Ben Folds Songs: Top 30

A Guide to Ben's Top Tunes, with and Without the Five.

Whether you’re a crazed Ben Folds fan, a passive enjoyer of his more popular tunes, or an eager poser trying to impress your Ben Folds fanatic boyfriend/girlfriend, have a look at my Top 30 Ben Folds songs.

Trying to rank songs by one of your favourite artists is a painstaking process. In my case, I had to sift through a collection of Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five CDs and mp3s to re-listen (often several times) to each track I own. In compiling and arranging the list, I considered all Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five tracks that were not covers of other artists, meaning that “Tiny Dancer” and "In Between Days" could not be included.

30. Battle of Who Could Care Less
“It sucks me in when you’re aloof.” There is a pleasing key change right before the Franklin Mint lyric, and buried in the lines of this track is the best-selling album title Whatever and Ever Amen.

29. Hiro’s Song
Released on a Japanese version of Rockin’ the Suburbs, this entertaining Ben Folds ditty tells the silly story of 51 year-old man who leaves his wife for a secretary who went to high school with his daughter.

28. Narcolepsy
It seems like many fans love this song because they relate to the concept of just shutting on and off without notice. Defying conventional song patterns with frequent changes and a dramatic lead-in, this first song on The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner sets the tone for even better music as the album plays on.

27. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
A revenge anthem for geeky kids (and anyone else who was likely to get beaten up in school), "One Angry Dwarf" is a live favourite due to the aggressive Ben Folds piano percussion.

26. Kate
When you hear Kate, you’ll want to dance like a Peanuts character. This upbeat, poppy tune is a nice complement to some of Ben Folds' quieter, more pensive tracks. And the choral “Kate!” exclamation is just too fun to be ignored.