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 "Evaporated" by Ben Folds Five

Intro:  |:  F    F/A |  F/Bb :|

F F/A
What I've kept with me
F/Bb
And what I've thrown away
F F/A
And where the hell I've ended up
F/Bb
On this glary random day
F/D F/G
Were the things I've really cared about
F/C F
Just left along the way
F/Bb
For being too pent up and proud

F F/A
Woke up way too late
F/Bb
Feeling hungover and old
F F/A
And the sun was shining bright
F/Bb
And I walked barefoot down the road
F/D F/G
Started thinking about my old man
F/C F F/Bb
Want to get into a car and go

Am. F/Bb
Anywhere

Bbsus2 Csus4 Am.13 Dm
Here I stand, sad and free
Bbsus2 Csus4 Am.13 Dm
I can't cry, I can't see
Bbsus2 Csus4
What I've done
F/D F/A F/Bb F/A
God, what have I done

|: F F/A | F/Bb :|

F F/A
Don't you know I'm numb, man?
F/Bb
I can't feel a thing at all
F F/A
Now it's all smiles and business these days
F/Bb
I'm indifferent to the loss
F/D F/G
I have faith that there's a soul somewhere
F/C F
That's leading me around
F/Bb
I wonder if she knows which way is up and which is down.


Bbsus2 Csus4 Am.13 Dm
Here I stand, sad and free
Bbsus2 Csus4 Am.13 Dm
I can't cry, I can't see
Bbsus2 Csus4
What I've done
F/D F/A F/Bb F/A F/Ab
God, what have I done hoooohooooo

| C Csus4 | Bb | C F |
I poured my heart out
Bb C Csus4 Bb
I poured my heart out
F F/A F/Bb
It evaporated ... see?

| F F/A | F/Bb |

F F/A
Blind man at a canyon's edge
F/Bb
Of a panoramic scene
F F/A
Or maybe I'm a kite that's flying high and random
F/Bb
Dangling a string
F/D F/G
Or slumped over in a vacant room
D/C F
Head on a stranger's knee
F/Bb
I'm sure back home they think I've lost my mind

Bbsus2 Csus4 Am.13 Dm
Here I stand, sad and free
Bbsus2 Csus4 Am.13 Dm
I can't cry, I can't see
Bbsus2 Csus4
What I've done
F/D F/A F/Bb F/A
God, what have I done

| F F/A | F/Bb |


Bbsus2 Csus4

E|--1--|-----|-----| E|--1--|-----|-----|
B|--1--|-----|-----| B|--1--|-----|-----|
G|-----|-----|--4--| G|-----|-----|-----|
D|-----|-----|--3--| D|-----|--2--|-----|
A|XXXXX|XXXXX|XXXXX| A|-----|-----|--3--|
E|XXXXX|XXXXX|XXXXX| E|XXXXX|XXXXX|XXXXX|


Amin13

E|--1--|-----|-----| E|--1--|-----|-----|
B|--1--|-----|-----| B|--1--|-----|-----|
G|-----|-----|-----| G|-----|--2--|-----|
D|-----|--2--|-----| D|-----|-----|--4--|
A|-----|-----|-----| A|-----|-----|--3--|
E|XXXXX|XXXXX|XXXXX| E|XXXXX|XXXXX|XXXXX|

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.