Date: Oct 17, 1998
Weeks: 1
It's kind of surprising to me that there is so little representation of anything from the 90s "alternative" movement on the list. I guess it wasn't as popular as all the "you can't call it 'alternative' when it's so popular" people led me to believe. This song is about as close as this list comes to a 90s alternative song. I'm sure lots of people would argue that this was the moment when Barenaked Ladies crossed over from alternative to pop, but just the fact that they were alternative before is enough to qualify. Heck, this is probably also the closest thing to a grunge song on the list, and that's pretty appalling.
At any rate, I really like this song. I think Barenaked Ladies are a fun band who walk a very fine line between They Might Be Giants-style goofy novelty songs and conventional pop music, and they wind up being good at both. I'm really impressed that their one No. 1 hit is a bit on the goofy side, too, with lines like "Watching X-Files with no lights on... I hope the Smoking Man's in this one." I love the goofy, light rap verses in this song. They're charmingly nerdy. I also respect the variety of lyrics in the chorus, and the silly construction. "You just did just what I thought you were gonna do" is a line that would feel clunky in any other song, but it fits perfectly in here. The overall meaning is kind of fun, too. It seems to be about a couple that had a fight and are on the path to making up, and the singer is telling us that they might and make up often enough that he knows how long it will take to go through their pattern and reconcile. There's no sense of tragedy to it, it's just about two people who know each other well.
The music is nicely straightforward guitar and drum 90s rock. There's some occasional punctuation by what sounds like a trumpet, but I don't detect any synthesizer here. In particular, the chords in the chorus are strong. They give the song a decent power that grabs your attention and makes you notice when the song is on. I like the contrast between the light verse and the heavy chorus. It helps the chorus feel bigger and better.
My verdict: Like it. It's just plan fun, and I think it's a great introduction to a really good band. Although I think my favorite song by them is "Falling For The First Time."
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