I was prepared to say that this is my least favorite BNL album, and certainly it's the one I've listened to the least, but... each time I do listen to it, some subtlety, some previously undiscovered nuance, some secret meaning jumps out at me and blows me away.

It first happened when I realized that "Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank," a bouncy little tune, was actually about a stalker hunting down the object of his obsession. Much deeper and disturbing than I had guessed. Cool! Then I realized "I Live With It Every Day" was about a man haunted by a friend he had (accidentally?) killed when he was a child. Pretty obvious, but I had never really listened to the lyrics. Then -- hey, "Call Me Calmly" is actually a hooker talking to a john! How clever is that? "When I Fall" (which I think is the most beautiful song ever from BNL) is about a window washer! And (this one took the longest to register) "Just a Toy" -- it's about a lifeless puppet in Gepetto's workshop, fiercely jealous of all the affection the living Pinocchio is getting! ("Look at his face, somewhat like mine/But look at his nose, you can always be sure that he's lying... I call him liar, you call him son/If I could move, I'd set him on fire and I'd run.") That one still amazes me. What level is your brain working on to come up with a song like that?

A lot of people call this the best BNL album -- mostly because, I think, it was the first one those people had ever heard. "Shoe Box" was played on Friends and appeared on the Friends soundtrack, "The Old Apartment" had a video directed by Jason Priestly, BNL showed up on Beverly Hills 90210 to sing it... and suddenly people everywhere were on the BNL bandwagon.

I'm not saying they're wrong for liking this album. But it's certainly not the best thing BNL has ever done. While there are a number of stunning tracks here, Pirate Ship is not nearly as fun as Gordon, Maybe You Should Drive, or Stunt, nor nearly as consistent. I don't want to make it sound like I can only appreciate the fun tracks, or that I can't accept darker or more challenging songs from BNL. "Straw Hat," "Just a Toy," and "When I Fall" are different and darker than many other BNL tunes (you always worry that window washer is going to jump), and they're as good as BNL gets. It's just that some of the songs ("Call Me Calmly" or "Same Thing," for example) simply don't come together the way their best work does; they're far more clever in conception than they are enjoyable in their execution.

I do think I'll be listening to this album more often. This may still be my least favorite BNL album... but it's still better than most anything else.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


Barenaked Fun!  Aug 01, 2000 By Brian
It's quite possible that "Born On A Pirate Ship" is least among BNL fans because it has this sense of professionalism that "Gordon" and "Maybe You Should Drive" did not. Clearly the songs seem to be edited more precisely and the songs get more to the point instead of having fun and not pointing to one topic in the song. Although this might be one of BNL's more professional releases, it still has some very humorous points to it. The starting track, 'Stomach Vs. Heart,' is a song that deals with the thought of love being able to be digested in the matter minutes. 'Straw Hat And Old Dirty Hank' talks of a farm boy falling in love with a city girl. Despite constant rejection, the farm boy continues to try before finding out that his love is made up of nothing but greed and personal gain. ' I Know' is one of many BNL songs that talks of many ranging issues from Jesus to dating. Although the song is meant to be sung by an old-fashioned father refusing to let his daughter date, the song has some odd funny points. For instance, the part of liking Jesus because of his sandals. 'This Is Where It Ends' is one of many serious songs on BOAPS. 'When I Fall' talks of a high-rise window washer being afraid of heights. An oxymoron itself, the subject is oddly serious and for a single moment, the listener may think the window washer is about to jump. 'I Live With It Everyday' is a song that has no funny points at all. The serious subject talks of the emotions a person carries with him/her for the rest of their life after accidentally killing someone. 'The Old Apartment' is one of few simple songs on BOAPS. This alone probably made it popular, and is a great song. It humorous, entertaining, and simple. 'Break Your Heart' is a song a couple could slow dance to until Steve bursts out and screams parts of the lyrics. 'Spider In My Room' is another funny song that I love! The beginning is great and I love the singing voice! 'Shoebox' is probably the most popular song of BOAPS to fans, and rightly so! The subject is creative, deep, and interesting!

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


The Ladies weren't holding their tongues on this one  Jul 22, 1998
The first BNL album I ever bought - and I loved it. Not all of it, though; a couple of the tracks seem a little sameish and, while all have lyrics worthy of the Ladies' wit, some of the tracks clearly stand out from the others as great musical pieces.

Stomach Vs. Heart, I Know (the first verse of which reminded me, horror of horrors, of Australia's own Pauline Hanson - "I know why I like you, it's because of your clothing, and your haircut - and 'cos you're rascist"), When I Fall, Spider In My Room and Shoe Box are amongst the classic tracks of this album.

If I Fall stands out particularly as the mellowest track among a collection of more middle-of-the-road rock songs; Stomach Vs. Heart and Shoe Box, with loud beats and joyous thumping choruses, stand out as the opposite. Spider In My Room is a musical joy, combining great lyrics with amazing vocal pieces to make something truly unique. Shoe Box was certainly worthy of an Ep release, although The Old Apart! ment is a puzzle; apparently the hit single from this album, it really is hardly more than an above-average rock effort.

All in all, its a great album, but while none of the tracks are really duds, the half dozen or so which smack you across the ears and writhe into your brain make the other efforts seem a little mediocre by comparison. Still, well worth a listen, and definitely a strongly recommended buy.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:


if you are bored with typical radio music....  Nov 21, 2001 By Sheri
This CD is beautiful, erratic, and fun. I would buy it for "This is Where It Ends", alone, but everything on it is wonderful. A very underrated CD from an even more underrated band.

See all 52 customer reviews on Amazon.com