Brow Beat

Here’s Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert Singing “The Obvious Song” in 1993

Carell and Colbert at left, along with David Razowsky and Paul Dinello.

Still from YouTube

There’s something strangely satisfying about watching famous people before their heyday. That’s the appeal of Second City Archives, a Splitsider feature that unearths clips of comedy’s brightest stars when they were making their bones in Chicago’s famous comedy club. Their latest find: a very funny video of Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert singing “The Obvious Song” in 1993.

The song is true to its title—the lyrics are comprised of common-sense one-liners like “Is there a god? Why are we here?/ When you’re walking backward is your butt still your rear?” Colbert and Carell have now tamped down their comedy—the former is set to take over the late night throne, while the latter has delved into dramatic acting—but it’s good fun to see them show off their comic chops and surprising knack for harmony. The bit was part of Second City’s Take Me Out to the Balkans revue, which also featured Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, Fran Adams, Ruth Rudnick, and David Razowsky.

(via Splitsider.)