The Old Apartment

Last updated
"The Old Apartment"
OldApartment.jpg
Single by Barenaked Ladies
from the album Born on a Pirate Ship
ReleasedApril 22, 1997
Recorded1995
Genre Alternative rock
Length3:36
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Steven Page
Ed Robertson
Producer(s) Barenaked Ladies,
Michael Phillip Wojewoda
Barenaked Ladies singles chronology
"If I Had $1000000"
(1996)
"The Old Apartment"
(1997)
"Brian Wilson (2000)"
(1997)
Music video
"The Old Apartment" on YouTube

"The Old Apartment" is a song by the Canadian alternative rock group Barenaked Ladies. It was the band's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and first Mainstream Top 40 hit, appearing on the albums Born on a Pirate Ship , Rock Spectacle and Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits . The music video for the song, which garnered a Best Director nomination at the 1997 MuchMusic Video Awards, was directed by fellow Canadian and fan Jason Priestley at his own suggestion. [1]

Contents

Composition

Steven Page has said the song was partly inspired by "Back to the Old House" by The Smiths.[ citation needed ] While some[ weasel words ] have misinterpreted the lyrics to mean that the man in the song is stalking an ex-girlfriend and breaks into her apartment to terrorize her, Ed Robertson has said that this is definitely not the case. [2] The person in the song and his girlfriend are still together and happy, having "bought an old house on the Danforth" (Danforth Avenue in Toronto). However, he goes back to visit "the old apartment" "where we used to live", and winds up breaking in to reminisce. Although recalling "broken glass", the "crooked landing, crooked landlord", and other disadvantages, he nonetheless feels nostalgia for "fading memories / blending into dull tableaux".

The song drew a notable level of attention in the U.S.[ citation needed ] Priestley also invited the band to play the song at the fictional night club "The Peach Pit After Dark" on his series Beverly Hills, 90210 . With some isolated exceptions, this was the band's first break into the American market, which continued with their next release, a live version of "Brian Wilson" from the certified-gold album Rock Spectacle.[ citation needed ] The live version of "The Old Apartment" from that album was included on later American radio singles as a B-side option for stations.[ citation needed ]

The studio version of the song has two main versions: the original album version and a radio mix, which was a completely new mix of the song. Notable differences in the radio mix, besides a completely new audio mix, include an 8-bar instrumental intro and in Page's noticeably filtered vocal bridge. A 1995 demo version also appears on the compilation album Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before .

Apple Inc. included the music video on the Mac OS 8 installation CD as a QuickTime example.

New band member Kevin Hearn appeared in the music video despite not being present on the studio recording.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1997)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [3] 14
Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [4] 32
US Billboard Hot 100 [5] 88
US Mainstream Top 40 ( Billboard ) [6] 40

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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.

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References

  1. "Jason Priestley Biography". Jason Priestley. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  2. "Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies : Songwriter Interviews". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  3. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3048." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  4. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3005." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  5. "Barenaked Ladies Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  6. "Barenaked Ladies Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2021.