Concluding a countdown of my favorite albums of 1995…
#1 – Ben Folds Five – Ben Folds Five
This is the third debut album in my top five, making a case for 1995 as a banner year for new talent.
Of all the acts I discovered in the 90s, none blew me away quite like this amusingly named trio out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Singer-songwriter Ben Folds on piano, drummer Darren Jesse, and bassist Robert Sledge quickly cemented their status as one of my favorite bands, largely on the strength of this wonderful album.
This self-titled collection was the first I ever gave the “whole album” treatment here on the blog, back in 2010. As I explained then, I featured it because it was on my short list of all-time favorite albums.
The 14 years since haven’t shifted my opinion. While the band went on to record three more stellar albums, and Folds has had an excellent solo career, I still count this album as the best of it all.
Maybe it goes back to the entry point theory, or maybe it’s because it’s extremely rare to capture lightning in a bottle the way this record does. The energy, the musicianship, and the songcraft all combine here to form something truly special.
Won’t you look up at the skyline
At the mortar, block, and glass
And check out the reflections in my eyes
See they always used to be there
Even when this all was grass
And I sang and danced about a high-rise
[Pre-Chorus]
And you were laughing at my helmet hat
Laughing at my torch
[Chorus]
Go ahead you can laugh all you want
I got my philosophy [Keeps my feet on the ground]
And I trust it like the ground [Ground]
That’s why my philosophy [My phil–]
Keeps me walking when I’m falling down [–osophy]
[Verse 2]
I see that there is evil
And I know that there is good
And the in-betweens I never understood
Would you look at me I’m crazy
But I get the job done
Yeah, I’m crazy but I get the job done
[Chorus]
I say, go ahead you can laugh all you want
But I got my philosophy [Keeps my feet on the ground]
And I trust it like the ground [Ground]
That’s why my philosophy [My phil–]
Keeps me walking when I’m falling down [–osophy]
[Bridge]
I pushed you ’cause I loved you guys
I didn’t realize
That you weren’t having fun
And I dragged you up the stairs
And I told you to fly
You were flapping your arms
Then you started to cry, you were too high
No, too high
[Verse 3]
Now you take this all for granted
You take the mortar, block, and glass
And you forget the speech that moved the stone
But it’s really not that you can’t see
The forest for the trees
You’ve never been out in the woods alone
[Chorus 2]
So you can laugh all you want to
But I’ve got my philosophy [Keeps my feet on the ground]
And I love you, you’re my friend [Friend]
But you got no philosophy [My phil–]
Now it’s time for this song to end [–osophy]
Meet Me In Montauk 
No surprise at all that this would be your number one album of 1995 – and a well deserved honor at that!
I have you to thank for introducing me to Ben Folds Five when you gave me this CD as a birthday gift. The band quickly ascended to one of my favorites as well and, while Folds has put out great music since right up through his most recent release, this debut album remains a standout.