Released in 1998 as the first single from the group’s fourth album, One Week by the
Barenaked Ladies has proved the bane of
karaoke aficionados for more than 25 years. But what is it actually about? Is there a deeper meaning behind the rapid fire wordplay, or is it simply a firehose blast of catchy nonsense?
A little of both, as it turns out. The non-rap sections were written by Ed Robertson before the rest of the song came together, telling a story of an argument from someone who knows they’re in the wrong, but just can’t admit it. The iconic rap verses came about naturally: Robertson and BNL co-founder Steven Page would often improvise lyrics on stage as part of their live shows, and Page suggested Robertson do the same for One Week. And just like that, some of the most iconically cryptic lyrics ever written popped out fully formed from the mind of a 28 year old songwriter from Scarborough.
While the fast paced rap verses have little if anything to do with the argument that forms the backbone of the song’s narrative, it could be interpreted as the racing thoughts of a mind in distress; he sees his relationship crumbling around him, and rather than confronting his part in the conflict his brain spins off in a million directions to distract from the matter at hand.
The lyrics include a plethora of pop culture references, many of which were already
obscure in 1998 and have only grown more inscrutable as the years go on. The X-Flies was
about halfway through its original run when One Week was released, and occasionally featured a mysterious nameless character only identified by his ever present cigarette. He didn’t show up as often as many fans would have liked, hence “I hope the Smoking Man’s in this one”. Akira Kurosawa is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and many of his most iconic films told stories about samurai, leading to the lyric “Like Kurosawa I make mad films…okay, I don’t make films, but if I did they’d have a samurai”. Birchmount Stadium, home of the Robbie (a pee-wee soccer tournament), can still be found in Scarborough - only a few blocks down the street from a Swiss Chalet. The song even references intrusive thoughts that may arise while watching anime like Sailor Moon - the more things change, the more things stay the same.
What are your favourite lines from One Week? Do you think you can sing along to the
whole thing? Head over to our Facebook Page to watch one of our Inarticulate Poets
challenge me to a One Week rap battle. No doubt we’ll owe you all an apology, but it’ll still be two days until we say we’re sorry.
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