The Barenaked Ladies perform during the Canada For Asia in Toronto Thursday, Jan. 13, 2005. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Harris

As “Saturday Night Live” marks its 50th anniversary, The Canadian Press looks back on some of the sketch comedy show’s most notable Canadian musical performances.

Musical guest: Barenaked Ladies

Song: “It’s All Been Done”

Host: Gwyneth Paltrow

Date: Feb. 6, 1999

THE SHOW: This episode poked fun at the impeachment trial of then-U.S. president Bill Clinton, who would be acquitted days after the broadcast. One sketch centred on E! red carpet coverage of the trial with Paltrow impersonating actress Sharon Stone and Chris Kattan as unhinged comic Andy Dick. In the opening monologue, Paltrow mocked her fake British accent in recent films and took questions from the audience, including from one-time boyfriend Ben Affleck. Two months later, Paltrow took the Oscar stage to accept the best actress trophy for “Shakespeare in Love.”

BACKSTAGE: Ed Robertson, then co-frontman of Barenaked Ladies, remembered their dressing room as a revolving door of visiting celebs, including star-struck Hollywood pals Affleck and Matt Damon who were self-professed early BNL followers. "They were like, ‘Seriously guys, we’re the hugest fans from back in the day,” Robertson said, noting that Affleck proved it by referencing their semi-obscure 1991 take on Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time.” “He was air guitaring and singing our cover,” he said. “So we knew Ben and Matt were legit.”

THE REHEARSAL: Robertson recalls fewer details about the band's performance than he does the rest of the planned "SNL" episode. One sketch stood out because it was ultimately cut: Paltrow as a PBS pledge driver asking viewers to donate by listing the broadcaster's many programs, all of them bawdy British imports. “Where else can you see shows like, ‘Who Rogered Me Mum?’” Robertson recalls her saying. “That one had us in stitches.” Now the bit mostly exists as a Barenaked Ladies inside joke.

LIVE ON AIR: At the time, NBC executives were pulling back on music on "SNL" in favour of more comedy, so artists were usually invited to play one song rather than two. The Toronto band had to choose between their chart-topping summer smash “One Week” and the second single they were promoting at the time, “It’s All Been Done.” They went with the latter, and then-lead singer Steven Page kicked off the performance by springing off the stage while strumming his guitar. “You can be grumpy about it,” Robertson said about only getting one song. “But I think we chose to focus on the fact that we were on 'SNL.'”

THE LEGACY: Barenaked Ladies still tour extensively with Robertson as the sole frontman and are planning a run of North American dates this summer. Robertson said the "SNL" appearance is among several old clips that find a new life online every so often. "I just remember it feeling really cool," Robertson said of the experience. "It was a real feather in the cap of the band, I guess. A real accomplishment that we got to do it at all."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2025.

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