"Jane" is a song by
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 ...
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 written by
Stephen Duffy
Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist and then drummer of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo perform ...
and
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 ...
. The single release included the album version of "Jane", a live version of "
What a Good Boy
"What a Good Boy" is a song from the Barenaked Ladies' 1992 debut album, ''Gordon''. A live version of the song appeared on the 1994 single for "Jane". Another live version was later released on the live album ''Rock Spectacle''. This version lat ...
", and the ''
Buck Naked The Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies released five demo tapes before being signed to Reprise Records.
''Buck Naked''
''Buck Naked'' is the Barenaked Ladies' first indie demo tape release, and featured only the original duo of Steve ...
'' version of "Great Provider". "Jane" reached number three on Canada's ''
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, topped the ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary chart for four weeks, and ended 1994 as the country's 17th best-selling single. The song later appeared on their 2001 compilation ''
Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits''.
Background
The title character is "Jane St. Clair", named after the intersection of
Jane Street
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
and
St. Clair Avenue
St. Clair Avenue is a major east-west street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was laid out in the late 18th century by the British as a concession road (the Third Concession), north of Bloor Street and north of Queen Street.
St. Clair Avenue ...
in
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 ...
. Steven Page recalls that co-writer Stephen Duffy saw the intersection on a map and remarked that it sounded like the most beautiful intersection in the world; Page "didn't wanna break his heart to tell him it wasn't." Page was also noted to have said, "the next song I'm gonna write is gonna be called Markham Ellesmere", the major suburban intersection of Markham Road and Ellesmere Road, which is close to where Page grew up in the Scarborough section of Toronto.
Page admits that the line "No Juliana Hatfield, Juliana next to my Evan Dando, Evan" "dates [the song] a bit, [but] it still sounds pretty to me today."
Personnel
*
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 ...
– lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar
* Ed Robertson – acoustic and electric guitars, backing vocals
* Jim Creeggan – electric bass, backing vocals
* Andy Creeggan – hammered dulcimer, backing vocals
* Tyler Stewart – drums
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
1994 singles
1994 songs
Barenaked Ladies songs
Reprise Records singles
Songs written by Stephen Duffy
Songs written by Steven Page
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