Ben Folds By Track – Track #4

See here for the idea behind this series of blogs. Here we go onto the next tracks from the Ben Folds (Five) catalog. Even though I was unable to attend the concert on the 17th, I thought I should at least finish this little project, so here we go.

1. “Gone” from “Suburbs” – One reason I like this song so much is that it kind of describes how I felt in the 18 months or so after my divorce, and how it feels to truly move on with your life after such a life changing event. One of my favorite songs.
2. “Landed” from “Silverman” – Like “Gone,” another song about getting over things, especially relationships. This one, however, is a bit different as it speaks of reaching out to a former lover and letting them know that you were available.
3. “Song for the Dumped” from “Whatever and Ever Amen” – Obviously another song written after a breakup. I think the song expresses the feelings of many people after a particular nasty breakup, but maybe not so much for people over the age of 25.
4. “Magic” from “Reinhold Messner” – What I like most about this song is the sound. It sounds as if Folds is singing from an empty room, which enhances the overall feel of this song. I must admit, however, I didn’t truly appreciate this song until it was featured on the “University A Capella” album, but it is probably one of the better songs off of “Reinhold Messner.”
5. “You Don’t Know Me (featuring Regina Spektor)” from “Way to Normal” – Listening to the lyrics to this song remind me of a couple that have become complacent with each other and don’t really know how to interact anymore, but also don’t really truly know each other when it comes down to it.
6. “Where’s Summer B?” from “Ben Folds Five” – One of the weaker songs from this album, but not the worst of the Track Fours. I think the “Summer” referred to in the title is a girl, but I could be wrong.
7. “Doc Pomus” from “Lonely Avenue” – This album is definitely hit or miss, as can be seen from the ranking so far for the album. I think that while this album is not nearly as good as some of the others, it is still a decent album. Maybe it does truly suffer because the lyrics are not Ben Folds’.

Average ranking by album to this point:

1. “Rockin’ the Suburbs” – 1.5 (6)
2. “Whatever and Ever Again” – 2.5 (10)
3. “Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner” – 3.5 (14)
4. “Songs for Silverman” – 4.25 (17)
5. “Way to Normal” – 4.75 (19)
6. “Ben Folds Five” – 5.5 (22)
7. “Lonely Avenue” – 6 (24)

Until next time…