Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian pop rock band that has been captivating audiences for over three decades with their unique sound and energetic performances. With 15 million albums sold and eight Juno Awards under their belt, this band has proven themselves to be one of the most successful groups to come out of Canada. Their story is one of friendship, creativity, and perseverance, and their journey to the top of the music industry is nothing short of fascinating.

About Barenaked Ladies

The story of Barenaked Ladies begins in Scarborough, Ontario in 1988, where two camp counselors, Steven Page and Ed Robertson, bonded over their love of music. They began performing together at the camp and quickly realized they had something special. Barenaked Ladies started as a one-time name for a charity gig but ended up sticking around, becoming the permanent name for the band.

Early on, Barenaked Ladies were known for their improvisational skills, creating songs on the spot based on audience suggestions. This talent caught the attention of comedy troupe Corky and the Juice Pigs, who offered the duo an opening slot on a regional tour in 1989. From there, the band began adding members and honing their unique sound.

Their rise to success was slow but inexorable. They gained popularity through radio play of tracks from their demo tapes such as “If I Had $1,000,000” and “Brian Wilson”. It was during a live performance of their song “Be My Yoko Ono” at Toronto’s Speaker’s Corner video booth that city officials deemed the band’s name too offensive for their New Year’s Eve performance. This moment of controversy ultimately helped to propel them into the national spotlight, with The Toronto Star even featuring them on the cover. Their independently released album “Yellow Tape” sold rapidly, becoming the first album of its kind to achieve platinum-status (100,000 copies sold) in Canada.

In 1991, Barenaked Ladies won a $100,000 prize from CFNY-FM to produce their first album. The album, “Gordon”, featured their famous cover of Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time”, which reached #16 on the Canada Singles Chart. The album topped the charts for eight weeks that summer, propelled by the success of its next single “Enid” which hit #2 in October. Three more singles from the album reached the top 40.

With their success on the rise, Barenaked Ladies went on to release several more albums with a series of top hits. The album “Stunt” gave the band two chart-topping hits – the Grammy-nominated “One Week” on the US pop charts and “It’s All Been Done” on the Canadian Singles charts. In the year 2000, the band released their last platinum-certified album “Maroon”, featuring their internationally successful single “Pinch Me”. This marked the end of the band’s peak era, but they continued to release albums and achieved moderate chart success.

In 2008, after many years of touring and high-pressure performances, Steven Page was arrested for cocaine possession and left the band. The future of Barenaked Ladies was uncertain, but they continued to tour and release new music as a four-member band. Despite the loss of Steven Page, Barenaked Ladies continued to gain new fans and retain their loyal following. In 2018, the band was inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame at the Junos, and Steven Page reunited with the band for one performance, reminding fans of the magic that first brought them together.

Barenaked Ladies will always be one of the standout bands of the Canadian music scene. Their unique blend of pop rock, humor, and improvisation has won them a loyal fan base and earned them countless accolades. They are a band that continues to evolve and create exciting new music, proving themselves to be a force in the music industry for years to come.