One Week – Barenaked Ladies | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1); 1998
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Never boys to let a serious moment go by unnoticed, Ed Robertson and Steven Page were attending a 1988 Bob Dylan concert and, while His Bobness was performing, the teens were busy laughing at the phrase “barenaked lady.”
Their band – now named Barenaked Ladies (of course) – had been dismissed as a novelty act by some, yet, BNL laughed last when the independently released Yellow Tape became a platinum seller in their native Canada.
A major label signing followed, and BNL grew from cult band to mainstream sellers on the strength of four solid albums and the spontaneous excitement of their live shows.
Their fifth full length release catapulted them onto radio and television as the infectious single One Week – with its barrage of humor-laden lyrics – drove sales for the album Stunt to over four million units.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Barenaked Ladies
- David Leonard
- Susan Rogers
Lyrics Written by:
- Ed Robertson
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).