History Music / BarenakedLadies

** ''New Kid on the Block'' from ''Gordon'' plays with this in re: boy bands generally and then-hot NewKidsOnTheBlock specifically.

So I got up to the counter, and the lady there just laughed\\
She said, you're a New Kid on the Block\\

And in her glove compartment are my songs\\

** ''New Kid on the Block'' from ''Gordon'' is this for boy bands generally and then-hot {{NKotB}} specifically.

But I got up to the counter, and the lady there just laughed\\

* LocationSong: "Hello City" is a TakeThat aimed at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Which became a problem later in their touring career, when they had to reassure ''other'' Maritime concert audiences that they don't mean ''this'' "seaside beer hall should sink into the bay", or anything.

* LocationSong: "Hello City" is a TakeThat aimed at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

** "Light Up My Room" from ''Stunt'' comes across as a beautiful, soulful paean to the singer's hometown... unless you're listening closely.

She decided she preferred them all wrong.

** Music/{{Rush}}'s "Tom Sawyer" and "The Spirit of Radio", and Music/VinceGuaraldi's "Linus and Lucy" are interpolated and a reference to "[[Music/LedZeppelin Stairway to Heaven]]" is made during "Grade 9".
** The Housemartins' "Happy Hour" is referenced in "Hello City".

"Light Up My Room" from ''Stunt'' comes across as a beautiful, soulful paean to the singer's hometown... unless you're listening closely.

** And Gordon Lightfoot, who wrote the "Canadian Railroad Trilogy". ("Snacktime!" is part one of the "Canadian Snacktime Trilogy".)

* {{Corpsing}}: Steven Page can be heard trying in vain not to lose it on both "The King of Bedside Manner" and their incredibly ridiculous cover of "Jingle Bells." You can practically see Page and Robertson smiling on the last verse of "If I Had $1000000" and trying to hold it in after Page ad-libbed the "not a real green dress" line.

* {{Mondegreen}}: "Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel" makes deliberate reference to one of the more famous ones, "[[Music/DeepPurple Slow-motion Walter, the fire engine guy]]."
** Also {{invoked}} in "Testing 1-2-3" in the second verse:

** Sarcastically {{Justified}} on numerous tracks from The "Are Me/Men" double album, including, but not limited to: "Angry People", "Maybe You're Right", and especially "Take It Back".

** The vidoe for "Falling For The First Time" features Kevin Hearn's cousin, comedian Harland Williams, as a security guard.

** One interpretation of of "It's All Been Done". That, TimeTravel or [[WhoWantsToLiveForever really boring immortality.]]

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: The one line in "If I Had $1000000": "Haven't you always wanted a monkey?"
** Also, the entire point of "Another Postcard."

\\ "Just stop wasting my ''TIME!! AND!! NOW!! IIIIII'' know that you will be okay..." \\

\\ "Just stop wasting my ''TIME!! AND!! NOW!! IIIIII'' know that you will be okay..."

* ChristmasSongs: The album ''Barenaked For the Holidays'', with both original and familiar Christmas songs, as well as a couple of Hanukkah songs.

* ImagineTheAudienceNaked: Or, Imagine Everyone Naked. Early in their career, when the band had trouble finishing a song for ''Gordon'' ("The King of Bedside Manor"), someone suggested that the band should try this – only without the "imagine" part. The resultant "over-the-top nervous energy" of the recording, as producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda described it, inspired the band to do this for one song per album until 2003.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Their live album ''Rock Spectacle'' is pronounced "Rock Spec-tac". The "le" is silent. [[note]]Part of the album was recorded in Montreal, so they use the French pronunciation as a nod. [[/note]]
** Inverted with "We're dans le maison" in "One Week." They pronounce it "Don luh Mays-on," and in at least one interview tried to pretend "Don Lemazon" was the manager for Music/LynyrdSkynyrd. It's actually French for "in the house."

* AscendedFanboy: Steven Page is an avid fan of Music/TheMountainGoats and has performed with them during the Ships and Dip cruise.
** Similarly, Kevin Hearn is a fan of relatively unknown Dutch band ''Nits'' and has played with them at their 30 year celebration in 2004, also getting their drummer Rob Kloet to play on his solo efforts.

** "I'd buy you a fur coat but not a real fur coat, that's cruel." In the next verse, they sing "I'd buy you a green dress, but not a real green dress, [[BrickJoke that's cruel]]."

* ChristmasSongs: The album "Barenaked For the Holidays", with both original and familiar Christmas songs, as well as a couple of Hanukkah songs.

* FirstDayOfSchoolEpisode: "Grade 9" from ''Gordon'', about starting high school

*** Not to mention the fact that they do so immediately after yelling "STYX!"

* IfIWereARichMan: "If I Had $1,000,000" is about what a guy might buy with that money, such as buying his girl a [[ItsFakeFurItsFine fake fur coat]].

** "One Week" has references to ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'', ''Film/{{Frantic}}'', ''Series/MatchGame'' ''Series/TheXFiles'', ''Franchise/SailorMoon'', ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, Creator/AkiraKurosawa, Creator/HarrisonFord, Snickers candy bars, Music/BustaRhymes, Music/ATribeCalledQuest, Music/{{Sting}}, and Music/LeAnnRimes, among other things.

** "One Week" has references to ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'', ''Film/{{Frantic}}'', ''Series/TheXFiles'', ''Franchise/SailorMoon'', ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, Creator/AkiraKurosawa, Snickers candy bars, Music/BustaRhymes, Music/ATribeCalledQuest, Music/{{Sting}}, and Music/LeAnnRimes, among other things.

** Among other things, ''Series/TheXFiles'', ''Anime/SailorMoon'', Creator/AkiraKurosawa, Snickers candy bars, Music/{{Sting}}, and Music/LeAnnRimes are all referenced in "One Week".

** "You + Me vs The World" references: Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}, [[Movie/ThePrincessBride Westley and Buttercup]].

** Inverted with "dans le maison" in GratuitousFrench. They tell people "[[{{Mondegreen}} Don LeMayzon]]" was either a hockey coach or Lynyrd Skynyrd's manager.

---> ''It's been one week since you looked at me''
''Cocked your head to the side and said, "I'm angry"''
''Five days since you laughed at me''
''Saying, "Get that together, come back and see me"''
''Three days since the living room''
''I realized it's all my fault, but couldn't tell you''
''Yesterday, you'd forgiven me''

---> ''It's been one week since you looked at me''
''Threw your arms in the air and said, "You're crazy"''
''Five days since you tackled me''
''I've still got the rug burns on both my knees''
''It's been three days since the afternoon''
''You realized it's not my fault not a moment too soon''
''Yesterday, you'd forgiven me''

---> ''It's been one week since you looked at me''
''Dropped your arms to the sides and said, "I'm sorry"''
''Five days since I laughed at you and said''
''"You just did just what I thought you were gonna do"''
''Three days since the living room''
''We realized we're both to blame but what could we do?''
''Yesterday, you just smiled at me''

** Their song "One Week" has a chorus where some lines change:
*** First verse:
---> ''It's been one week since you looked at me''
''Cocked your head to the side and said, "I'm angry"''
''Five days since you laughed at me''
''Saying, "Get that together, come back and see me"''
''Three days since the living room''
''I realized it's all my fault, but couldn't tell you''
''Yesterday, you'd forgiven me''
''But it'll still be two days 'til I say I'm sorry''

*** Second verse:
---> ''It's been one week since you looked at me''
''Threw your arms in the air and said, "You're crazy"''
''Five days since you tackled me''
''I've still got the rug burns on both my knees''
''It's been three days since the afternoon''
''You realized it's not my fault not a moment too soon''
''Yesterday, you'd forgiven me''
''And now I sit back and wait 'til you say you're sorry''

*** Third verse:
---> ''It's been one week since you looked at me''
''Dropped your arms to the sides and said, "I'm sorry"''
''Five days since I laughed at you and said''
''"You just did just what I thought you were gonna do"''
''Three days since the living room''
''We realized we're both to blame but what could we do?''
''Yesterday, you just smiled at me''
'''Cause it'll still be two days 'til we say we're sorry''
* "Viva La Vida" by {{Music/Coldplay}}:
** The last four lines of the first chorus:
--->''For some reason I can't explain / Once you'd gone, there was never / Never an honest word / But that was when I ruled the world''
** The last four lines of the remaining choruses:
--->''For some reason I can't explain / I know Saint Peter won't call my name / Never an honest word / But that was when I ruled the world''