Continuing my countdown of the songs on Ben Folds’ new album, What Matters Most…
#6 – ‘What Matters Most’
The title track finds Folds discarding things from an old storage space during the pandemic when he learns about the death of a close friend. That friend was actor/comedian Bob Saget, who passed away in January of 2022.
Both the pandemic and the loss of his friend have Folds contemplating his priorities. If the song is a bit on the nose lyrically, that isn’t to its detriment. Folds has a knack for delivering simple platitudes with sincerity and heart. It’s one of his superpowers as a songwriter, and he puts it to good use here.
#5 – ‘Clouds With Ellipses’
This song’s title seems cryptic until you realize Folds is talking about the icon that shows up on your phone when somebody is replying to a text. It’s a nice bit of imagery on which to hang a song about the struggle to communicate.
English singer-songwriter/YouTuber dodie is featured on this track singing backup vocals.
I fill silences with the dark
And I, I can take it
I wanna know the uncensored thoughts
Or maybe not
I know you and your rhythm
When you took an extra beat
That rang true
Were you being honest and thought better of it?
I watched the cloud hesitate, then nothing
Clouds with ellipses
They come and go and come and go
And fade away
Clouds with ellipses
They come and go and come and go
And fade away
For these moments, nothing else mattеrs
Life and doldrums and pain
We float free until the cloud bursts
Arе you even real?
Is that what you started to tell me, but couldn’t?
Clouds with ellipses
They come and go and come and go
And fade away
Clouds with ellipses
They come and go and come and go
And fade away
Clouds with ellipses
They come and go and come and go
Meet me here, free and numinous
Soaring over the rain
We’ve got to be our most beautiful versions
Until we come down
Someone else gets the real thing
And we get our dots and our clouds
Clouds with ellipses
They come and go and come and go
And fade away
Clouds with ellipses
They come and go and come and go
And fade away
Clouds with ellipses
They come and go and come and go
Meet Me In Montauk 
I had no idea that the title track was about Bob Saget nor did I figure out the phone imagery of “Clouds with Ellipses.” This is why I need this blog!
Exactly!
Great information, insights, and review of both of these great songs! Always love a titular track and this one was no disappointment for sure. “Clouds with Ellipses” is the kind of terminology that obfuscates the blatant subtext of trying to connect through technology in such a quintessentially Ben Folds’ way. As a songwriter, it’s very exciting to continue watching such a stellar lyricist hone his craft so far into his discography!