“One Week” by The Barenaked Ladies

This song is actually pretty beloved by most people, even if no-one takes it seriously (nor are they meant to), but it has a vocal minority of detractors who either hate novelty songs on principle (a phenomenon we’ve discussed before) or think the narrator is just an ‘asshole’ trying to play off his bad behavior as funny. In reality, the song is actually a rather insightful observation on how people in relationships are going to act like childish jackasses from time to time (both him and the girl being addressed are shown to be guilty of this), and you kind of have to get over it if you want to have a relationship at all. Granted, the quasi-rap verses have nothing to do with the actual topic, but they enhance the ADD-esque effect of the song, and they’re extremely funny in a very Nineties sort of way, serving as a perfect musical time capsule of the pop culture of the era. And even if all the objections commonly raised about this song were actually valid, that incredibly catchy, distinctive tune would counterbalance a lot of faults.

Verdict: Good.

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