The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
‘STUNT’ MEN
It’s been one week, er, make that a whopping 20 years since Barenaked Ladies’ big album, and the band is looking back
“We were thinking, ‘Oh, we’re on the radar finally.’ Not like, ‘Oh, we’re going to have a No. 1 single, and this record will sell six- or seventimes-platinum in America. I don’t think we ever could have imagined that.” — Ed Robertson, Barenaked Ladies
Twenty years ago, Barenaked Ladies were atop of the alternative-music world with its quirky No. 1 hit song “One Week” from platinum album “Stunt.” • It was also around that time the group seemingly played every venue in Northeast Ohio, from what is now Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica — where the band plays July 15 with Better Than Ezra and KT Tunstall — and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to Blossom Music Center, it all culminating with a packed Gund Arena show. ¶ “Yeah, we did spend an awful lot of time in Cleveland like another Canadian band, Rush,” said BNL singer-guitarist Ed Robertson, calling from Philadelphia. “It was an early stronghold for us.”
When asked to explain what BNL and Rush have in common, aside from calling Toronto home, the singerguitarist didn’t miss a beat.
“Only in our level of awesomeness,” Robertson laughed. “The connection is Geddy Lee inducted us into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame this year. It was incredible. And it couldn’t have been more perfect for me. My high school band played 26 Rush songs, and Geddy was my first ask.
“He was gracious enough to do it. It was incredible. I reached out to Geddy and said, ‘This would be a literal and specific childhood dream come true, but I’m a grown-up now, so if you can’t make it I understand.’ But he was happy to do it. It was amazing.”
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of “Stunt,” BNL recently returned with a re-release, which includes bonus tracks and a tour documentary directed by fellow Canadian Jason Priestley (“Beverly Hills, 90210”). Looking back at the album, which also includes radio hits “It’s All Been Done” and “Call and Answer,” Robertson said he’s still impressed at the project’s eclecticism.
At the time, BNL seemed poised for breakout success. That’s why Robertson said the group had high hopes for “Stunt.”
“We knew there was a lot of support and anticipation from the label,” Robertson said. “The live record ‘Rock Spectacle’ had been this kind of runaway success, and the single ‘Old Apartment’ was our first to hit the Top 40 in America.
“So there was all kinds of momentum, but I don’t think we had any concept of how big it would get. Like, we were thinking, ‘Oh, we’re on the radar finally.’ Not like, ‘Oh, we’re going to have a No. 1 single, and this record will sell six- or seventimes-platinum in America. I don’t think we ever could have imagined that.” That No 1. song, of course, is “One Week,” the fun rap track featuring stream-of-conscious lyrics referencing “The X-Files,” Harrison Ford, Sting, tantric sex, Leann Rimes, sushi, golf clubs and more. “It’s very strange that that song went to No. 1,” Robertson said. “I literally turned on a tape record, improvised the lyrics and edited them a bit. I wrote it in, like, four minutes. It’s very indicative of the kind of freestyle we do on stage at every show.
“And, it’s just kind of a throwaway idea that I thought would maybe a Bside on the record or a bonus track. When our A&R person at the label at the time said they wanted to lead with ‘One Week,’ I actually thought she was making fun of me. I thought it was a dig, like that song is so stupid. And it went to No. 1. So, yeah, we weren’t prepared for that at all.”