Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reached mainstream success in Canada when their debut with Reprise Records, Gordon, featuring the singles "If I Had $1000000" and "Brian Wilson", was released in 1992. The band's popularity subsequently spread into the US, beginning with versions of "Brian Wilson" and "The Old Apartment" off their 1996 live album Rock Spectacle, followed by their fourth studio album Stunt, their breakout success in 1998. The album featured their highest-charting hit, "One Week", as well as "It's All Been Done" and "Call and Answer". Their fifth album, Maroon, featuring the lead single "Pinch Me", also charted highly. In the 2010s the band became well-known for creating the theme song for the sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Maybe You Should Drive is the second studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was released in August 1994 and went double platinum in Canada, reaching No. 3 upon its release. It was also their first album to chart in the US, peaking at No. 175 on the Billboard 200. Unlike on their previous album Gordon, Steven Page and Ed Robertson did not collaborate as frequently.
Rock Spectacle is the first live album by Barenaked Ladies. It was also the first major success for the band in the United States, selling over one million copies and producing a hit single in the country in its version of "Brian Wilson." The album was recorded at two concerts: at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago and at The Olympia in Montreal during the Born on a Pirate Ship tour.
Maroon is the fifth full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies. The album was the follow-up to 1998's Stunt, the band's most successful album in the United States. Maroon debuted at No. 1 in Canada and No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In its first week, the album sold 17,800 copies in Canada and just under 128,000 in the U.S. It has sold at least 1 million copies in the U.S. alone. The album spawned three hit singles : "Pinch Me", "Too Little Too Late" and "Falling for the First Time".
Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991–2001) is a greatest hits compilation album by Barenaked Ladies which spans their first decade as a band. It contains released singles, plus new songs "It's Only Me " and "Thanks That Was Fun", the latter which was released as a single. Disc One was released in November 2001 to a warm commercial reaction and was certified gold in the United States. The title itself is a tongue-in-cheek reference to a line from the "Box Set" off the album Gordon, which is about a box set release from a has-been band: "Disc One – it's where we've begun/It's all my greatest hits/And if you are a fan then you know that you've already got 'em." The album was released two months after the September 11 attacks, and is dedicated to the victims. The album was among the top 50 best-selling albums of 2001 in Canada and the fourth best-selling album of the year in Canada by a Canadian artist.
"One Week" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies released as the first single from their 1998 album, Stunt. It was written by Ed Robertson, who is featured on the lead vocal of the rapped verses. Steven Page sings lead on the song's chorus, while the two co-lead the prechoruses in harmony. The song is notable for its significant number of pop culture references, and remains the band's best-known song in the United States, where it topped the Billboard Hot 100. Coincidentally, when the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it remained in the top spot for one week.
"If I Had $1000000" is a song by the Canadian musical group Barenaked Ladies from their album Gordon. Composed by founding members Steven Page and Ed Robertson, the sing-along track has become one of the band's best-known songs, and is a live show staple, despite never having been a true single and without an accompanying music video. The song reached No. 13 in Canada and eventually charted in the United Kingdom and the United States, peaking also at No. 13 on the UK Rock Chart in 1996, as well as No. 37 on the US Billboard Adult Top 40 in 2000.
"Brian Wilson" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies from their 1992 album Gordon. The song was written by Steven Page as a tribute to the Beach Boys' co-founder Brian Wilson. It was released as a single and peaked at number 18 on the Canadian Singles Chart. In 1998, the song peaked at number 68 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Wilson himself covered the song on his live album Live at the Roxy Theatre (2000).
"Shoe Box" is a song by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies, released as a single from their 1996 album, Born on a Pirate Ship. It is notable for being featured on the first soundtrack to the television series Friends, as well as the last track on the band's Born on a Pirate Ship album. The song was also recorded and mixed for the band's live album, Rock Spectacle, but was ultimately left off, and later included on One Week single.
"Pinch Me" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. It was released as the first single from their 2000 album, Maroon, on August 7, 2000. The song became the band's final top-forty hit in the United States, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 14, 2000. It also peaked at number two on Billboard's Adult Alternative Songs and Adult Top 40 charts. In Canada, the single reached number four on the RPM Top Singles chart, becoming the band's most recent top-ten hit in their native country.
"It's All Been Done" is a song by Canadian alternative rock group Barenaked Ladies. It was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, Stunt (1998). The song was successful in Canada, peaking at No. 1 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart and becoming the band's highest-charting song in their native country. The song was used as the theme song for the television series Baby Blues. The song is also notable for being one of the band's first to feature an electric guitar solo by Ed Robertson.
"Call and Answer" is a song by the Canadian group Barenaked Ladies. It was the third single from their highly successful 1998 album Stunt. When released as a single, the song was both remixed and edited into a radio mix which cut from the second verse to the third chorus, skipping a chorus, an instrumental break and the third verse. The remix was a slight adjustment of EQ and levels; not a comprehensive remix involving adding or replacing musical elements. This version was also included on the soundtrack for the film EdTV.
"Be My Yoko Ono" is the debut single by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies.
"Enid" is a song by the Canadian alternative rock group Barenaked Ladies. It was written by Steven Page and Ed Robertson and released as the lead single from their 1992 debut album, Gordon. The song was successful in their home country, reaching number two on the RPM Top Singles chart to become their highest-charting single until "It's All Been Done" reached number one in 1999. "Enid" was Canada's 28th most successful song of 1992.
"What a Good Boy" is a song from the Barenaked Ladies' 1992 debut album, Gordon. A live version of the song appeared on the 1994 single for "Jane". Another live version was later released on the live album Rock Spectacle. This version later appears on the compilation Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits. It was also included in the album Upfront! Canadians Live from Mountain Stage. The song was co-written by Steven Page and Ed Robertson.
"Alternative Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies, written by Stephen Duffy and Steven Page, from their 1994 album Maybe You Should Drive. The song was released as the second single from the album and peaked at No. 22 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and No. 4 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. It later appeared on their 2001 compilation, Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits.
"Too Little Too Late" is a single by the Barenaked Ladies from their 2000 album, Maroon. The single included a remix of another single from Maroon, "Pinch Me". Another version was also released as a "Special Enhanced CD Single" with album art work based on the song's music video. The song is also featured on the band's 2001 compilation album, Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits. The song was written by Ed Robertson and Steven Page, and sung by Page.
"Falling for the First Time" is the third single by Canadian group the Barenaked Ladies from their 2000 album, Maroon. The song was composed by Steven Page and Ed Robertson. The song also appears on the band's 2001 compilation album, Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits and the soundtrack of the TV show, Malcolm in the Middle. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the song was placed on the list of post-9/11 inappropriate titles distributed by Clear Channel.
The discography of Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies consists of 14 primary studio albums, three themed studio albums, 41 singles, three live albums, two greatest hits compilations, and three video releases. This list does not include material recorded by band members individually or with other side projects.
All In Good Time is the ninth studio album by Barenaked Ladies, released by Raisin' Records 23 March 2010 in Canada, and 30 March 2010 in the United States. It is the first album recorded following the departure of founding member Steven Page in February 2009, and the band's second album recorded as a four-piece.
