15. Ben Folds--Rockin' the Suburbs
#15: Ben Folds--Rockin' the Suburbs (2001)
Top-Notch Tracks: "The Luckiest," [HJ200 #1,], "Zak and Sara," "Annie Waits," "Still Fighting It," "Fred Jones, Part 2," "Gone," "Rockin' the Suburbs," "Not the Same," "Fired," "The Ascent of Stan"
Album Depth: "Carrying Cathy," "Losing Lisa"
Weak Links: Massive amounts of profanity.
Stand-Out Lyrics: "I don't get many things right the first time. In fact, I've been told that a lot."--"The Luckiest"
"Zak called his dad about layaway plans. And Sara told the friendly salesmen that: 'You'll all die in your car. And why's it gotta be dark? And you're all working in a submarine.'"--"Zak and Sara"
"Annie waits for the last time. Just the same as the last time."--"Annie Waits"
"You want a Coke? Maybe some fries? The roast beef combo's only $9.95."--"Still Fighting It"
"There was no party. There were no songs. 'Cause today's just a day like the day that he started. No one is left here who knows his first name."--"Fred Jones Part 2"
"In the year since you've been gone I've finally let you go. And I hope you find some time to drop a note. But if you won't, then you won't."--"Gone"
"I'm pissed off, but I'm too polite when people break in the McDonald's line. Mom and Dad you made me so uptight I'm gonna cuss on the mic tonight."--"Rockin' the Suburbs"
"Lucretia walks into a room. Because she does, it's not the same room--the one she wanted to be in. She says, 'Everywhere I go, damn, there I am."--"Fired"
"Once you wanted revolution. Now you're the institution. How's it feel to be the man? It's no fun to be the man."--"The Ascent of Stan"
"Black tears are falling and she won't say what I've done."--"Losing Lisa"
"Annie says, 'You see, this is why I'd rather be alone.'"--"Annie Waits"
"And you're so much like me. I'm sorry."--"Still Fighting It"
"I just drove to the store for some Preparation H."--"Rockin' the Suburbs"
"He's forgotten but not yet gone."--"Fred Jones Part 2"
"'Til someone died on the waterslide. And you were not the same after that."--"Not the Same"
"There were times when I'd find myself saying to friends, 'You don't understand. And it's different when it's just me and her."--"Carrying Cathy"
"Y'all don't know what it's like being male, middle-class, and white!"--"Rockin' the Suburbs"
"I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you."--"The Luckiest"
Sh&*%, Fu@&^*% Lyrics: "It gets me real pissed off and makes me wanna say--it gets me real pissed off and makes me wanna say--it gets me real pissed off and makes me wanna say, F*%#!!!"--"Rockin' the Suburbs"
"And all of these bast@*%$ have taken his place. He's forgotten but not yet gone."--"Fred Jones Part 2"
"It's a bi#^% if you don't believe, listen up to my new cd."--"Rockin' the Suburbs"
"I know that you went straight to someone else while I worked through all this sh%# here by myself. And I think that you should spend some time alone. But if you won't, then you won't."--"Gone"
"I got sh%# running through my brain, so intense that I can't explain. All alone in my white-boy pain. Shake your booty 'til the band complains."--"Rockin' the Suburbs"
"Motherfu@&er!"--"Fired"
"Some producer with computers fixes all my shi%#ty tracks."--"Rockin' the Suburbs"
"She's so sensitive, this sh%# just happens sometimes."--"Losing Lisa"
"You better watch out, because I'm gonna say fu@&. You better watch out because I'm gonna say fu@&. You better watch out, because I'm gonna say fu@&."--"Rockin' the Suburbs"
Album cover: 3 out of 10. It's dark. It's black and white artsy. He may or may not be drunk. It's just not that impressive.
But then there's this version:
I think the warning bumps it up to 4 out of 10. He's edgy, man. He might just curse at you.
Comments: Yes, I've frequently called Ben Folds a foul-mouthed little troll. (Apparently, according to the interwebs, he's 5'10", so he's not quite as little as I thought he was.) He's so talented, yet has such a filthy mouth that I can't really play his music in front of my kids. Some might say that makes me prudish, but I'm not ready for my adorable kids to be brandishing those junior-high-hall words about just yet. (In fact, a few weeks ago my cute little six year-old girl told her Mom that she wasn't going to use the f-word any more. This got my wife's attention, and she asked, "Oh, which f-word would that be?" Thing 3 didn't want to tell her, but finally relented and said she wasn't ever going to say "fat" again.)
A few songs back on this list (#22) I made a big deal about how the They Might Be Giants album "Mink Car" was released on the fateful day of September 11, 2001. I knew that at the time, because I had been eagerly anticipating the release of that album for some time. Well, unbeknownst to me, another album was released the same day: Ben Folds--"Rockin' the Suburbs!" I didn't realize this, because I hadn't been awaiting the release of this album. Yes, I had a couple of Ben Folds Five albums in my collection at that point, but I didn't care enough to feel I needed to immediately grab any new music he came out with. So, I guess you could say September 11, 2001 was a terrible day for America, but it was a fantastic day for music. (I wonder what albums were released on January 6, 2021?)
I'm sure one of the reasons this album struck my so strongly was that it helped fill the void of the lack of new Billy Joel pop songs. By 2001, it had been several years since Billy had put anything new out, and the first two songs on this album, "Annie Waits," and "Zak and Sara," both start out by establishing the importance of the piano in the music. Those first two songs really just blew me away the first time I listened to the album. (It certainly helped that the songs included some of my favorite musical tropes, like hand claps, and "la-la-la's.")
But, it wasn't just those two songs--the rest of the album was great, too!
Of course, "The Luckiest" landed as the Number One song on my Top 200 song list for good reason. As a self-made 40 year-old virgin, I'm still amazed that I have someone I can sing that song to! (Although she'd probably prefer the Ben Folds version to my actual singing.)
Another song that I didn't think would ever apply to me in my life is "Still Fighting It," a heartfelt song from a Dad to his son. Now that I have a son (and another!), the line that hits me in the feels every time is, "You're so much like me. I'm sorry."
"Fred Jones Part 2" is a great story song about a worker drone as he faces retirement. While "Gone" is the ultimate breakup song for someone who can't quite grasp that his breakup happened quite some time ago.
Despite the exceedingly high levels of profanity it contains, "Rockin' the Suburbs" is a pretty darn fun song. I'm just not sure of his serious/sarcastic level when he declares he rocks like Michael Jackson, Quiet Riot, and Jon Bon Jovi, except that they were talented. Is he making fun of Jon Bon Jovi, or does he really think he's talented? I'd say he's making fun of all of them, but sarcastically saying Michael Jackson is not talented doesn't seem like a stance any sane person would take. So, I'm going with Ben really saying that Quiet Riot is talented, no sarcasm added.
All of the other songs are really good, too. Ben's piano and high-pitched vocals make even the most depressing tunes kind of fun.
One thing that struck me on a recent re-listening to the album, which I hadn't noticed before, is how many of the songs seem to focus on mentally unstable women. There's Cathy from "Carrying Cathy," Lisa from "Losing Lisa," Sara from "Zak and Sara," Annie from "Annie Waits," and even Lucretia from "Fired." I'm not sure what that says about Mr. Folds and his relationships with women, but it's probably not good. (That, plus the fact that the term "Ben Folds Five" could refer to both the trio rock band he was part of, and/or a label for all of the women who have been married to him.)
Two more quick notes on this album. First, there is a bonus track that was on the Japanese release and the US vinyl release of the album. I hadn't heard of this song until this past week. It's called "Hiro's Song," and it's about an older man having a fling with a woman the same age as his daughter. In true Ben Fold fashion, it's a disturbing yet fun song to listen to, plus it's laced with profanity.
And then there's the simple little fact that, if he really wanted to, Ben Folds could easily write a song without any profanity. For the 2006 animated kids' movie Over the Hedge, Ben reworked the song "Rockin' the Suburbs," removing all of the profanity. He ends up with an incredibly funny song that pokes fun of suburban American life (sort of like Billy Joel's "No Man's Land," but without the bitterness), and includes a very funny monologue by an angry William Shatner!
So, yes, somewhere inside that foul-mouthed little troll is a guy who, much like They Might Be Giants, could write a whole series of children's albums.
Sham on!
Up next: ....Wasn't this supposed to be a musical?
This is a top-notch album in pretty much every way an album can be notched. As far as the mentally unstable women that he writes about, when was the last time you heard a really good song about a mentally stable woman? Maybe that Cake song about that woman with fingernails that shine like justice?
ReplyDeleteAnd in regards to the use of the F-bomb, that word just ain't what it used to be. I mean, it's become common for people to say it on TV and have it bleeped out. But back when we were young-uns, if somebody had a bleeped F-word, that was major news the next day. Overall, I'd say the F-word has lost a lot of its shock value. So when I hear the F-bomb on this album, I just kind of think, "Yep, I knew he was gonna say it." Of course, this album came out 20 years ago, so the word may have had more punch back then. But listening to the album now, I'm not so bothered by the F-bombs.
I think I also can put your mind at ease about whether or not Ben is being sarcastic about Quiet Riot. The answer actually comes from something I read about Weezer. It seems that they used to rehearse in a garage. And on the walls of that garage were some posters of the bands they liked. And one of those posters was of Quiet Riot. So if Weezer genuinely admires Quiet Riot, there's a good chance Ben genuinely admires them too. Also, I think Quiet Riot is responsible for making metal mainstream with the first metal album to be at the top of the Billboard albums chart back in 1983. So, yeah, I think it's safe to say that Ben thinks they really were talented.
Nardo