A Barenaked Ladies Tribute (and my favorite Songs)

I've been a fan of the Barenaked Ladies since their Gordon days, but admit I've kinda fallen off the wagon since Steven Page left the band. It was only recently, as the kids have re-discovered their music thru my iPad that I've felt a bit nostalgic. They were a pretty great band with lots of good music, and I do want to still love them without Steven, but Kevin is just not a strong a vocalist as Steven was. But with so many albums and so many concerts attended, they remain as one of my favorite bands with songs that get me. ever. single. time.

Here are my favorite BNL songs:

#1 Off The Hook | Maroon

This may be my all time favorite BNL song. I'm not sure if it's because it wasn't one of the hits and therefore, it doesn't feel overplayed (ahem, One Week). I also really love the melody, the play of words, and by gosh, steven can really sing thing. Video is from their Ships N Dips tour.

Notable Lines: The credit card receipts / the dirty sheets / the souvenirs of men who cheat / it all makes sense / with each offense / you wanted to believe him / he could get away with murder one / and you would clean the smoking gun / with every crime / you bought each line / but not this time

#2 What a Good Boy | Gordon
I really really love this song. A very close second. The words just really strike me, and even though for a long time, I was like, 'What the fuck is a hairshirt?', it still a really great song. To me, this is about a person right out of college and thinking about the pressures on them from family to do good, to be good, to be someone. Steven just really nails this song.

See this, one of his Steven's last performances. This one at Massey Hall:

But, Ed I think can also pull it off. See this from a Hard Rock performance.

Notable Lines:  we've got these chains / hanging around our necks / people want to strangle us with them / before we take our first breath / afraid of change / afraid of staying the same / when temptation calls / we just look away


#3 Break Your Heart | Born on a Pirate Ship
I don't mean for this post to be all about Steven Page, but, here is yet another great song with his great vocals. It's kind of a break up song that I think is more prevalent - that people don't break up, because they dont' want to break the other person's heart. Here's a good one from the Stunt Tour in 1999.

Notable Lyrics: you arrogant man / what do you think that i am? / my heart will be fine / just stop wasting my time!

#4 Just a Toy | Born on a Pirate Ship
This was another one that is not a hit, but after finding out that the song was about Pinocchio and how one of the other toys must've felt like once Gipetto created Pinocchio, it had loved it. The words are just great.

Notable Lyrics: first there was me / nothing but time / till he came along / you told me you'd always be mine / forever / ever mine / look at his face / somewhat like mine / but look at his nose / you can always be sure when he's lying / forever / ever mine

#5 Call and Answer | Stunt
This is such a lovely song, much to the same vein as Break your heart and What a Good boy, the lyrics are great and really a great duet. My favorite has to be from the Au Naturale tour with Alanis Morisette.

Notable Lyrics: you think / i only think about you when were both in the same room / i'm only here to witness the remain of love exhumed / you think / we're here to play a game of who loves more than whom


#6 Running out of Ink | Barenaked Ladies are Men
Ahh, I love this song! I do love a lot of their upbeat / fast songs, but this one is really cool that I used it for one of my video albums. Here's Steven doing the song in a songwriter's panel. 

Notable lyrics: it's bleaker than you think / i'm running out of ink / give a guy a break / this is what it takes / to drive a man to drink


#7 If I had 1,000,000 | Gordon


I actually really really love this song. The only reason it's lower on the list is that it's one of their most famous songs so, it can be a little overdone - but man, this song is great LIVE. BNL uses this song at the end of their concert and each performance is different. This is just one, not the best, by any means, but just to show how cool the song really is. 

Notable Lyrics: (it's all good!)...but i really like this part: but not a real green dress, that's cruel


#8 BNL Rap 


Ah, this was the reason I've gone to many concerts and am glad it was something my hubby escorted me to. The rap is different each time, but always, always entertaining. this was from Farm Aid, back in 2000. You just have to see it to love it. Here's another one.

Dr. Horrible's: Freeze Ray

So, it's no secret that I am a big big Neil Patrick Harris fan. He's just so good that when I hear him sing, my love for theatre grows. 

This one is from a really good movie slash musical slash he did with Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. It's a really cute little production. Here's my favorite song on there..

Video is the new Photo Album

This was one of the first video compilations I've made where I thought: huh, that was a decent job. I mean, really, this iMovie thing really works. As we are now a generation of YouTube viewers...seems to make sense that we resort to videos as a way to reminisce, and remember. 

I also can see the evolution of the movies I've made so far. In the beginning, eager to learn all of iMovie's goodness,  even had a beginning slide of Joshua's foot. I thought he had the cutest baby feet of all (Ha! As a Mom I should've known all moms would think that of their own baby's feet!), but I totally thought I can carry it through and showcase Josh's foot as he grew older.

YouTube was also still growing as back then we had a 100 mb limit (or was it 20??), and that really hindered the quality of the video. At my own computer, the quality of the video is great, but translated, it's a bit grainy. Oh well!

As I watch this back, it takes me to that time of my life, and see the places we've been, the people we hung out with, the events that have happened, and that's where we're at. It's a video album, a snapshot of that time and I think for the next generation, it'll be the way to compile memories. 

Audio: Float On by Modest Mouse

Take Me or Leave Me!

I squealed in delight when I saw this and would have loved to have seen this live! My love for Neil Patrick Harris and my love for RENT combined, and no, this is not Neil doing Mark, this is Neil doing Joanne!! I know it was done ages ago, but hey, I recently found this on YouTube so it's new to ME! "So be kind, this boy satisfies...." Satisfies indeed.

Josiah Leming sings Grace Kelly

This was my favorite of the American Idol auditions. To clarify, my favorite audition. I'm not that upset Josiah didn't make it through to Hollywood - poor kid, but I was blown away by this performance.

Confrontation - Valjean / Javert

I had a huge grin on my face watching this clip from the How I Met Your Mother gang. Well, really it's Jason & Neil. God, I love Neil, he's so awesome. He's perfect as Javert! Go on, watch it!!

Whip It Good!

I randomly heard the Dazz Band's Let It Whip on the radio. Then I realized I loved that song. It's one of those songs that makes me smile (and want to dance!) when I hear it. It was also the song that Sean played in Felicity during Season 2's "True Colors" episode when they were painting Noel's apartment. I loved that scene as well, it's one of my favorites in the entire series. It's a rare scene of Scott Speedman dancing. Ooh la la. Oh, by the way, you won't find this song on the DVD's. It's weird. it's like, they did not have enough money to pay for the rights and therefore used a different song instead. Tsk. Tsk.

Sexy Justin

I just caught the tail end of Justin's HBO Special Futuresex / Loveshow. I must say that even though I've never really been attracted to him, never had him on my List, objectively, he is very very nice to look at. Mmmmm.

The Ultimate Break Up Song

I know I just did a Damien Rice post a while ago, but i can't help it. I really love this album, and I think I love this song the best. I love when a song makes you go through a range of emotions, like it can be the soundtrack to your life. Go on, click on it and let me know if I'm delusional. The fact that he looks kinda like Heath Ledger - a plus. God, I'm shallow. Anyway. While I like the acoustic version, the studio versionrocks too. Enjoy!

Damien Rice's 9 Crimes

Since I'm on a roll, I thought I'd post again because you'll never know what I get the free time to write again. Boy, kids change your life indeedy!

So, on to Damien Rice. This song (9 Crimes) came on the radio on my way home from the Y. Yes, you heard me right. I heard this song on my way home and it's one of those songs that hit you at the right time, right emotion. I loved it right away. Now, I've heard of Damien Rice before, but this was the first I actually really liked. And when I actually saw his face...I thought to myself, hey, he kinda looks like Heath Ledger on his unshaven / unkempt phase - which i loved, by the way. So I guess it was inevitable, I will like the guy. Now, please if anybody can just tell me what the following verse means:

Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright with you?
If you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it?
Is that alright with you?

By the way, he's coming to Oakland on December 6 at the Paramount.

BNL's Just A Toy

I recently rediscovered the beauty of podcasting. In the morning when I breastfeed, I'm bored you know. I really just...sit there and wait for Josh to finish. When my morning show is over (or if it's a fake-live day), I turn on the BNL podcast. That's another thing, I just recently found out that they podcast!

Their podcast is great, not just because Ed is entertaining, but I actually learn a few things. I found out that one of my favorite songs, Just A Toy, is about. What if Pinocchio had an older brother? What if Gippetto was laboring over this puppet, telling him how he wanted to have a real boy, and he's laboring over him - but somehow time has past and lost interest in this puppet and set it aside. Later he made pinocchio - who became a real boy. This puppet with half a soul was left to languish. All he can do is watch his brother & father from the shelf, brewing and stewing.

First there was me, nothing but time
Till he came along, you told me you'd always be mine
Forever, ever mine
Look at his face, somewhat like mine
But look at his nose, you can always be sure that he's lying
Forever, ever mine

Better than him, worthy of you
Given the chance that he had, I know what I'd do
Forever, ever mine
I call him liar, you call him son
If I could move, I'd set him on fire and I'd run
Forever

Anyway, such a cool song. It's such a shame that BNL is kinda known for kooky songs like One Week when they actually are a good band. Check out this video for Call And Answer, another one of my favorite songs from them, sung beautifully by Steven Page at a Border's appearance.

Sixteen Going on Seventeen

Totally unprepared are you to face a world of men
Timid and shy and scared are you
Of things beyond your ken
You'll need someone older and wiser
Telling you what to do
I am seventeen going on eighteen
I'll take care of you!

I was just listening to this as I do my laundry, and signing along as I always do, but when I got to that portion, I was like, "What the fuck?" If I was Liesl, I'd shove Rolf down the gazebo floor, give him the snappy-snap and say, "So, you're only a year older and you think you're the wiser? Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do? I don't need you or any man to take care of me. I can take care of myself, thank you very much. You think I'm unprepared to meet men, I say you're unprepared to meet me!"

Heh. I'm just emotional today.

Jack Johnson

So, of course you know that Jack Johnson rocks. I've been a fan since...well, Brushfire Fiarytales. I loved it so much, I wanted more - and I also wanted to share.

Jack is one of a few artist who allow "taping" of his shows (what Live Music Archive calls "trade-friendly") and the tapers would make CD's of his shows and trade it. In a few interviews, he even acknowledged that a lot of his success is due to his fans "passing around" his music. I know I did my share of making sure people knew about him. One of his best live shows is the one right here in Berkeley: Greek Theater, back in 2001. He was an unknown then - but the music, was great.

Seasons of Love

Okay, I don't care if I'm posting about RENT every single day - and I might just up until November. I just can't get enough. You know I love it...and you should love it too - wherever you are.

The international trailer is up and running and can be found here. The Seasons of Love single is now on Itunes! - so download the song for $.99!! But that's not all...the Music Video for Seasons of Love can be found here. You need Quicktime though but definetly worth seeing!!