Ben Folds Five is a trio formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United Stat… Read Full Bio ↴Ben Folds Five is a trio formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States in 1994, who until their breakup in 2000 were a mainstay of Piano rock. Much of their work was influenced by jazz, evident in frequent improv-styled passages through bridge and/or ending.

The members of the band are Ben Folds, the lead singer and pianist, who also wrote most of the songs; Robert Sledge on bass; and Darren Jessee on drums. The group enjoyed the success of the single Brick in 1997, a ballad written by Folds (with a chorus by Jessee) about his high school girlfriend getting an abortion. This song has, to a large degree, misrepresented the band to fans who aren't familiar with their other work; "Brick" is a serious ballad, whereas most of their music is characterised by jazz inflections and witty, humorous lyrics.

After the band's not-so amicable breakup in October 2000 over Ben's over shadowing of Sledge and Jessee, Folds began a solo career. Robert Sledge's subsequent band International Orange has broken up, while Darren Jessee is the frontman for the band Hotel Lights.

Folds once described their music as "punk rock for pussies" - a reaction to the angst prevalent in 90s rock. When asked about his band's name he jokingly responded "you mean a trio isn't five?". In other interviews the band said that the name was simply because Ben Folds Five sounded better than Ben Folds Three.

Ben Folds has continued with producing music on his own, striking a subtler tone than Ben Folds Five's earlier recordings. His personal relationship with William Shatner has opened the doors for a great professional one. Ben Folds produced William Shatner's album Has Been and they have since worked together on The 'Over The Hedge' soundtrack.

On September 18, 2008 at the UNC Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the band reunited for the first time in nearly 10 years for one special gig playing their critically acclaimed final album: The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner in its entirety.

The House Songfacts reports that the trio got together in 2011 to record three new Ben Folds Five songs for the compilation,The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective.

Their 4th studio album "The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind" released September 18th, 2012. A live album titled "Ben Folds Live" released soon after on June 3rd, 2013.

Another live album "The Complete Sessions at West 54th" originally recorded in June of 1997, released on July 10, 2018.

Amelia Bright
Ben Folds Five Lyrics

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Hey, something is new
It got into me and I hope that it got into you
The way my covers are made
Trumpets will play
And I hope that it's inside
I hope that it got into you

There's no doubt

Here lies Amelia Bright
In a red 50's dress
From a thrift shop nearby
I laid on the ground and stared at the sky
With Amelia Bright

There's clothes
That hide them away
There's me spread
All over the floor
And I'm lost in one place,
I'm stuck, and I'm straight,
And I hope that you feel the same way

There's no doubt
Here lies Amelia Bright
In a red 50's dress
From a thrift shop nearby
I laid on the grass and stared at the sky
With Amelia Bright

There's no doubt
There's nothing to work out
You're alone
'Cause you're always on your own
When you yawn,
It makes me want to yawn, too

Plain, expressionless view
It got into you with a necklace, no shoes,
The promise of truth
And a life to be bright and new

There's no doubt
Here lies Amelia Bright
Over the bars of the graveyard at night
I laid on the grass
And stared at the sky
With Amelia Bright

With Amelia Bright
With Amelia Bright

Overall Meaning

The song "Amelia Bright" by Ben Folds Five is a melancholic and reflective piece that explores themes of loneliness, nostalgia, and the fleeting nature of life. The first verse sets the mood, with the singer describing a feeling of something new that's entered his life, which he hopes has entered the life of his unnamed companion too. The second verse introduces the character of Amelia Bright, who is laying dead, dressed in a red 50's dress that the singer assumes was bought from a nearby thrift shop. The chorus repeats the image of the singer laying on the ground, gazing up at the sky with Amelia Bright. The third verse introduces the idea of being stuck in one place, and the hope that the companion feels the same way, reinforcing the theme of shared loneliness. The song ends with a final image of Amelia Bright, this time watching over the singer as he lays on the grass and looks up at the sky, feeling that she continues to be a presence in his life.

Overall, "Amelia Bright" is a lyrically dense and introspective song, with Ben Folds Five delivering a subdued and haunting performance. The use of Amelia Bright as a symbol of fleeting life and shared loneliness provides a strong through-line for the song that ties its various images and themes together.

Amelia BrightBen Folds Five Lyrics

Amelia Bright

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Amelia Bright
Ben Folds Five Lyrics