Way to Normal | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 17, 2008 | |||
Recorded | Ben Folds' Recording Studio, Nashville, TN | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Dennis Herring | |||
Ben Folds chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | (62/100) [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AbsolutePunk | 56% [2] |
Allmusic | [3] |
The Austin Chronicle | [4] |
The A.V. Club | C+ [5] |
Drowned in Sound | (8/10) [6] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [7] |
musicOMH | [8] |
Paste | 8.9/10 [9] |
The Phoenix | [10] |
Pitchfork Media | 2.7/10 [11] |
PopMatters | [12] |
Rolling Stone | [13] |
Spin | (6/10) [14] |
Uncut | [1] |
Way to Normal is the third studio album by Ben Folds. It was released in Japan on September 17, 2008, in Australia on September 27, in UK and Europe on September 29, and in the US on September 30. [15] The album is Folds' highest-charting solo album in the US, reaching #11 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release. [16]
A music video for "You Don't Know Me" was directed by Eric Wareheim, featuring Wareheim himself and his comedy partner Tim Heidecker.
In 2009, Folds re-released the album in less compressed audio quality as Stems and Seeds , adding various bonus tracks and providing "stems" for fans to create their own remixes.
All tracks are written by Ben Folds
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hiroshima (B-B-B-Benny Hit His Head)" | 3:38 |
2. | "Dr. Yang" | 2:30 |
3. | "The Frown Song" | 3:38 |
4. | "You Don't Know Me" (featuring Regina Spektor) | 3:12 |
5. | "Before Cologne" | 0:54 |
6. | "Cologne" | 5:03 |
7. | "Errant Dog" | 2:24 |
8. | "Free Coffee" | 3:08 |
9. | "Bitch Went Nuts" (length includes a 52-second pregap) | 3:58 |
10. | "Brainwascht" | 3:49 |
11. | "Effington" | 3:33 |
12. | "Kylie from Connecticut" | 4:43 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Way to Normal" | 4:10 |
2. | "Free Coffee Town" | 2:42 |
3. | "Frowne Song (Feeble Anthem)" | 3:50 |
4. | "Cologne" (piano orchestra version) | 6:08 |
The album is named after Normal, Illinois, as referenced in the track "Effington". "Effington" refers to Effingham, Illinois. [17]
The song "Hiroshima" is about a time when Folds fell off the stage during a concert in Hiroshima, Japan. The subtitle "B B B Benny Hit His Head" is a reference to the Elton John song "Bennie and the Jets". John says "B B B Bennie" during the main chorus, which Hiroshima's subtitle mimics. Both songs have a fake audience in the background, as well as having a similar melody with different timing.[ citation needed ]
The metallic percussive effect on "Free Coffee" was achieved by placing Altoids tins on top of the piano strings and feeding the audio output through a distortion pedal; Folds demonstrated this in live performances of the song. [18] (See prepared piano)
"Dr. Yang" was used in the trailer for the 2011 film, Mars Needs Moms .[ citation needed ]
"Before Cologne" was used for the introduction of the iPhone 4S and in a commercial for the Honda Accord in 2015.[ citation needed ]
On July 16, 2008, an anonymous user posted what they claimed was a "leak" of Folds's latest album on two fan sites. The file contained nine tracks along with a PDF of supposed cover art, and was a mix of what appeared to be legitimate songs from Way to Normal and bizarre pastiches of foul-mouthed humour and melodramatic pop. Accordingly, the online forums became full of debate as to which were real and which were fake until August 12, 2008, when Folds admitted on Triple J radio that many songs in the leak were fake. He claimed that he and the band recorded fake versions of songs from the new album when they "had a night to kill in Dublin", and had a friend leak it to the public "to give them something to listen to". [19]
After confirming that the leaked "Brainwashed", "The Frown Song" and "Free Coffee Town" were fake, he said that they would be used as B-sides and bonus tracks on future releases. A few days later, in a Rolling Stone article, Folds discussed the differences between the real album cuts and the fake leak cuts. [20] All nine tracks were released on the 2009 compilation album, Stems and Seeds . The "long way to go" coda of the "fake" track "Way to Normal" was later adapted into "Long Way to Go", a song on Folds' 2015 album, So There . [21]
All lyrics are written by Ben Folds except where noted [22] ; all music is composed by Ben Folds
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Brainwashed" (lyrics by Sam Smith) | 3:36 |
2. | "Way to Normal" | 4:10 |
3. | "Lovesick Diagnostician (Dr. Yang)" | 2:53 |
4. | "Free Coffee Town" (lyrics by Jared Reynolds) | 2:42 |
5. | "Bitch Went Nutz" | 3:53 |
6. | "Frowne Song (Feeble Anthem)" (lyrics by Sam Smith) | 3:50 |
7. | "Cologne" (piano orchestra version) | 6:07 |
8. | "Hiroshima†" | 3:38 |
9. | "You Don't Know Me†" (featuring Regina Spektor) | 3:10 |
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
2008 | US Albums Chart | 11 [16] |
2008 | UK Albums Chart | 70 |
Rockin' the Suburbs is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Ben Folds released on September 11, 2001. His first solo album after leaving his band Ben Folds Five, Rockin' the Suburbs was recorded in Adelaide, Australia, where Folds was living at the time. Two singles from the album were released, Rockin' the Suburbs, and Still Fighting It.
Ben Folds Five was an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprised Ben Folds, Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee. The group achieved success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes. Their single "Brick" from the second album, Whatever and Ever Amen (1997), gained airplay on many mainstream radio stations.
Benjamin Scott Folds is an American singer-songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. After playing in several small independent bands throughout the late 80s and into the early 90s, Folds came to prominence as the eponymous frontman and pianist of the alternative rock trio Ben Folds Five from 1993 to 2000, and again during their reunion from 2011 to 2013. He has recorded a number of solo albums – the most recent of which, What Matters Most, was released in June 2023. He has also collaborated with musicians such as Regina Spektor, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and yMusic, and undertaken experimental songwriting projects with actor William Shatner and authors such as Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman. Since May 2017, he has been the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Whatever and Ever Amen is the second album by Ben Folds Five, released on March 18, 1997. Three singles were released from the album, including the lead single, "Battle of Who Could Care Less", which received significant airplay on alternative radio and on MTV, and peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart and number 22 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and the band's biggest hit, "Brick", which was a top-40 song in numerous countries.
Poodle Hat is the eleventh studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on May 20, 2003. It was the fifth studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop of the early-2000s. The album's lead single, "Couch Potato", is a parody of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. The single failed to chart, although the album's song "eBay" eventually peaked at 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles in 2007.
Benjamin Lev Kweller is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner is the third studio album by Ben Folds Five, released on April 27, 1999. Produced by the band's usual collaborator, Caleb Southern, it represented a departure for the band from their usual pop-rock sound to material influenced by classical and chamber music, with darker, introspective lyrics on subjects such as regret, death, and loss of innocence. The band broke up shortly after the touring period of the album, and as a result the record was considered the final release from the trio until they reunited in 2011 and released The Sound of the Life of the Mind the following year.
Ben Folds Live is a live album by Ben Folds, released on October 8, 2002. This album marked the first official release of the improvisation, "Rock This Bitch". The song, which changes with every performance, is now a staple of his live performances, with recorded versions also appears on his later albums Songs for Goldfish and on the Live in Perth DVD.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album by English singer, pianist, and composer Elton John. A double album, it was released on 5 October 1973, by DJM Records. Recorded at the Château d'Hérouville in France, the album became a double LP once John and his band became inspired by the locale. Among the 17 tracks, the album contains the hits "Candle in the Wind", US number-one single "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", along with the live favourite "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding".
LCD Soundsystem is an American electronic rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy, co-founder of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy, Nancy Whang, Pat Mahoney (drums), Tyler Pope, Al Doyle, Matt Thornley, and Korey Richey. They have been signed to DFA since their inception, and also signed to Columbia Records in 2016.
Timothy Richard Heidecker is an American comedian, writer, director, actor, and musician. Along with Eric Wareheim, he is a member of the comedy duo Tim & Eric.
Songs for Silverman is the second studio album by Ben Folds, released in April 2005 by Epic Records. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200, making it Folds' highest-charting album until the release of Way to Normal in 2008.
Faker are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in 1996 by mainstay Nathan Hudson on lead vocals, piano and guitar. They have released three studio albums, Addicted Romantic, Be the Twilight and Get Loved. Their highest charting single, "This Heart Attack" (2007), peaked at No. 9 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The group disbanded in December 2013, but they announced their reformation in October 2020.
Gracie Scott Folds is an Australian American singer-songwriter. Folds is the daughter of musician Ben Folds. She released her first two EPs, demos and Pink Elephant in 2016.
Avery Millard Powers III is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and Grammy-nominated recording engineer. While a student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the 1980s, he collaborated with fellow student Ben Folds and with Alabama-based singer-songwriter Owsley, both of which he continued to work with as a musician and as a producer for the next several decades. Since 2005, he has played bass guitar in the band Counting Crows.
You Don't Know Me is the name of the lead-off single from Ben Folds' third studio album, Way to Normal. The song features Regina Spektor on vocals dueting with Ben Folds. The song is also the 4th song on Ben Folds' 2009 album Stems & Seeds.
Stems and Seeds is a 2009 album by Ben Folds. It is a remastered version of his previous album Way to Normal in a different track order. Folds explained its release as being due to popular demand, as many fans requested a less compressed version.
Congratulations is the second studio album by American rock band MGMT. It was initially made available for free streaming through the band's website on March 20, 2010, prior to its official release on April 13 through Columbia Records. The album marks a departure from the synth-pop style that brought MGMT acclaim on their debut, Oracular Spectacular, released three years prior, and features a more psychedelic, progressive and guitar-driven sound.
The Sound of the Life of the Mind is the fourth and final studio album by Ben Folds Five, released on September 18, 2012. It is the group's first release since 1999's The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.
Maybe This Christmas is a holiday compilation album released in November 2002 through Nettwerk Records featuring contemporary musicians performing both classic and original Christmas songs. The album, named by Ron Sexsmith, is the first in a series of three holiday compilations released through the record label between 2002 and 2004. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of each album went to Toys for Tots, a charity supported by the United States Marine Corps. Most of the tracks exclusive to Maybe This Christmas were recorded just a few months prior to its release. The album's cover art was designed by artist Paul Frank, creator of Julius the pictured "wide-mouth monkey". Critical reception of the compilation was mixed, with reviewers often complimenting or criticizing select tracks. In the United States, the album reached a peak position of number thirty-eight on Billboard's Top Holiday Albums chart.