From What Love Remains

When we look back at the work of the Barenaked Ladies.  What are the songs that we recall in the mainstream culture?  It's "One Week" that the slutty pumpkin sang in How I Met Your Mother.  Videos of songs like "Brian Wilson" and "If I had a $1,000,000" are popular.  Then there's "History of Big Bang Theory was initially being developed.  Is it just me, or do we think of music for Big Bang or 90's Top 40 when we think of the Barenaked Ladies?  I haven't surveyed people, and hope that the more subtle, more sentimental BNL songs, are held in just as high regard.
Everything that was being created as the

The song that I'm writing about tonight is "Call & Answer." It's by frequent collaborators Steven Page and Stephen Duffy (the original lead vocalist for Duran Duran).  As a track on Stunt, "Call and Answer" created through Page recording himself, and then singing with the playback.  Personally, my favorite rendition is from 2004's "Au Naturale" tour that featured the Barnaked Ladies, Alanis Morissette, and with Nellie McKay as the opening act.  Page and Morissette sang "Call and Answer" as a duet, and like when hearing Sarah McLachlan sing on the Barenaked Ladies' Christmas album, I'm so impressed by the chemistry.

The song is about rebuilding what has been a tumultuous relationship.  The song's about harmony with disharmony as they analyze placing themselves as higher priority than each other, trying to figure out who loves whom more.  When the two sides get back together in the same room to examine what's described as "love exhumed."  Both of them have some residual love that has brought them to this place in time, encouraging them to rebuild their love.

In 2009, Page left the Barenaked Ladies and moved to Central New York.  The Barenaked Ladies haven't quite sounded the same, but I think that it's for the better since their former co-frontman has been cleaning up his life.  There were some struggles with the law over substance abuse, and we found out in 2011 that struggles with bipolar disorder were what caused him to leave the band.  Fortunately, he finds in his sons and his second wife strength the motivation to live the best life that he can.  He continues to write music.  Earlier this year (with Craig Northey), Page released Heal Thyself Pt. 1: Instinct.

I don't know if "Call and Answer" is autobiographical, so I'm not sure if Page's personal battles were part of the narrative.  In was in 2009 that he was divorced after a 2 year separation.  Those legal proceedings didn't occur until more than 5 years after Stunt's release.  So if the song was based on real life, it could've been about a past relationship, or a fight with his then wife that at the time seemed like the worst thing possible for their marriage.  ...  In a bittersweet way, it's sometimes through those most cathartic works that we find such beauty.  Many of us would like to see Page someday sing with BNL again.  Come on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and induct them.

I'd love to see Page perform again with BNL's Ed Robertson, McLachlan, Morissette, or any of a variety of others.