Before the release of his 2008 album, Way to Normal, Ben Folds decided to have some fun with his fans.
Because all albums inevitably leak onto the Internet weeks before their release, Folds figured he’d embrace that fact and leak it himself. Only he didn’t leak the actual album, but instead recorded joke version of six album tracks and put those out alongside a couple of “real” songs.
The tracks spread virally and left fans scratching their heads over the earnest political lyrics and icky sentimentality (“All these corporations poisoning our air, the children are angry and hungry and they don’t even care,” “music has the power to change the future”). Some fans defended the tracks — proving die-hard fans can convince themselves of anything — while others declared that Ben had gone to shit.
Musically, the fake tracks are pretty good. I don’t think Folds is capable of writing an outright bad song, even on purpose. Lyrically they’re pretty atrocious, but often pretty funny as a result. Today’s track is an excruciating example.
Ironically, Way to Normal wound up as Folds’ worst album by far. The genuine versions of some of these titles aren’t that much better than the fakes.
Is it something within us?
Or in the world at large?
Maybe it’s both, y’all
The sadness deep inside
Is something we can’t hide
We yearn for the past but
It’s not there
And it makes me frown
Yeah, it makes me frown
You look at the news
Always giving me the blues
War, death and chaos
All around me now
The media’s controlled
And will do just what they’re told
Just want to stand up
And yell “is there anybody out there”
‘Cause it makes me frown
Yeah, it makes me frown
It’s hard to find hope
But maybe we can learn to cope
By listening to one another
It’s a trust thing
‘Cause I know that you have fear
‘Cause you know the end is near
But just lend an ear
And we can make it happen
‘Cause it makes me frown
Makes everybody frown
Oh, I know it can get hard
When you look out your back yard
See the O-Zone falling apart before you
Recycling’s a bitch
I got just one wish:
That our children won’t grow up in a freakin’ trash can
A piano’s all I got
And I know that ain’t a lot
But music has the power
To change the future
So what do you think?
‘Bout my message of hope
Better get with the program
Before it’s too late, y’all
So if you want to start right now
Better take that fuckin’ frown
Better turn it upside down
Just give in to love
Yeah, give in to love
Give it up for love
Amen to love
It’s gotta be love
Or it’ll make you frown
Oh, it makes us frown
Oh, it makes me frown
‘Cause it makes me frown
Meet Me In Montauk 
These lyrics are pretty hilarious, and the music is correspondingly rather lazy (which I’m sure was his intent). The iPod fairy went off the rails a bit with this pick:)