The Old Apartment
Encyclopedia
"The Old Apartment" is a song by the Canadian alternative rock
group Barenaked Ladies
. It was the band's first American hit, and appears on the albums Born on a Pirate Ship
, Rock Spectacle
and the compilation album, Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits. The music video
for the song which garnered a Best Director nomination at the 1997 MuchMusic Video Awards
, was directed by fellow Canadian and fan of the band, Jason Priestley
, at his own suggestion.
Steven Page
has said that the song was partly inspired by "Back to the Old House" by The Smiths
. While some have misinterpreted the lyrics to mean that the man in the song is stalking an ex-girlfriend and breaks into her apartment to terrorize her, Page has said that this is definitely not the case. The person in the song and his girlfriend are still together and happy, having "bought an old house on the Danforth" (Danforth Avenue
in Toronto
). However, he goes back to visit "the old apartment" "where we used to live," and winds up breaking in to reminisce. Although recalling "broken glass," the "crooked landing, crooked landlord," and other disadvantages, he nonetheless feels nostalgia
for "fading memories / blending into dull tableaux."
The song, thanks in part to its video, which Priestley strongly supported and urged American networks to play, drew a notable level of attention in the U.S. Priestley also invited the band to play the song at the fictional night club, "The Peach Pit After Dark" on his series, Beverly Hills, 90210
. With some isolated exceptions, this was the band's first break into the American market, which continued with their next release, a live version of "Brian Wilson
" from the album Rock Spectacle which went gold. The live version of "The Old Apartment" from that album was included on later American radio singles as an option for stations to play.
The studio version of the song has two main versions. The original album version, and a radio mix, which was a completely new mix of the song. Notable differences in the radio mix, besides a completely new audio mix, is that the radio mix had an 8-bar instrumental intro, and in the bridge, Page's vocal is put through a noticeable filter.
Apple Inc. included the music video on the Mac OS 8
installation CD as a QuickTime
example.
Then-new band member Kevin Hearn
was, as with "Shoe Box
," in the music video for this song even though he was not involved in the recording of the song. He plays an electric guitar, and Steven Page (who did play guitar on the song, in addition to singing) does not have a guitar in the video.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
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 the band's first American hit, and appears on the albums Born on a Pirate Ship
Born on a Pirate Ship
Born on a Pirate Ship is the third full-length album by Barenaked Ladies. Its well-known tracks are "Shoe Box", "The Old Apartment", "When I Fall" and "Break Your Heart." "The Old Apartment" would become BNL's first US hit in 1997 and began the process of winning many new American fans.This was...
, Rock Spectacle
Rock Spectacle
Rock 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...
and the compilation album, Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits. The music video
Music 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 which garnered a Best Director nomination at the 1997 MuchMusic Video Awards
MuchMusic Video Awards
The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
, was directed by fellow Canadian and fan of the band, Jason Priestley
Jason Priestley
Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
, at his own suggestion.
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....
has said that the song was partly inspired by "Back to the Old House" by The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
. While some have misinterpreted the lyrics to mean that the man in the song is stalking an ex-girlfriend and breaks into her apartment to terrorize her, Page has said that this is definitely not the case. The person in the song and his girlfriend are still together and happy, having "bought an old house on the Danforth" (Danforth Avenue
Danforth Avenue
Danforth Avenue is an east-west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its western end begins in Old Toronto from the Prince Edward Viaduct as a continuation of Bloor Street and continues through East York until intersecting with Kingston Road in Scarborough...
in 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...
). However, he goes back to visit "the old apartment" "where we used to live," and winds up breaking in to reminisce. Although recalling "broken glass," the "crooked landing, crooked landlord," and other disadvantages, he nonetheless feels nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
for "fading memories / blending into dull tableaux."
The song, thanks in part to its video, which Priestley strongly supported and urged American networks to play, drew a notable level of attention in the U.S. Priestley also invited the band to play the song at the fictional night club, "The Peach Pit After Dark" on his series, Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
. With some isolated exceptions, this was the band's first break into the American market, which continued with their next release, a live version of "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...
" from the album Rock Spectacle which went gold. The live version of "The Old Apartment" from that album was included on later American radio singles as an option for stations to play.
The studio version of the song has two main versions. The original album version, and a radio mix, which was a completely new mix of the song. Notable differences in the radio mix, besides a completely new audio mix, is that the radio mix had an 8-bar instrumental intro, and in the bridge, Page's vocal is put through a noticeable filter.
Apple Inc. included the music video on the Mac OS 8
Mac OS 8
Mac OS 8 is an operating system that was released by Apple Computer on July 26, 1997. It represented the largest overhaul of the Mac OS since the release of System 7, some six years previously. It puts more emphasis on color than previous operating systems...
installation CD as a QuickTime
QuickTime
QuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
example.
Then-new band member Kevin Hearn
Kevin Hearn
Kevin Neil Hearn is a Canadian musician who is currently the keyboardist of Barenaked Ladies and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He is also a former member of Rheostatics.-Early life:...
was, as with "Shoe Box
Shoe Box
"Shoe Box" is a song by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies, released as a single from their 1995 album, Born on a Pirate Ship. It is notable for being featured on the first soundtrack to the television series Friends, as well as the last track on the band's Born on a Pirate Ship album...
," in the music video for this song even though he was not involved in the recording of the song. He plays an electric guitar, and Steven Page (who did play guitar on the song, in addition to singing) does not have a guitar in the video.
Charts
| Chart (1997) | 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.... |
14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 88 |