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.
Birds
Ben Folds Five Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Hey baby, baby bring your love to me"
Repeats the radio relentlessly
All day i dream a dream where feelings flee
In free formation.
The sweetest sound reflects in saddened eyes
Defies description and identifies
The souls migration.
Chorus:
How sweet to fly
To touch the sky
To feel in the flow
Like the one who glides there.
I feel we flew
We never knew
But to know is to go
When your heart resides there.
I take a winter coat and walk the square
The people gather and the birds they scare
Concrete and clay conspire to cage me there
Among the lost boys.
Down in the streets i see the trees grow bare
Broken and battered in the thinning air
The birds are scattered and my footsteps there
I long for lost joy.
Chorus
The lyrics of Ben Folds Five's "Birds" reflect a yearning for freedom and escape from the confines of daily life. The repeated line, "Hey baby, baby bring your love to me," represents a desire for connection and a longing to break free from the monotony of everyday existence. The radio that "repeats relentlessly" symbolizes the constant bombardment of mundane and repetitive messages.
The dream described in the lyrics is a refuge from these realities, where emotions are liberated and exist in a state of flowing spontaneity. The singer longs for a love that defies description and seeks an escape from the heart's hunger for something more. The idea of "sudden skies" and a "soul's migration" represents the desire to transcend the limitations of earthly existence and explore unknown territories.
In the chorus, the concept of flying and touching the sky is introduced as a metaphor for freedom and liberation. The singer longs for the feeling of being in flow, akin to the graceful gliding of a bird. The notion of not knowing, but still being called to go, suggests that embracing the unknown can lead to growth and fulfillment. The heart resides in this state of freedom, and the joy of discovering it is a powerful force that is longed for.
As the lyrics progress, there is a shift in tone. The singer takes a winter coat and walks the square, observing a world that is both imprisoning and deteriorating. The trees are bare, broken, and battered, mirroring the state of disrepair in the singer's own soul. The birds, which symbolize freedom and flight, are scattered, reflecting the singer's longing for lost joy. The confinement imposed by concrete and clay represents the limitations and constraints of society, trapping the singer and others like "lost boys."
Line by Line Meaning
Hey baby, baby bring your love to me
My dear, please bring your affection to me
Repeats the radio relentlessly
The radio continuously plays the same song
All day i dream a dream where feelings flee
Throughout the day, I daydream about a world devoid of emotions
In free formation.
In a spontaneous and unrestricted manner
The sweetest sound reflects in saddened eyes
A beautiful melody resonates within eyes filled with sadness
Defies description and identifies
Cannot be adequately described, but it is recognizable
The heart that hungers for the sudden skies
A yearning heart desires the freedom and vastness of the open sky
The souls migration.
The movement and transformation of one's soul
How sweet to fly
The joy and pleasure of soaring through the air
To touch the sky
To physically connect with the expanse above
To feel in the flow
To experience a state of being in harmony and ease
Like the one who glides there.
Similar to those effortlessly gliding through the sky
I feel we flew
I sense that we embarked on a journey together
We never knew
We were unaware of the significance or depth of our connection
But to know is to go
Yet, understanding leads to action or departure
When your heart resides there.
When one's heart finds its home in that place
I take a winter coat and walk the square
I wrap myself in warm clothing and stroll through the city
The people gather and the birds they scare
Crowds of people gather, startling and causing the birds to flee
Concrete and clay conspire to cage me there
The urban environment, with its buildings and roads, seem to imprison me in that space
Among the lost boys.
Amidst a group of individuals who feel adrift and directionless
Down in the streets i see the trees grow bare
Observing the city streets, I notice the leafless trees
Broken and battered in the thinning air
The trees show signs of damage and decay in the reducing quality of the surrounding atmosphere
The birds are scattered and my footsteps there
The birds have flown away and I am left alone walking in that place
I long for lost joy.
I yearn for the happiness and delight that has been misplaced
Writer(s): Robert Sledge
Contributed by Dylan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.