Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a cult 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 success was subsequently translated into the U.S., beginning with versions of "Brian Wilson" and "The Old Apartment" off their 1996 live album Rock Spectacle, followed by their 1998 fourth studio album Stunt which was their breakout success. The album featured their highest-charting hit, "One Week" as well as "It's All Been Done". Their fifth album, Maroon also charted highly featuring the lead single "Pinch Me". In the 2010s, the band became well-known for creating the theme song for the sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Kevin Michael Griffin (born October 1, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the American rock band Better Than Ezra.
Gordon is the debut studio album by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. It was released through Sire Records on July 28, 1992. After The Yellow Tape was certified platinum in Canada, the group won a contest hosted by a local radio station. With the winnings, Barenaked Ladies were able to hire producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda and record the album at Le Studio, north of Montreal, Quebec. Though most of the album was recorded without incident, difficulty with "The King of Bedside Manor" caused the band to record the track naked—a tradition they would continue on other albums. Horn parts, guest vocalists, and nods to other bands including Rush allowed Barenaked Ladies to expand on the sound they had developed while touring. "They had a real clarity about what they wanted [the album] to be ... I just captured what it is they do", said Wojewoda.
Stunt is the fourth full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies. Their most successful album, it entered the US charts at No. 3 and sold over 4 million units by the end of its chart run. Its first single, "One Week" became the band's breakthrough single in the US market by hitting No. 1. The song also reached No. 5 in the UK, and helped revitalize their career in the band's home country of Canada, where their fame had diminished since the days of their debut album Gordon. In addition, follow-up singles "It's All Been Done", "Alcohol" and "Call and Answer" were each successful to some degree.
Colin James Hay is a Scottish–Australian musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist of the band Men at Work and later as a solo artist. Hay's music has been frequently used by actor and director Zach Braff in his work, which helped a career rebirth in the mid-2000s.
Barenaked for the Holidays is a holiday-themed studio album released by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies on October 5, 2004. The album includes Christmas and Hanukkah songs as well as "Auld Lang Syne", which is traditionally sung on New Year's Eve. There are also several songs that are simply about the winter season. The album was the first album recorded at Steven Page's studio, Fresh Baked Woods and was the first released independently by Barenaked Ladies' Desperation Records label. It was the band's first studio album for which a "naked track" was not recorded. This album achieved Gold status in Canada.
Gavin Brown is a Canadian record producer, songwriter, and musician. He has produced albums for artists such as Three Days Grace, Skillet, Billy Talent, Metric, Sarah Harmer, The Tragically Hip, The Midway State, and Barenaked Ladies.
"One Week" is a song by the Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies that was 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 it remains the band's best-known song in the United States. Coincidentally, when the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it remained in the top spot for one week.
Steven Jay Page is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Along with Ed Robertson, he was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies. Page left the band in 2009 and has since pursued a solo career.
Lloyd Edward Elwyn "Ed" Robertson is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the band Barenaked Ladies. He, along with former member Steven Page, founded the group in 1988. As of Page's departure in 2009, Robertson and bassist Jim Creeggan are the only remaining original members of the band.
Matthew Jay Hullum is an American director, producer, writer, actor and visual effects supervisor living in Austin, Texas. He is one of five co-founders and former CEO of production company Rooster Teeth, which specializes in online content, including live-action series, podcasts, animation and machinima, an art using game engines to create films.
"Magic" is a 1974 song by Scottish pop rock band Pilot, and was the first hit single for the group. It was written by band members Billy Lyall and David Paton for their debut album, From the Album of the Same Name.
"Pinch Me" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. It was released as the first single from their 2000 album, Maroon, two weeks before the album was released. As such, "Pinch Me" is often regarded as an attempted follow-up to the hit single "One Week". This 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.
Barenaked Ladies Are Me is the seventh full-length original-material studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was their first original-material album since Everything to Everyone in 2003. It was released in September 2006 internationally. The album was also the first full-length original-material album from the band following their decision to become independent rather than re-sign with Reprise. The cover art was created by a group of artists called Team Macho. The name has been cited by the band as a double entendre for "Barenaked Ladies Army".
Grinning Streak is the tenth full-length original-material studio album by Barenaked Ladies. The album was released on June 4, 2013 on Vanguard Records. It is the band's first album on Vanguard. The album is the band's second studio album since the departure of founding member Steven Page in February 2009. The album was recorded from February to April 2013 in separate sessions with Howie Beck, Gavin Brown, and possibly other producers. The first single, "Boomerang" was recorded in a separate session produced by Brown in May 2012, initially for release that summer.
"Boomerang" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. It is the first single from their 2013 album, Grinning Streak. It was released as a downloadable single on March 26, 2013.
"Odds Are" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. It is the second single from their 2013 album, Grinning Streak. It was released as a promotional single on July 14, 2013. The song is also the theme song for the television show Working the Engels.
Silverball is the eleventh full-length original-material studio album by Barenaked Ladies. The album was released on June 2, 2015. The album is the band's third studio album since the departure of founding member Steven Page in February 2009. The album was recorded in late 2014 and early 2015 with producer Gavin Brown. "Matter of Time", a song from the album, was a digital pre-release give-away to ticketbuyers of the band's Last Summer On Earth 2015 tour.
BNL Rocks Red Rocks is the third official live album from Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. The album was formally announced on 1 February 2016 via the band's official Twitter page and was released on 20 May 2016. It was recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheatre to promote the release of Silverball on the Last Summer on Earth 2015 tour, The band held a Last Summer on Earth 2016 tour with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Howard Jones in conjunction with the new live album. This is the band's first commercial live release other than those received by fans at shows since the departure of Steven Page in 2009.
The Classic Christmas Album is a Christmas compilation album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 2 October 2015 by Legacy Recordings. It includes all the songs from 2006's Wintersong plus five other Christmas tunes.
