The Barenaked Ladies hit the music scene in 1988 with lively melodies and their trademark wit. Together, Steven Page, Jim Creeggan, Ed Robertson, Kevin Hearn, and Tyler Stewart quickly gained a cult following in Canada, their birthplace. The band continued to tour, bringing in scores of fans everywhere they went. Fans flocked to their energetic performances, eclectic personalities, and humor. The band really started to make waves in 1992 with the release of the CD entitled Gordon.
Gordon was the Barenaked Ladies' first major success. The album featured several classic BNL tunes. "Be My Yoko Ono" is a perfect example of the band's sordid personality and knack for satire. The song poked fun of the legendary ex-wife of Beatle John Lennon saying, "You could be my Yoko Ono/ You could follow me wherever I go." The mockery, when laid atop a catchy melody, is the type of song that sticks in your head for days. Other tracks include "If I Had $1,000,000," a clever song that seems more like a discussion. The track displays the trademark BNL liveliness accompanied by a funny plan on how the guys would spend the money if only they had $1,000,000. Luckily, with the success of the album, the Barenaked Ladies had plenty more than just $1,000,000 to throw around. The band sold over two million copies of Gordon worldwide and won Group of the Year honors at the Canadian version of the Grammy Awards.
The Barenaked Ladies would release three CDs over the next six years, Maybe You Should Drive, Born on a Pirate Ship, and Stunt, each building on the previous one's success and each showing the growth of both the band's popularity and musicianship. Stunt featured the band's most commercially successful venture yet. The album went quadruple platinum, selling over four million copies in the United States alone. The band was a legitimate powerhouse in the industry. The album showcased the band's first Billboard #1 hit, "One Week." The track featured quick lyrics understood by very few of the millions who bought the record. The hook was catchy though, and the fans ate it up. "One Week" topped the charts and filled the airways. In the MTV generation, often it is the video that sells the song. The "One Week" video appeared on the network's "Total Request Live" for weeks, putting faces with the voices heard by so many. "It's All Been Done" was another single that received significant airplay. The song showcased the band's much improved musical abilities and could be heard on the radios of millions of Americans.
The band came out with a new album in 2003 entitled Everything to Everyone. It was a new musical venture, but it was the same old Barenaked Ladies. "Celebrity" displayed an interesting take on how the public treats its stars. "Another Postcard" is another likable song with an interesting topic. The song is about a mailbox overflowing with "postcards of chimpanzees."
