Songs of Note: Barenaked Ladies (The Chill Portion)
Photo Credit: Rob Fenwick
Okay, this was extremely hard for me, which is probably why it took until today for me to finally sit down and write this. I absolutely love BNL, but I’ve narrowed it down as much as I can to my top picks from their long line of albums. Oh, plus, I divided them into “The Chill Portion” and “The Thrill Portion,” since I love their calm songs but also their hyper ones, and I don’t know, I thought it would be cool to honor both sides of them separately. So, yeah, enjoy, and post your own favorites if you so choose…
- When I Fall: This. Is. My. Favorite. I guess it’s mostly my favorite because of the memories I have attached to it. I used to listen to this song all the time over the summer a couple years back, when I was a huge walking junkie and would walk for like a couple hours a day. This would be my favorite sunset song, meaning I’d play it as soon as the sun was setting. It’s shameful how many times this song has been played on my iPod, but it’s just so beautiful and honest. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t like it. The song itself is about a man who is a window washer, and he looks inside the windows of a building he’s washing and sees all the executives and wishes he were them, but of course, their lives aren’t cake either, and they’re probably thinking of jumping off the building themselves, meaning he’s got the better life. Totally poetic. “I wish I could fly from this building from this wall/And if I should try would you catch me if I fall?” Another one of my favorite lines: “A crystal-clear canvas is my masterpiece.” Oh wow, looove it.
- Call and Answer: “If you call, I will answer/And if you fall, I’ll pick you up/And if you court, this disaster/I’ll point you home.” This is from Stunt, the first BNL CD I ever bought, so it’s got sentimental value to me for that reason. I think it was also on the very first mix CD I made…haha. Anyway, besides those things, the song is just really pretty. It also makes me think of a complicated relationship where the two parties love each other but they’re still dealing with complications for some reason or another…and who hasn’t had that? I’m sure you’ll find something to grab onto in this song as far as relating goes. If you don’t….um…you haven’t been in love?
- The Flag: Wow, songs about sadness in any capacity always affect me profoundly, and this song was no exception. The story here is so sad, about a most likely alcoholic boyfriend calling his girlfriend and apologizing for practically choking her the night before, and during the song, she’s wondering why she stays and why she feels like she needs him when he treats her this way. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been physically abused in the past or not, chances are, you’ve been hurt by someone, and wondering why you stay in it, and let me tell you, it’s a good song to cry to. I know a lot of my male readers won’t get that, but believe me, a lot of women like having songs to cry to…as well as movies, books, and, oh, I don’t know, sad Public Service Announcements.
Stay tuned for the “Thrill Portion,” with more upbeat entries to be read and enjoyed!
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