Song of the Day #2,551: ‘New Kid (On the Block)’ – Barenaked Ladies

gordonAfter a week featuring tracks by the likes of Nick Jonas, One Direction and Shawn Mendes, today’s song, from Barenaked Ladies’ 1992 debut Gordon, feels appropriate.

Boy bands are certainly an easy target, but BNL has some fun with the topic.

While boy bands have been around since The Monkees, their resurgence really came in the 90s with Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.

Interestingly, this song predates both of those bands by about a year. Their name-checked target, New Kids on the Block, had already peaked and were waning in popularity by the time this track was released. But a new batch of processed pop stars was just around the corner.

I didn’t ask to be famous, but I’m not sore.
‘Cause you can see my face in the window of every store.
You can buy my lunch box, and you can wear my clothes,
You can remember my name just as plain as the face under your nose.

I’m a new kid on the Block,
‘though I may not be Johann Sebastian Bach.
So we may not write the songs we sing,
but look at Elvis, he sold his soul and
you crowned him King.

I didn’t ask to be famous, but I’m not sad,
You see, I’ve got everything that I always wished I had.
I thank my manager and I thank the screaming girls,
I thank my hairdresser for giving me such beautiful curls.

Now I’m a New Kid on the Block,
well I’m twenty-three and they won’t let me grow up.
I went down to register for the draft,
well I got up to the counter, and the lady there just laughed.

She said You’re a New Kid on the Block,
young girls scream and old boys mock,
well you broke my youngest daughter’s heart.
I knew you kids were trouble from the start.

I didn’t ask to be famous, but I’m not sure
that we’re as apple pie as you always thought we were.
I can stay up all night. I can have a blast.
I can breakdance, I can fight, I can kick your sorry ass.

I’m a New Kid on the Block,
and ‘though I may not be Johann Sebastian Back,
there’s no need to be afraid of us
‘though it just might be your daughter on our bus.

One thought on “Song of the Day #2,551: ‘New Kid (On the Block)’ – Barenaked Ladies

  1. Dana says:

    Hadn’t heard this one before, but it’s clever.

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