I̘̟̼͙ͮͯͧ̎͡t̮̹̲͈̲͂̄ͫ͘'̥̺̆̒̀s̖̥̞̹̭ͪ ̠̫̦̏̌͗ͪ̓ͮb̩̲͗ͥ͋͋̀e͍̞̬̻͕̗̓̋͗e̹̼̞̖͔͗ͪ̃̒ņ̬̹̼͊̋ͥ̎̊̆.͚̞́́̅.҉̹.̥̲͛͆ͦ̂̋͋ͧ

January 3, 2017 5:03 AM

Musician Evan Desautels remixed Barenaked Ladies' hit, One Week, replacing every instrument with its earworm opening lyrics,"It's been." He previously remixed the theme to Star Wars, replacing all the instruments with the first orchestral hit.
posted by Room 641-A (69 comments total)

someBODY
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:15 AM on January 3, 2017 [30 favorites]

Sounds like a bad Mario Paint song.
posted by demiurge at 5:25 AM on January 3, 2017 [14 favorites]

He has delved too greedily and too deep.
posted by thelonius at 5:38 AM on January 3, 2017 [34 favorites]

If anyone needs me I'll be watching the bee movie in reverse, again.
posted by Theta States at 5:39 AM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Butts and I cannot lie
posted by jferg at 5:43 AM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

That was just ... aurally gopping.
posted by gmb at 5:44 AM on January 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

This is just the thing I needed to hear this morning.

(and I guess the original Star Wars theme is bombastic enough that replacing all instruments with orchestra hits doesn't even really change the song that much. [I love you, John Williams.])
posted by tybstar at 5:45 AM on January 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyas
posted by Foci for Analysis at 5:51 AM on January 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

I̘̟̼͙ͮͯͧ̎͡t̮̹̲͈̲͂̄ͫ͘'̥̺̆̒̀s̖̥̞̹̭ͪ ̠̫̦̏̌͗ͪ̓ͮb̩̲͗ͥ͋͋̀e͍̞̬̻͕̗̓̋͗e̹̼̞̖͔͗ͪ̃̒ņ̬̹̼͊̋ͥ̎̊̆.͚̞́́̅.҉̹.̥̲͛͆ͦ̂̋͋ͧ
What sorcery is that post title?

Looking forward to reading this post, but that will have to wait until get I past that amazong distinctive post title. Caught up in its fine structure. Makes me wish the whole post was made like that.
posted by otherchaz at 5:54 AM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

It's been.
posted by plinth at 5:59 AM on January 3, 2017 [20 favorites]

Reminds me of another classic
posted by Philipschall at 6:03 AM on January 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

My Humps made out of just "My humps", hold on
posted by Beardman at 6:14 AM on January 3, 2017 [6 favorites]

otherchaz - search for "zalgo"

It's messing with Unicode radicals and diacritics, to be specific
posted by iotic at 6:15 AM on January 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Indistinguishable from the original.
posted by 1adam12 at 6:18 AM on January 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Well I'll never get those 15 seconds of my life back.
posted by STFUDonnie at 6:20 AM on January 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

I love this and you all
posted by Earthtopus at 6:24 AM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

It's kind of impressive how much the Star Wars one just sounds like a weird chip tune version of the Star Wars theme.
posted by Itaxpica at 6:42 AM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

This is why we needed the Office of Congressional Ethics.
posted by slater at 6:44 AM on January 3, 2017 [47 favorites]

Just stopped by to say absolutely not, and I'll never forgive you for getting this damned song back in my head after a decade of blissfully having forgotten it.
posted by Existential Dread at 6:48 AM on January 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

No young man should ever wear a tam o' shanter.
posted by My Dad at 7:17 AM on January 3, 2017

Scott ITSBEENerman
posted by mysticreferee at 7:29 AM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

That was pretty lousy. Let's rescue things by deciding what the worst line in One Week is, an idea I stole from this old ILX thread:

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 back 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

Hold it now and watch the hoodwink
As I make you stop, think
You'll think you're looking at Aquaman
I summon fish to the dish, although I like the Chalet Swiss
I like the sushi
'Cause it's never touched a frying pan
Hot like wasabi when I bust rhymes
Big like LeAnn Rimes
Because I'm all about value
Bert Kaempfert's got the mad hits
You try to match wits, you try to hold me but I bust through
Gonna make a break and take a fake
I'd like a stinking aching shake
I like vanilla, it's the finest of the flavours
Gotta see the show, 'cause then you'll know
That vertigo is gonna grow
'Cause it's so dangerous,
you'll have to sign a waiver

How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad
Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad
I'm the kind of guy who laughs at a funeral
Can't understand what I mean?
Well, you soon will
I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve
I have a history of taking off my shirt

[Chorus]

Chickity China the Chinese chicken
You have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin'
Watchin' X-Files with no lights on
We're dans la maison
I hope the Smoking Man's in this one
Like Harrison Ford I'm getting frantic
Like Sting I'm tantric
Like Snickers, guaranteed to satisfy

Like Kurosawa I make mad films
Okay, I don't make films
But if I did they'd have a Samurai
Gonna get a set a' better clubs
Gonna find the kind with tiny nubs
Just so my arms aren't always flying off the back-swing
Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon
'Cause that cartoon has got the boom anime babes
That make me think the wrong thing

[Bridge]

[Chorus]

Birchmount Stadium, home of the Robbie
posted by kersplunk at 7:40 AM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

It's been.
posted by plinth at 8:59 AM on January 3

beat me to it!
posted by numaner at 8:01 AM on January 3, 2017

I actually really like this song, unironically. It's nostalgic af for me.

Let's rescue things by deciding what the worst line in One Week is

Contrary to that poll my favorite line is "Chickity China the Chinese chicken" because it's fun to sing, and I'm 1/4 Chinese so I feel like it's not that offensive (?) when I sing it.

The worst line is "I just made you say underwear" because it's not in this song, it's in Pinch Me, but I always think it's in this song for some reason, because it should be.
posted by numaner at 8:10 AM on January 3, 2017 [11 favorites]

I mean, is there really any contest?

Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon
'Cause that cartoon has got the boom anime babes
That make me think the wrong thing

Ugh ugh ugh.

(I say this as a person who unironically loves '90s-era BNL, to the point where I rolled in the new millennium at a BNL concert; haven't followed much/any of their recent output)
posted by tocts at 8:26 AM on January 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

It’s Been
posted by reluctant early bird at 8:30 AM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'd like a stinking aching shake
I like vanilla, it's the finest of the flavours

Okay I'm not sure if that is better or worse than what I've always thought the lyric was, which is "I'd like to see a naked chick".
posted by Gordafarin at 8:33 AM on January 3, 2017

So I looked at his overall account.

Most of a year of fiddling around with making music: no comments.

Zero-effort novelty covers of popular culture detritus: a zillion comments.
posted by egypturnash at 8:34 AM on January 3, 2017 [10 favorites]

Hah I remember this song. The next iteration should be to replace all of the instruments with the lyrics to "All Star."
posted by rhizome at 8:44 AM on January 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

Whenever I think of Barenaked Ladies, I think of some venue on their tour schedule, and its staff members who have to repeatedly explain to the outraged that despite the fact the venue calendar does clearly state, "Tonight, Barenaked Ladies", there will be no actual barenaked ladies scheduled to appear onstage tonight.

Then I ponder the fate of the hypothetical band, "C̏l̏ȯs̐e̍d̅ ̃f͂o͗r̈ ̾R̈e̓p̾a̓i͘r̃s̓".
posted by otherchaz at 8:53 AM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yo dawg!
posted by spacewrench at 8:56 AM on January 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

The anthem 2017 deserves.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:09 AM on January 3, 2017

The "One Week" video was included on a QuickTime showcase CD-ROM that came with my college roommate's new Quadra or some such.
posted by emelenjr at 9:11 AM on January 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

Saw these guys opening for Elvis Costello. Fortunately, that was a few years before this song was a hit.
posted by thelonius at 9:30 AM on January 3, 2017

I ponder the fate of the hypothetical band, "C̏l̏ȯs̐e̍d̅ ̃f͂o͗r̈ ̾R̈e̓p̾a̓i͘r̃s̓"

They changed their name to "Free Beer."
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:44 AM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Ahem
posted by rhizome at 10:07 AM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Zero-effort novelty covers of popular culture detritus: a zillion comments.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is him taking a MIDI file of the song, putting the first words of the recording in a sampler, and hitting play. That's a solid 3-5 minutes of work if you get distracted in the middle.
posted by bongo_x at 10:17 AM on January 3, 2017

(I say this as a person who unironically loves '90s-era BNL, to the point where I rolled in the new millennium at a BNL concert; haven't followed much/any of their recent output)

First of all, I'm pretty sure the Tragically Hip show was better that night. Ahead by a century, natch.

Second of all, the thing about '90s-era BNL is that the songs that Steven sung were great, and the songs that Ed sung were pretty terrible, but achieved commercial success, somehow. One Week is a chimera case, catchy but stupid, possibly poignant but utterly shallow. BNL is pretty much worthless now that Steven Page is gone (Kevin Hearn bass lines aside).

source: I was a band geek in Forest Hill when the Yellow Tape came out in Grade 7, and Gordon was released the summer before Grade 9. AFAIC, every album since has been worse.
posted by sparklemotion at 10:17 AM on January 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

BNL were so grunge.
posted by My Dad at 10:19 AM on January 3, 2017

First of all, I'm pretty sure the Tragically Hip show was better that night.

I dunno, I'm getting old and forgetting things but I believe it was opened by Guster, who I also unironically love (at least their '90s and early '00s stuff).

Second of all, the thing about '90s-era BNL is that the songs that Steven sung were great, and the songs that Ed sung were pretty terrible, but achieved commercial success, somehow.

I have a fondness for some of Ed's stuff, but generally speaking yeah. I know it's a collaboration between them but One Week feels like a total Ed song. I heard it first on the radio, and my initial response was that it was a bit of a dud for a band I liked that much.
posted by tocts at 10:35 AM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Worst line is

Like Kurosawa I make mad films
Okay, I don't make films
But if I did they'd have a Samurai

1. can't stand wannabe filmmakers 2. he comPLETELY ignores great works set in contempo post-war Japan like Dodesukaden, Ikiru, High and Low, etc.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:38 AM on January 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

So when I open this link on my iPhone, it wants for forward me to the App Store to download SoundCloud which I totally already have downloaded. So, that's helpful.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 10:46 AM on January 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

So, I know we tend to bag on stuff here, but as a high schooler at the time, nothing brought me greater joy than a song with contemporary pop culture references that meant something to me.

X Files, man!
posted by leotrotsky at 10:59 AM on January 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

Is this the same guy who did redid All-Star from Smashmouth by using "somebody" for every lyric?
posted by pizzakats708 at 11:10 AM on January 3, 2017

Then I ponder the fate of the hypothetical band, "C̏l̏ȯs̐e̍d̅ ̃f͂o͗r̈ ̾R̈e̓p̾a̓i͘r̃s̓".

My band's called Lost Cat... you may have seen our posters. [/r/jokes]
posted by Naberius at 11:14 AM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

I've expunged the hate in my heart for "chickity china" by learning it is a reference/rework of a Busta Rhymes phrase from a Tribe Called Quest song. I'm not sure why this helps, but it does!
posted by Jon Mitchell at 11:46 AM on January 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

One of the great embarrassments in my life is 21-year-old me unearthing an old cassette for a trip to the beach with fellow record store employees, only to discover that not only were all the songs recorded off the radio, but at least half of them were One Week. Sometimes it would even be back-to-back recordings of One Week, because high school me, like present day me, was an insatiable repeater of songs.

Please try and imagine the intense chagrin of being stuck in a car for hours with friends who once looked up to your musical tastes, but are now cackling gleefully as you lose, over and over again, the hellish game of Barenaked Ladies roulette that high school you unwittingly created.

Anyway, I liked this!
posted by redsparkler at 12:24 PM on January 3, 2017 [21 favorites]

BNL have some pretty sweet kids music nowadays.
posted by bq at 12:30 PM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

I regret nothing.
posted by bq at 12:30 PM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

I say this as a person who unironically loves '90s-era BNL, to the point where I rolled in the new millennium at a BNL concert

tocts! I was also at that show! I was 14. I haven't thought about it in years, but I remember there being a big deal about people getting cheese dust in their eyes, did that actually happen or was that just a thing for worryworts to worry about?
posted by everybody had matching towels at 1:44 PM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

BNL have some pretty sweet kids music nowadays.

I will allow, they do a really great job writing interesting kids music (this coming from someone who detested One Week the instant I first heard it).
posted by Existential Dread at 1:50 PM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

"I̘̟̼͙ͮͯͧ̎͡t̮̹̲͈̲͂̄ͫ͘'̥̺̆̒̀s̖̥̞̹̭ͪ ̠̫̦̏̌͗ͪ̓ͮb̩̲͗ͥ͋͋̀e͍̞̬̻͕̗̓̋͗e̹̼̞̖͔͗ͪ̃̒ņ̬̹̼͊̋ͥ̎̊̆.͚̞́́̅.҉̹.̥̲͛͆ͦ̂̋͋ͧ
What sorcery is that post title?"

Doesn't look like anything to me.
posted by komara at 1:50 PM on January 3, 2017 [7 favorites]

fnord
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:59 PM on January 3, 2017

Okay, I never noticed how much Garrett Lambert looks like Steven Page. That makes the "Barenaked Ladies" rant on Community even funnier. That's how fundamental that joke was.
posted by Riki tiki at 2:25 PM on January 3, 2017

"Chickity China" is a reference to a Busta Rhymes line in Scenario by A Tribe Called Quest - "chickity chocco, the chocolate chicken". I never thought of it as offensive, just bad. The Sailor Moon line is gross though.

X Files, man!

In general the song is a weird window into the pop culture of the era. I think it's important in some unimportant way that both One Week and the similarly reference-for-the-point-of-it heavy The Bad Touch by Bloodhound Gang mention watching The X-Files.

On the other hand, "Gonna make a break and take a fake I'd like a stinking aching shake" just read like placeholder syllables caused by running out of ideas.

I still have a weird soft spot for the song though, even though it's objectively crap. I was 17 in Ireland when it came out, and it was on the soundtrack for a bunch of films like American Pie and 10 Things I Hate About You that were on the one hand not great, but made being 17 in suburban America look like the greatest thing in the world.
posted by kersplunk at 2:47 PM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Jon Mitchell and kersplunk, don't you go besmirching the good names of Busta Rhymes and Tribe, I never needed to know that reference, ugh
posted by gusandrews at 3:43 PM on January 3, 2017

The song will always get bonus points for namedropping Bert Kaempfert, king of the easy listening.
posted by Spatch at 4:16 PM on January 3, 2017

This never quite rose to the level of postworthy for me, but perhaps it can find a valued place amongst friends here:

idioteque recreated with nothing but the sound of my dick slapping against various objects such as my hand, my desk etc

#the synths are dick sounds too

posted by Rhaomi at 4:32 PM on January 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones as I had never heard this song in full until now. I knew it up to the "vanilla is the finest of the flavors" part because that's how far you get in 10 Things I hate About You, because after that Joan Jett's Bad Reputation is blasted over it.
And wow... those lyrics go downhill fast. What happened there!?
posted by bigendian at 5:42 PM on January 3, 2017

#the synths are dick sounds too

Oh! Really don't know what to think of that.

I do think I prefer it to BNL (in general. Except for maybe their cover of that Bruce Cockburn song).
posted by cotton dress sock at 9:37 PM on January 3, 2017

(Because it's a good song and they did a nice job, to clarify.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 9:40 PM on January 3, 2017

Here's En Vogue "Vaguer Pinyon" but all the Tick are Sly.
posted by Celsius1414 at 10:15 PM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Holding out for the remix using the title lyrics from Staind's "It's Been A While".
posted by cortex at 10:25 PM on January 3, 2017

Listening to the Star Wars one makes me feel like my CD-ROM of TIE Fighter has got scratched.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:12 AM on January 4, 2017

"I̘̟̼͙ͮͯͧ̎͡t̮̹̲͈̲͂̄ͫ͘'̥̺̆̒̀s̖̥̞̹̭ͪ ̠̫̦̏̌͗ͪ̓ͮb̩̲͗ͥ͋͋̀e͍̞̬̻͕̗̓̋͗e̹̼̞̖͔͗ͪ̃̒ņ̬̹̼͊̋ͥ̎̊̆.͚̞́́̅.҉̹.̥̲͛͆ͦ̂̋͋ͧ
What sorcery is that post title?"

Doesn't look like anything to me.


Yeah, m̱̻̳͎é n͇̳͉̱̮͇̱̙ͅe͚̫͍͜͢͞i͓̬͇͢͝t̛̜̪̀͝h̟̟͕͈é̖̠͖͞͡r̪̰̜̦͔͢͝͝. A̻̤͛ͧ͘ͅŕ̸̷̜̟̯̮̟͌̒ͩͪ͑́̈ͅe͙̙̥͉̿ͪͧ̊̚͢ ̵̯̳͐͗̿̌ͣ̍͗̔y̝͕͕̑ͦ͜ơ͍̬̮̼͖̰͇̗̌̍̇u̴̥͊̽̑̏̈́̒ͭ̇ ̺̤̪͖̘̞̗̎ͫ̕f̶͈͕̼͚̙̗̙̌ͨ̓ͥͯ̏ͭͪe̹̮̞̐ͨ̈́̕͞͞e̥̝͖̤̻̬͈̣͖ͧͬ̏͞l͚̘̝ͯͬ͛̈̇ͤ͊͢į͚͎̺ͯ̐͗ͧ͌̅̔n̜̏ͧͮ͟g̶̷͍̳̱͔͍ͣ̿ͥͤ͑̆͠ ̸͙̄ͦͩ̇̏̽̅ͅà̳͙͙̠͙͉͔̞̦͂͠l̝̜̰̱̼̗̫̝̐ͧ̉̋̊ͬr̔͌̀ͤͨͤ͏̣͍i̧̧̼͓̻̪͋̂́̚̚g̶̫̳̙̭͉͔͚͓̐ͯͩ͗̾̚͢h̶̡̩̲͔̮͔͊ͤ͒̇t̷̩̱̥̣̗̹ͫ̎̅̐͂͐͋̏?̶̧̤͈͚̝̺̣̰͉̈́͊̅͜
posted by leotrotsky at 8:20 AM on January 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

That...noise is pretty much what I heard in my head the whole time while I read the book "Ready Player One."
posted by wenestvedt at 11:01 AM on January 4, 2017

I've expunged the hate in my heart for "chickity china" by learning it is a reference/rework of a Busta Rhymes phrase from a Tribe Called Quest song. I'm not sure why this helps, but it does!

Ehhhh...
The line is "Chickity Choco, the chocolate chicken, The rear cock diesel, buttcheeks, they were kicking", and its from Scenario. I don't think knowing that really makes the BNL song any better.

Somewhat related: Skeletonwitch's hatesong for One Week.
posted by lkc at 11:39 AM on January 4, 2017

I have listened to this so much in the last two days that whenever my mind goes idle, I've sort of started to draw a breath, sing "♪ Iᴛ's ʙᴇᴇɴ ♪" and then immediately stop and go back to what I was doing.

Only at home, so far, thankfully.
posted by Earthtopus at 5:51 PM on January 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

I was also at that show! I was 14. I haven't thought about it in years, but I remember there being a big deal about people getting cheese dust in their eyes, did that actually happen or was that just a thing for worryworts to worry about?

Ha, small(ish) world. I don't think that was actually a thing, but it was a big concert, I could've missed it. Good times, though.
posted by tocts at 3:47 AM on January 5, 2017