Maybe You Should Drive

Maybe You Should Drive
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 16, 1994
Recorded1994
Genre
Length45:46
LabelReprise
ProducerBen Mink
Barenaked Ladies chronology
Gordon
(1992)
Maybe You Should Drive
(1994)
Born on a Pirate Ship
(1996)
Singles from Maybe You Should Drive
  1. "Jane"
    Released: 1994
  2. "Alternative Girlfriend"
    Released: 1995
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

Maybe You Should Drive is the second studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was released in August 1994 and went double platinum in Canada, reaching No. 3 upon its release. It was also their first album to chart in the US, peaking at No. 175 on the Billboard 200. Unlike on their previous album Gordon, Steven Page and Ed Robertson did not collaborate as frequently.[4]

As with each of their early albums, the band recorded one song, "Intermittently", completely naked. Tracks cut from the album include "Break Your Heart" and "Trust Me", both of which were later re-recorded for Born on a Pirate Ship; the former was re-worked and appeared on that album, while the latter was cut again, and appeared as a B-side on the Shoe Box EP.

Of the recording session, Page said "We did most of the last record in Burnaby, a cold and industrial wasteland, with a huge budget we really didn't need [...] All a huge budget does is put you further in debt. Imagine if they raised your VISA limit to $5,000 and then you had to give your card to a professional shopper — let's call him a producer in the case — and he said, 'OK, let's spend the whole thing.'"[4]

Page added that keyboardist/percussionist Andy Creeggan considered leaving the band during album rehearsals, but was convinced to stay for its completion and subsequent promotional tour.[4] Creeggan did indeed depart the band and entered McGill University's music program. He has since recorded four albums with his brother Jim (who is also bassist for Barenaked Ladies) under the name The Brothers Creeggan.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Jane"Steven Page4:04
2."Intermittently"PageSteven Page3:05
3."These Apples"Ed RobertsonEd Robertson3:10
4."You Will Be Waiting"PageSteven Page3:45
5."A"PageSteven Page4:20
6."Everything Old Is New Again"
  • Page
  • Duffy
Steven Page, Ed Robertson4:13
7."Alternative Girlfriend"
  • Page
  • Duffy
Steven Page4:23
8."Am I the Only One?"RobertsonEd Robertson4:49
9."Little Tiny Song"Andy CreegganAndy Creeggan1:02
10."Life, in a Nutshell"
  • Page
  • Robertson
Steven Page3:14
11."The Wrong Man Was Convicted"
  • Page
  • Duffy
Steven Page5:06
12."Great Provider"
Ed Robertson4:35

Personnel

Barenaked Ladies

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1994 Heatseekers 8[citation needed]
1994 Billboard 200 175[citation needed]

Retrospective analysis

In a 2016 interview with Toronto radio station Boom 97.3, Stephen Page remarked that the album remained one of his favourite Barenaked Ladies records.[5] Conversely, in an interview with VICE that same year, Ed Robertson stated that it was "easily" his least favourite of the band's records. Robertson cited "fractured" dynamics and communication issues within the group; the difficulty of following up the success of their previous album, Gordon; and difficulty dealing with the 1993 death of his brother as factors that made it difficult for him to feel attached to the songs on the album.[6]

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  3. ^ Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Barenaked Ladies". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 44-45. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. ^ a b c Punter, Jennie (June 1996). "Barenaked Ladies: Spontaneity And Surprise". Impact. Archived from the original on June 11, 2004. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  5. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chg_uyhXAgY
  6. ^ https://www.vice.com/en/article/rank-your-records-barenaked-ladies-ed-robertson/