''Barenaked for the Holidays'' is a holiday-themed studio album released 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 ...
on October 5, 2004. The album includes
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
and
Hanukkah
or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem)
, nickname =
, observedby = Jews
, begins = 25 Kislev
, ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet
, celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...
songs as well as "
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" (: note "s" rather than "z") is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. By extension, it is also often ...
", which is traditionally sung on
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
. There are also several songs that are simply about the winter season. The album was the first album recorded at
Steven Page
Steven Jay Page (born June 22, 1970) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies. Page left the band in Februar ...
's studio,
Fresh Baked Woods
Steven Jay Page (born June 22, 1970) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies. Page left the band in Februar ...
and was the first released independently by Barenaked Ladies'
Desperation Records
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 ...
label (and distributed by the
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
). It was the band's first studio album for which a "naked track" (recorded in the nude) was not recorded. This album achieved Gold status in Canada.
Barenaked Ladies also collaborated with fellow Canadian artists
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...
("God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", originally recorded in August 1996) and a then relatively unknown
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
("Elf's Lament").
Production
While the album contains some faithful interpretations of traditional songs, much of the album plays true to Ladies' off-kilter spirit. "
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and most commonly sung American songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857. It has been claimed th ...
" begins as a slow, faithful rendition before breaking into an up-tempo version, including the "Batman smells..." lyric variation, and Page breaking down laughing. Several existing songs are included in the form of keyboard interludes; "
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known as "Happy Birthday", is a song traditionally sung to celebrate a person's birthday. According to the 1998 ''Guinness World Records'', it is the most recognised song in the English language, followed by "For ...
" is included as a hidden track in the form "Happy Birthday Jesus". The song "Deck the Stills" is an adaptation or parody of the song "
Deck the Halls
"Deck the Hall” is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862.
...
" with the lyrics "
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member ...
" repeated in place of the real lyrics (it was an in-joke with the band at the time to use these lyrics in other songs).
The album also includes the
Band Aid charity
Charity may refer to:
Giving
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing
* Ch ...
song, "
Do They Know It's Christmas?
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...
", all the royalties from which the band donates to the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The collaboration with Sarah McLachlan for "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" was released on a prior compilation, ''Christmas Songs'', in 2000. Finally, the album includes seven songs written by the band.
The album was a popular release during the Christmas season of 2004, and reached No. 64 in the regular ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' album charts. Barenaked Ladies promoted the album with the
Barenaked for the Holidays Tour in 2004 and 2005.
Former member Steven Page later admitted that the album was not his idea, and that a holiday themed album was not what he wanted to do following ''
Everything to Everyone
''Everything to Everyone'' (commonly abbreviated ''E2E'') is the sixth full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was released in 2003 and was produced by Ron Aniello. Singles from the album include " Another Postcard", "Testing 1, 2, 3 ...
''.
Releases
E.P. Version
An
E.P. of Hanukkah-themed songs named the ''
Barenaked for Hanukkah E.P.'' was released as a digital download on November 15, 2005. It contains a live version of "
Hanukkah, O Hanukkah" from the band's
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
concert on November 20, 2004, as well as the album versions of "Hanukkah Blessings" and "
I Have a Little Dreidel
"I Have a Little Dreidel" (also known as "The Dreidel Song" or "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel") is a children's Hanukkah song in the English-speaking world that also exists in a Yiddish version called "Ikh Bin A Kleyner Dreydl", (Yiddish: Lit: I a ...
". It was certified gold in Canada.
''Barenaked on a Stick''
''
Barenaked on a Stick'' is a 128MB
USB flash drive
A USB flash drive (also called a thumb drive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. It is typically removable, rewritable and much smaller than an optical disc. Most weigh less than . Since firs ...
that contains the ''Holidays'' CD, live songs and ad libs, a demo recording, videos of the album recording, promo photos and buddy icons for
instant messaging
Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat allowing real-time text transmission over the Internet or another computer network. Messages are typically transmitted between two or more parties, when each user inputs text and trigge ...
programs. It was sold initially at the 2005 holiday concert tour, and then through
Nettwerk
Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing.
Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...
's online store, and though
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
. The USB stick was part of a product test by the band to see if there was a market for releasing albums on reusable media. Their next album ''
Barenaked Ladies Are Me
''Barenaked Ladies Are Me'' is the seventh full-length original-material studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was their first original-material album since ''Everything to Everyone'' in 2003. It was released in September 2006 internationally. The ...
'' was also released on USB flash drive, as were subsequent live recordings.
''Rock Band''
The song "Hanukkah Blessings" was released on the ''
Rock Band
A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
'' music store on December 23, 2008.
Track listing
Personnel
Barenaked Ladies
*
Steven Page
Steven Jay Page (born June 22, 1970) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies. Page left the band in Februar ...
– vocals, 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 ...
– vocals, guitar
*
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 ...
– bass, 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, percussion, vocals
*
Kevin Hearn
Kevin Neil Hearn (born July 3, 1969) is a Canadian musician who is a member of Barenaked Ladies, and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He primarily plays keyboards and guitars. He is also a member of Rheostatics.
Early life
Hearn was ...
– keyboards, piano,
accordion
Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
, vocals
Additional personnel
*
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
– vocals
* Kelly Maureen McKenna –
mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
, guitar, vocals
*
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...
– vocals
Production
* Jeremy Darby – engineer
*
Michael Phillip Wojewoda
Michael Phillip Wojewoda is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has been nominated for eight Juno Awards and has received one for Recording Engineer of the Year and one for Producer of the Year.
History
Wojewoda began recording bands ...
– mixing
* Ted Jensen – mastering
* Don Garbutt – digital editing
* Paul Forgues – assistant
* Rob Menegoni – technical assistance
* Keith Rudyk – technical assistance
* Barenaked Ladies – arranger
* Andrew MacNaughton – photography
* John Rummen – artwork
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barenaked For The Holidays
2004 Christmas albums
Barenaked Ladies albums
Christmas albums by Canadian artists
Alternative rock Christmas albums