Barenaked Ladies
Upon forming, the band quickly developed a cult following in their native Canada culminating in their self-titled 1990 cassette becoming the first independent release ever to be certified gold in Canada. The band then received a major record deal with Reprise Records. Its label debut, Gordon was released in 1992.
The band’s style has evolved greatly throughout its career, and its music which began as exclusively acoustic quickly grew to encompass a mixture of a wide array of styles including pop, rock, hip hop, rap, etc. They are most commonly billed as an “alt rock” band. The band’s cult following translated into immediate success with Gordon in Canada with a number of popular singles including “If I Had $1000000” and “Brian Wilson”, but it was not until the band’s 1996 live album, Rock Spectacle with its singles, live versions of “The Old Apartment” and “Brian Wilson”, and its 1998 fourth studio album, Stunt that the band finally found success in the United States.
The lead single from Stunt, “One Week” remains the band’s most successful single. Other well-known singles include Stunt’s second, “It’s All Been Done”, and the lead single from the follow-up album Maroon, “Pinch Me”. These and other singles remain in radio rotation in both Canada and the United States. In 2007, Robertson wrote and the band recorded a theme song for the sitcom The Big Bang Theory for which the band has also become well-known.
The band is also known for their light-hearted, comedic performance style and humorous banter between songs: improvised raps/songs are staples at most concerts. They have won multiple Juno Awards and have been nominated for Grammy Awards. The group has sold over 15 million records including albums and singles.
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