I've always liked this unassuming little song, but I'm a bit surprised at how popular it is. (Maybe it's because of the nutty video?)
The recording, as with many songs on Revenge Is Sweet but possibly most of all, feels quite "unfinished" to me. I'd had some pretty grandiose arrangement ideas that never got a chance to happen because we just ran out of time and money. A vestige of the thwarted plan can still be noted: I went so far as to rent a baritone sax, meant to "bump" with the bass on the choruses and the main figure -- just the foundation of something meant to be bigger, you understand. The track wasn't used, but Kevin allowed one of the "badump badump badump" sax figures to pop up (in the spirit of ridicule, I've always half-suspected.) We did however, spend many, many hours on the drum sound, particularly the kick drum, which Kevin created by placing a mic forty feet away and turning the hallway at Toast Recorders into a big reverb: that worked.
Of course I am not unaware that our public, such as it was, would have (and did) prefer the "unfinished" version. The people have spoken, the bastards. Such is life.
As for the video, well it is what it is. It was as chaotic behind the scenes as in front of them, and there was a whole lot of drama (including, I swear to God, one of the dancers storming off mid-shoot yelling "I am NOT background!") Another thing I remember is that the basic melodic line of the song "Naomi" came to me during this incident, for whatever reason. The best part of it is the Hanna-Barbera style animations, which are pretty darn authentic.
American Ninja II, everybody. American Ninja II.