OT: Barenaked Ladies - If I Had $1000000

Does anyone recall why "If I Had $1000000" by Barenaked Ladies was re-released in 1999/2000? I was working in top 40 at the time, and my station played it in light rotation for a while in the spring of 2000. We played the live version, which is track 2 on the following promo:

PRO-CD-100000
1. Album Version (4:27)
2. Live Album Version (4:58)

Cut 1 is from their 1992 album Gordon, while cut 2 (the version we played) is taken from Rock Spectacle, which came out in late 1996. The copyright date on the promo CD single is 1999, but it seems odd they would be promoting albums that were 7 and 3 years old. Does anyone else recall hearing it on CHR radio around the same time, and if so, which version was getting airplay?

Yeah, that could possibly be the reason (timed with its use in a movie, show, or TV ad), although neither of the lottery examples line up with the promo CD release date.

Side note: I really like this song and "Brian Wilson," but the studio versions have always sounded a bit lame by comparison to the Rock Spectacle live versions.

Edited by aaronk

I agree with Paul on this.
We added both aforementioned songs, as well as "The Old
Apartment" as recurrents, even though we didn't play them
as currents. I'm pretty sure we played the live version
of both.
We played the "special radio" version (with the intro
that I don't think was on the album) of TOA, not the live
version.

They were certainly staples of Hot AC and pop-leaning CHR
for a couple of years.

In Philly during this time period there was a Alternative AC station (Max 95.7),
and a regular Alternative station (Y100), both played the live version. I believe
Y100 played The Old Apartment when it was current.


One track that hasn't been mentioned is "Brian Wilson 2000", a remix version
of the 1992 track. Y100 played the "Rock Spectacle" version, while MAX
played the remix.

I just obtained a promo CD I had never seen before for "Brian Wilson":

PRO-CD-9228-R
1. Rock Spectacle Video Edit (listed & actual 3:59)
2. Rock Spectacle Album Version (listed 4:48; actual 4:45)

The Video Edit is much better than the 3:34 (listed) "Rock Spectacle Edit" that appears on PRO-CD-8981-R. The 3:34 edit cuts off the entire first verse and starts at the chorus. The 3:59 Video Edit shortens the first verse instead of removing it completely.