And, they thought, what better name for a pop band than the Barenaked Ladies? It’s a fitting name for the five guys – Page, Robertson, Jim and Andy Creeggan, and Tyler Stewart – from the bustling city of Toronto, Canada. After all, anyone whose ever listened to their music knows they’re laidback and enjoy a good laugh.

Their debut album, “Yellow Tape,” was released as an independent in 1999, and garnered more raised eyebrows than praise. Still, “Yellow Tape” accomplished a near-impossible feat: it went platinum. That was just the break the Barenaked Ladies needed; it seemed every record company was vying to sign them. The band chose Sire and quickly began working on their next offering. “Gordon,” was released in 1992, and became a hit in Canada and the United States, due in large part to the single “If I Had a $1,000,000,” a song that just about everybody sang, or at least hummed, along to.

The Barenaked Ladies were not without their controversies, but they didn’t let that stop them. June Rowlands, Toronto’s mayor at the time, berated the band, claiming their name was sexist. She went as far as to ban them from playing in Toronto. Typical of their personalities, the band had a good laugh and focused on the next city on their tour. Barenaked Ladies concert tickets were still the tickets everyone wanted, despite the mayor’s protests.

In 1994, the Barenaked Ladies headed back to the studio to record “Maybe You Should Drive.” Shortly after its release, Andy Creeggan said adios to the band and headed back to school. In his place came Kevin Hearn. The Ladies followed with 1996’s “Born on a Pirate Ship.”

It was “Stunt,” the album released in 1998 that shot the Barenaked Ladies to stardom in the United States. The single “One Week” became an instant hit. In 2000, the Barenaked Ladies received their first Grammy nomination, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, with the hit song “Pinch Me.”

The band’s latest album, “Barenaked for Hanukkah,” was released in 2004.