Michael Bluejay's guide to

I made this logo as a gift for the band. It reads the same upside-down as rightside up.
I was proud that when I gave it to Robert at a show in Apr. 1997, he remarked, "That's fucked up!"
Contact  |  BF5 home  |  Michael Bluejay home

Last update: September 26, 2012

This site was selected as the MacroMusic
Noteworthy Site of the day on Feb. 12, 1999.

Ben Folds Five news

Sept. 2012.  The newly-reunited Ben Folds Five releases a new album, The Sound of the Life of the Mind, and launches their first tour in over a decade.  The Magical Armchair has the tour dates.

Stuff on this site

Ben Folds Five FAQ

MP3 of me sitting in with BF5 on "Best Imitation of Myself"

• Order albums and sheet music

Chord charts for some songs

• My lousy MIDI recording of Best Imitation

Similarities between BF5 songs and other songs

• A Who's Who Guide to Ben Folds Five

Interviews with the band from the 1990s

• BF5 Haikus

• Picture of my BF5 tattoo

• The piano market (piano stocks)

• BF5's shows in Austin

• SXSW 1996 concert photos

Other sites

The band's official site

Magical Armchair (well-known fansite)

Wikipedia article about the band

Lyrics at BestLyrics.com

Misheard lyrics

Ragogna interview, Oct. 2012. Excellent interview with Ben; touches on some technical aspects of the music as well as the meaning behind some of the lyrics.

BF5 All Together Now. Japanese fan site, in English & Japanese.  Doesn't seem to have been updated since 2000, but has some cool GIF animations of the band.

The Strangest Thing.  This large fansite died in 2002, but here's the archive.

1997 interview

Hotel Lights.  Darren Jessee's critically-acclaimed other band

ChuckFolds.com.  Ben's brother's site about his own music

Phil's Finest Hour was an Australian band with a BF5-like sound.  Unfortunately they seemed to have disappeared, and I can't find any recordings of them listed anywhere.

Ben Folds Five timeline

1966. Ben born on Sept. 12.

Mid-1980s.  If the song "Army" is truly autobiographical, Ben works at Chik-Fil-A, contemplates joining the army, and plays in an unsuccessful band.

~1987-90.  Ben forms Majosha with Millard Powers.  Band wins a "Battle of the Bands" contest.

1994. Band forms in Chapel Hill, NC, with Folds, Darren Jessee on drums, and Robert Sledge on bass guitar.

1995. Debut eponymous album on Caroline Records. "Underground" is a semi-hit single.

1996. The band gets a large following in Japan, courtesy of a Japanese TV drama in which one of the characters is a big fan, but gets a lot less attention the U.S.

1997. Second album, Whatever and Ever Amen. The single "Brick" launches the band to stardom, and "Song for the Dumped" and "Battle of Who Could Care Less" hits the Top 25.

1998. Ben releases his first solo album, Fear of Pop, though Ben Folds Five is still going strong.

1999. Third album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. "Army" charts in the Top 20.

2000.  The band breaks up amicably in October.  The bandmembers' projects post-breakup aren't detailed here; instead see the Wikipedia articles about Ben, Darren, and Robert.)

2005. A remastered and expanded edition of Whatever and Ever Amen is released, including seven new bonus tracks.

2008. The band reunites for a single show in Chapel Hill. (NME)

2011. The band reunites to record three new songs for the compilation album The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective.

2012. The band releases their fourth studio album, The Sound of the Life of the Mind, and begins their first tour in over a decade.


Chords to "Battle of Who Could Care Less" by Ben Folds Five

March 1997

I picked up the free BoWCCL single and decided to take a crack at transcribing it.  So for those of you in the States, now you can play it before you can buy it! :-) Here are my notes on this transcription:

- Gm/Eb means a Gm chord with your right hand and Eb notes with your left hand.

- 2Gm means you play the Gm in the second inversion (D-G-Bb, instead of G-Bb-D). I invented this notation since I didn't know how else to write it.

- Notes or chords with a dash between (in the intro) them are played more quickly.

- The asterisks in the intro don't mean anything. They're just to make it pretty


----------------------------------------------------------------------
(BASS) The bass line changes throughout, but this pattern will do for
the verse. For the intro, try octaves.

Play these quarter notes:
(1) The root note
(2) Then the same note an octave higher
(3) Then the 5th, below the root note
(4) Then the same note as #2
For example: (read left to right)

--------------------------------------
G G F F Eb Eb Db Db

G F Eb Db
D C Bb Ab
--------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------
(INTRO: DOO-DOO-DOO)

Robert: |: D C Bb C-Bb-Ab * Ab Bb-C--Bb * Gb Ab-Bb-Ab :|
Darren: |: B A G A-G--F * F G--Ab-G * Eb F--Gb-F :|
Chords: |: G..F..Gm/Eb.......Db * Db........Eb * B.........Db :|

----------------------------------------------------------------------
(DOO-DOO, ending)

Robert: Bb-C--Bb * C-D--C
Darren: G--Ab-G * A-Bb-A
Chords: ......Ebmaj7 * F.....

----------------------------------------------------------------------
(VERSE)

G F6 Gm/Eb F6-F6-Gm/Eb
Do you not hear me any more?

(Gm/Eb) F Fm/Db
I know it's not your thing to care.

Fm7/Db 2Gm/Eb G
I know it's cool to be so bored.


(G) F6 Gm/Eb F6-F6-Gm/Eb
But it sucks me in when you're aloof.

(Gm/Eb) F Fm/Db
It sucks me in, it sucks it works.

Fm7/Db 2Gm/Eb F
I guess it's cool to be alone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
(CHORUS)

2Eb/C Bb F
Will you nev----er rest?

2Eb/C Fsus/Bb F
Fighting the Battle of Who Could Care Less?

2Eb Bb F Eb
Every day you wake up late.

C G7
Sometimes I wish I was that way.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
(DOO-DOO-DOO part, one time)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
(VERSE 2)

You think Rockford Files is cool.
But there are some things
that you would change if it were up to you.
Something about your masterpiece. (Yeah yeah yeah yeah.)
Watch the Rockford Files
and call to see if Paul can score some weed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(CHORUS)

Do you never rest?
Fighting the Battle of Who Could Care Less.
Unearned unhappiness.
Well that's all right I guess.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
(BRIDGE)

Robert's doos: |: A Bb * A Bb C Bb A * A B :|
Darren's doos: |: F G * F G A G F * F G :|
Chords: |: Ebmaj7............................G.... :|

C D G7 C7
I've got this great idea.

C D G7 C7
Why don't we pitch it to the Franklin Fuckin' Mint?

C D G7 C Gsus/Eb
Fine pewter portraits of, General Apathy and Major Boredom.

G Eb (faint)
Singin', "Whatever and ever, amen."

----------------------------------------------------------------------
(VERSE 3)

Gm/Eb F Fm/Db Eb
Oh well, maybe not, try again.
Well this should cheer you up for sure.
You see I've got your old ID.
You're all dressed up like the Cure.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
(CHORUS)

You never rest.
Fighting the Battle of Who Could Care Less.
Unearned unhappiness.
You're my hero I confess.

Ben Folds Five studio albums
1st album
(July 25, 1995)
2nd album
(Mar. 18, 1997)
3rd album
(Apr. 27, 1999)
4th album
(Sep. 18, 2012)




Compilation albums

Naked Baby Photos
(Jan. 13, 1998)
live tracks, alternate versions, obscure covers
The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective
(Oct. 11, 2011)


Sheet Music

Keyboard Signature Licks

Sheet Music

Order for $23.

Expertly written note-for-note sheet music for selected songs from all four BF5 albums, plus commentary, interviews with Ben about the songs, and a practice CD!  Read my review.

Whatever & Ever Amen

Sheet Music

Order for $20

The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

Sheet Music

Order for $20.

Naked Baby Photos. This is a collection of live & alternate versions and some covers. This is a good source for songs from the first album since the sheet music for the debut album is long out of print. Order for $20.