Another Postcard
Encyclopedia
"Another Postcard" is a song by Canadian rock band
Barenaked Ladies
. It was the band's first single from the album Everything to Everyone
, which was released after the band took a nearly two-year hiatus from performing. The song is notable for its reggae
-rap verses, somewhat evocative of Canadian rapper Snow
. The verses are rapped by Ed Robertson
while the chorus and bridge are led by Steven Page
. The two co-wrote the track.
s with images of chimpanzee
s on the front. The verses explain the situation, while the pre-choruses list various types of chimpanzees on some of the postcards.
The song was inspired when a neighbour of Page's sent a postcard depicting a chimpanzee to one of Page's children. This inspired the plot of the song (which is reminiscent of a plot from the film Amélie
). It was originally written as a joke song, but became the first single off the album.
A sizable portion of the band's fanbase (and perhaps the public) saw the song for little more than its trivial subject matter. The selection was perceived as an attempt to reproduce the playful, rap-induced success of "One Week" (and to a lesser extent, "Pinch Me
"). The selection of the song as a single was attributed to the band's record company, Reprise
. The song was not particularly successful and did not attain the success of the two aforementioned songs, each being the first single from one of the band's two preceding albums (Stunt
and Maroon respectively). This may have contributed to the album Everything to Everyones poorer sales.
for the song was directed by Phil Harder
, who directed many of the band's later videos. The video is a parody of the B-movie
monster
/disaster genre
and is split between two sets of scenes. The first is a disaster movie style film in which the band (under pseudonyms, and in costume) avoided fake rubble in an attack by a giant chimpanzee, shot intentionally campy, and interspersed with actual footage from the disaster film Earthquake
. The second set of scenes are performance, filmed in a round room with windows, intended to be inside Toronto
's CN Tower
(although the set the band plays in is not based on the actual interior). At the end, the CN Tower becomes a rocket and launches into outer space carrying the chimpanzee with it, a la Gamera
.
In the music video, the band's keyboardist Kevin Hearn is playing a Nord
synthesizer.
The song was used in the end credits of the animated sci-fi comedy Space Chimps
.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
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 the band's first single from the album Everything to Everyone
Everything to Everyone
Everything to Everyone is the sixth full-length original-material 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", "For You", "Celebrity" and "Maybe Katie"...
, which was released after the band took a nearly two-year hiatus from performing. The song is notable for its reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-rap verses, somewhat evocative of Canadian rapper Snow
Snow (musician)
Darrin O'Brien , better known by his stage name Snow, is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rap and reggae musician. He is best known for his 1992 single "Informer", which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.-Life and work:...
. The verses are rapped 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...
while the chorus and bridge are led by 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....
. The two co-wrote the track.
Content
The song is a story told by a protagonist who explains his situation. He has been receiving anonymous postcardPostcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
s with images of chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s on the front. The verses explain the situation, while the pre-choruses list various types of chimpanzees on some of the postcards.
The song was inspired when a neighbour of Page's sent a postcard depicting a chimpanzee to one of Page's children. This inspired the plot of the song (which is reminiscent of a plot from the film Amélie
Amélie
Amélie is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre...
). It was originally written as a joke song, but became the first single off the album.
A sizable portion of the band's fanbase (and perhaps the public) saw the song for little more than its trivial subject matter. The selection was perceived as an attempt to reproduce the playful, rap-induced success of "One Week" (and to a lesser extent, "Pinch Me
Pinch Me
"Pinch Me" is the title of a song by the Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. It was released in August 2000 as the first single from their 2000 album, Maroon, which was a follow-up to their hit album, Stunt. As such, "Pinch Me" is often regarded as an attempted follow-up to the hit single "One Week"...
"). The selection of the song as a single was attributed to the band's record company, Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
. The song was not particularly successful and did not attain the success of the two aforementioned songs, each being the first single from one of the band's two preceding albums (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...
and Maroon respectively). This may have contributed to the album Everything to Everyones poorer sales.
Music video
The videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was directed by Phil Harder
Harder/Fuller Films
Harder/Fuller Films, Inc. was a film and video production house based in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1985 to 2005. Run by founders Phil Harder and Rick Fuller, the firm concentrated mainly on artistic work, such as music videos, and also commercial advertising...
, who directed many of the band's later videos. The video is a parody of the B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
monster
Monster movie
Monster movie is a name commonly given to movies, which centre on the struggle between human beings and one or more monsters...
/disaster genre
Disaster film
A disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject...
and is split between two sets of scenes. The first is a disaster movie style film in which the band (under pseudonyms, and in costume) avoided fake rubble in an attack by a giant chimpanzee, shot intentionally campy, and interspersed with actual footage from the disaster film Earthquake
Earthquake (film)
Earthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations...
. The second set of scenes are performance, filmed in a round room with windows, intended to be inside Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
(although the set the band plays in is not based on the actual interior). At the end, the CN Tower becomes a rocket and launches into outer space carrying the chimpanzee with it, a la Gamera
Gamera (film)
is a 1965 daikaiju eiga about a giant turtle named Gamera. The film is similar in nature to the popular Godzilla films, and is also the first in a series of films about Gamera...
.
In the music video, the band's keyboardist Kevin Hearn is playing a Nord
Nord (Clavia)
Nord is a Swedish virtual analog synthesizer and organ manufacturer. Nord keyboards are handmade in Sweden by Clavia DMI AB.-The company:Clavia was founded in 1983 by Hans Nordelius together with Mikael Carlsson in Stockholm, Sweden...
synthesizer.
The song was used in the end credits of the animated sci-fi comedy Space Chimps
Space Chimps
Space Chimps is a 2008 computer-animated family comedy film produced by Vanguard Animation, Starz Media and 20th Century Fox, and it was released on July 18, 2008. The film is produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, John H. Williams, and John W...
.
Charts
| Chart (2003) | 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.... |
28 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 82 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 9 |