It's All Been Done
Encyclopedia
"It's All Been Done" is a song by the Canadian
alternative rock group Barenaked Ladies
. It was released as the second single from their 1998
album, Stunt
.
Steven Page
apparently wrote this song after being embarrassed at how "wordy" his song "Brian Wilson
" was. He decided he wanted to write something with a simple phrase like "woo hoo hoo" in the chorus.
The song was very successful in Canada, peaking at #1 on the Canadian Singles Chart. Although not as internationally popular as their previous single, "One Week", the song was used as the theme song for the TV series, Baby Blues. The song is also notable for being one of the first Barenaked Ladies songs to feature an electric guitar solo by Ed Robertson
.
During promotion for the album the song was performed on all three big NBC
late night shows: Saturday Night Live
, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
(notable for Steve's messing up by repeating a pre-chorus) and The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno
, where earlier guest, actor David Duchovny
joined the band for the song, playing an egg shaker. The band had arranged it with the actor after an impromptu meeting a week earlier while shooting a television guest appearance at a studio lot. The band suggested that Duchovny (whose series The X-Files
was referenced in "One Week") should perform with them after discovering that they'd both be on the Tonight Show.
The song was also used to open the setlist of the band's Stunt tour, and has been used to open many shows since.
and was filmed in the former house of comedian Andrew Dice Clay
. The concept of the video was that it was seen from the point of view of various household pets (a cat
, a dog
, a goldfish
, and a bird
). Robertson was particularly disappointed with the filming of the video while it was being shot, as he didn't feel it was capturing the feeling of the concept.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
alternative rock group Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
. It was released as the second single from their 1998
1998 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
album, Stunt
Stunt (album)
Stunt is the fourth full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies. By far their most successful album, it entered the US charts at #3 and sold over 4 million units by the end of its chart run. Its first single, "One Week" would become the band's breakthrough single in the U.S. market by hitting #1...
.
Steven Page
Steven Page
Steven Jay Page , is a Canadian musician. Along with Ed Robertson, he was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies ; he left the band in 2009 to pursue a solo career....
apparently wrote this song after being embarrassed at how "wordy" his song "Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson (song)
"Brian Wilson" is a song by the Canadian musical group Barenaked Ladies. It was released a single from the band's debut studio album, Gordon.The song was written by singer/guitarist Steven Page in his parents’ basement on his twentieth birthday, in 1990...
" was. He decided he wanted to write something with a simple phrase like "woo hoo hoo" in the chorus.
The song was very successful in Canada, peaking at #1 on the Canadian Singles Chart. Although not as internationally popular as their previous single, "One Week", the song was used as the theme song for the TV series, Baby Blues. The song is also notable for being one of the first Barenaked Ladies songs to feature an electric guitar solo by Ed Robertson
Ed Robertson
Lloyd Edward Elwyn Robertson , better known as Ed Robertson, is the Canadian lead singer, as well as a guitarist and songwriter in the band, Barenaked Ladies...
.
During promotion for the album the song was performed on all three big NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
late night shows: Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
(notable for Steve's messing up by repeating a pre-chorus) and The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
with Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, where earlier guest, actor David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
joined the band for the song, playing an egg shaker. The band had arranged it with the actor after an impromptu meeting a week earlier while shooting a television guest appearance at a studio lot. The band suggested that Duchovny (whose series The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
was referenced in "One Week") should perform with them after discovering that they'd both be on the Tonight Show.
The song was also used to open the setlist of the band's Stunt tour, and has been used to open many shows since.
Music video
The video was directed by Doug AitkenDoug Aitken
-Early life and career:Doug Aitken was born in Redondo Beach, California in 1968. In 1987, he initially studied magazine illustration with Philip Hays at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena before graduating in Fine Arts in 1991. He moved to New York in 1994 where he had his first solo...
and was filmed in the former house of comedian Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay is an American comedian and actor who played the lead role in the film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.Clay has been in several movies and has released a number of stand-up albums...
. The concept of the video was that it was seen from the point of view of various household pets (a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, a dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, a goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
, and a bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
). Robertson was particularly disappointed with the filming of the video while it was being shot, as he didn't feel it was capturing the feeling of the concept.
Track listing
- "It's All Been Done" (Album Version)
- "Brian Wilson" (Live from Rock SpectacleRock SpectacleRock Spectacle is a live album by Barenaked Ladies and their first live release. This was the album that finally broke the American market for BNL, with the live version of "Brian Wilson" and a release of "The Old Apartment" from Born on a Pirate Ship featuring this live version becoming hits, and...
) - "The Old Apartment" (Live from Rock Spectacle)
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
28 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 44 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 9 |