Cover art for The Old Apartment by Barenaked Ladies
Apr. 22, 19971 viewer21.8K views

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Genius Annotation

“The Old Apartment” was the lead single and seventh track off of Barenaked Ladies' third studio album Born on a Pirate Ship. It was the band’s first breakthrough hit in the United States and was their highest charting single ever since “Brian Wilson” on their 1992 album Gordon. A live version of the song also appears on the band’s live album, Rock Spectacle.

According to Ed Robertson,

People think that it’s a disgruntled ex-partner breaking into the apartment to mess with the current relationship of his ex. But it’s actually about the building. The couple has moved on together and the guy is going back and he’s pissed off that the people have changed this place that is special to him. So, the anger comes from, “Hey, this was my home, why did you mess it up by changing all these things?” So, that’s what that one’s about. A lot of people think that that’s about an ex-relationship but it’s actually about an ex-abode.

Credits
Percussion
Electric Guitar
Bass Guitar
Pedal Steel Guitar
Release Date
April 22, 1997
The Old Apartment Covers
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