Songs Rhino loves, #57: Barenaked Ladies - “Lovers In A Dangerous Time” (Bruce Cockburn cover)

Oh man, this fuckin’ song.

I’m a little embarrassed of how much I’ve always loved the Barenaked Ladies (who were my very first favourite band), considering that a lot of their shit trades in jokey irony of a kind for which I generally don’t care; I think Steven Page is one of the most talented songwriters Canada has ever produced, but the truth is that both he and the nearly equally gifted Ed Robertson have written their share of songs that I understand perfectly well why someone who is not enamoured of their personalities might find irritating. I grew up on the first five Barenaked Ladies albums, and I still genuinely enjoy all five of them (especially Maroon), but there is a part of me that perfectly well understands the splenetic revulsion that inspires articles like this. (That article, which is a review of the band’s fluke hit single “One Week” by the estimable Tom Breihan, is so hilarious that I recommend reading it even if you like the band and the song, which I do. When Tom Breihan truly hates a piece of music, he goes out of his way to make sure he hurls the funniest insults imaginable.)

In fact, despite my love of dope BNL jams like “The Old Apartment” and “Life, In A Nutshell”, there is only one Barenaked Ladies song that I believe is so incredible that I have no time at all for anyone who doesn’t like it, and it’s this cover of an excellent 1980s jam by the widely and deservedly beloved Canadian folk singer Bruce Cockburn.

I have chosen, however, not to link to the Cockburn original, because in all truth, as charming a singer as Cockburn always is, his version of this song pales in comparison to what BNL achieve; I don’t think it’s even remotely close. I remember learning the word “gossamer” for the first time shortly after I heard this song for the first time, and the delicacy of the vocal harmonies Page and Robertson pull off was the first thing that ever occurred to me to refer to as “gossamer perfection”, which has since become a favourite phrase of mine.

Really, though, I love every single second of this song; the gorgeous piano, the elegant violin, the cello solo, the precise and artful drumwork, Page’s magisterial closing runs, the little “Woo!” in just the right place… maaaaaaaaan, say what you want about the Barenaked Ladies, but don’t ever try to say to me that this specific cover ain’t perfect. It’s perfect.