Songfacts®:

• The opening track of Silverball is a rocking anthem about staying strong when the going gets tough. BNL frontman Ed Robertson had songwriting help from Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin, who also co-wrote the album's "Duct Tape Heart."
• It wouldn't be a Barenaked Ladies tune without a fun bit of wordplay courtesy of Ed Robertson. In a Songfacts interview, Robertson explained how he ended up name-checking Muhammad Ali in the second verse. "Kevin Griffin said to me, 'What's that saying, like it's a standing eight count or something, you know, like when the boxer's just like kind of drunk on his feet, kind of punch drunk?' And so I said, 'Oh, yeah, that's a good idea.' So, I wrote, 'Standing eight and I'm on the ropes, Knees givin' but I won't lose hope, Not the second coming of Muhammad Ali, But can I get a 'WOOT' for the boxing imagery?' And I sang the line to Kevin and he just stared at me and then he said, 'Goddamn, you really are Ed Robertson, aren't you.' It was a really fun moment."
• This is also the set opener for the live album BNL Rocks Red Rocks, which was recorded at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, during the band's 2015 Last Summer On Earth tour.