"Alternative Girlfriend" is a song by Canadian band

Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reach ...

, written by Stephen Duffy and Steven Page, from their 1994 album ''

Maybe You Should Drive ''Maybe You Should Drive'' (commonly abbreviated MYSD) 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 song was released as the second single from the album and peaked at No. 22 on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Top Singles chart and No. 4 on the ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary chart. It later appeared on their 2001 compilation, '' Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits''.

Composition

Steven Page explained in the liner notes of the album '' Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991–2001)'' that the song was an attempt to mimic the

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

music from Seattle, and that it is the first song they wrote with a heavier sound (with the exception of "Grade 9" from '' Gordon'').

Personnel

* Steven Page – lead vocals, acoustic guitar *

Ed Robertson Lloyd Edward Elwyn Robertson (born October 25, 1970) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the band Barenaked Ladies. He, along with former member Steven Page, founded the group in 1988. As of Page's ...

– electric guitar, background vocals *

Jim Creeggan James Raymond Creeggan (born February 12, 1970) is the bassist for Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies. Early life Creeggan was born in Scarborough, Ontario. His mother taught piano lessons to neighborhood children, which Creeggan cred ...

– electric bass, background vocals * Andy Creeggan –

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument which produces sounds when a performer presses the keys of a piano-style musical keyboard. Pressing keys causes mechanical hammers to strike metal strings, metal reeds or wire tines, leading to vibrations ...

, organ, tambourine, background vocals *

Tyler Stewart Tyler Joseph Stewart (born September 21, 1967) is the drummer for the Canadian music group Barenaked Ladies. Role in Barenaked Ladies Stewart met Steven Page, Ed Robertson, and Jim Creeggan at the Waterloo Busker Carnival in Waterloo, Ontario, C ...

– drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

In popular culture

The song was featured in the ''

Baby Blues ''Baby Blues'' is an American comic strip created and produced by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott since January 7, 1990. Distributed by King Features Syndicate from 1995 until January 2022, and distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication as of Januar ...

'' episode "Rodney Has Two Daddies". Coincidentally, that series used " It's All Been Done" (from BNL's 1998 album ''

Stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...

'') as its theme song.

References

External links

* 1994 singles Barenaked Ladies songs Songs written by Stephen Duffy Songs written by Steven Page 1994 songs Reprise Records singles {{1990s-rock-single-stub