall" and "Break Your Heart". "The Old Apartment" would become BNL's first US hit in 1997.

Contents

Born on a Pirate Ship was recorded as a four-piece quartet, following the departure of keyboardist Andy Creeggan. [4] Kevin Hearn is not credited on the album, but joined the group for the 1995 tour preceding the album's release in time to be thanked in the liner notes for "injecting new spirit."

Steven Page and Ed Robertson returned to writing together, as they did upon the band's formation, but had abandoned following the release of Gordon . [4]

The album is also an enhanced CD. The data track contains audio samples from the band's previous two CDs, a short montage of press photos, several of the band's music videos, a short trivia quiz, and a pair of "behind the scenes" videos from the band. Similar content was included and expanded upon on the Shoe Box E.P.; however, the format of the enhanced CD used in the creation of that CD renders the data track inaccessible on modern operating systems.

Although a moderate hit in Canada reaching No. 12, the album managed No. 111 in the US. Born on a Pirate Ship was awarded gold status in the U.S. in 2000.

The title and front cover photo refers to a vulgar joke that was popular around the time the band members were children. One kid would instruct another to pull back the corners of their mouth with their fingers (but not stick their tongue out) and say, "I was born on a pirate ship." The result would sound like them saying, "I was born on a pile o' shit." Sometimes "with a bunch of apples" would be added at the end, which would come out as "with a bunch of assholes." [5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steven Page and Ed Robertson, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Stomach vs. Heart" Steven Page2:29
2."Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank" Steven Page3:23
3."I Know" Ed Robertson3:02
4."This Is Where It Ends" Steven Page2:53
5."When I Fall" Ed Robertson4:04
6."I Live with It Every Day"Steven Page4:30
7."The Old Apartment" Steven Page3:29
8."Call Me Calmly"PageSteven Page2:52
9."Break Your Heart" (Originally recorded for Maybe You Should Drive )PageSteven Page4:57
10."Spider in My Room" Jim Creeggan Jim Creeggan4:03
11."Same Thing" (Originally recorded for Maybe You Should Drive )RobertsonEd Robertson4:01
12."Just a Toy" Steven Page3:42
13."In the Drink"CreegganJim Creeggan5:12
14."Shoe Box" Steven Page2:57

Personnel

Barenaked Ladies

Additional personnel

Production

Singles

Single information
"The Old Apartment"
  • Released: 1997
  • Formats: CD, 7"
  • Highest US chart position: 88[ citation needed ]
"Shoe Box"
  • Released: 1995
  • Format: CD

Charts

Album

YearChartPosition
1996Canada Albums12 [6]
1996Heatseekers4[ citation needed ]
1996 Billboard 200 111[ citation needed ]

Singles

YearChartPosition
"The Old Apartment" Billboard Hot 100 88[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. Stewart Mason. "Born on a Pirate Ship". Allmusic . Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Barenaked Ladies". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp.  44-45. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  4. 1 2 Punter, Jennie (June 1996). "Barenaked Ladies: Spontaneity And Surprise". Impact. Archived from the original on June 11, 2004. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  5. "Music / Barenaked Ladies". TV Tropes. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  6. "HITS OF THE WORLD". Billboard . April 13, 1996. Retrieved December 25, 2018.