History YMMV / BenFolds

* DontShootTheMessage: In song example. "Jesusland" is about Jesus [[SecondComing returning]] and becoming appalled at the people who claim to believe in him.

* FaceOfTheBand: Even some hardcore BFF fans would be hard pressed to name one other member of the band (Robert Sledge is the bassist and Darren Jessee is the drummer, for the record). This despite Darren writing or co-writing several of their songs. Some even think there's [[NonIndicativeName five]] of them. It doesn't help that a lot of Ben's solo material sounds ''exactly'' like BFF stuff, right down to the distorted bass and having only two other members in his touring band, to the point that newcomers just assume that [[IAmTheBand there's no difference]].

* BreakupBreakOut: Subverted. Despite being reasonably successful as a solo act, Ben's popularity is still largely with the indie crowd.

** The "[[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6ZlyeXHlfw Ass Crack Bandit]]" song from ''{{Series/Community}}''.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: "Brick" got a considerable amount of static from both fans of the band and their immediate peers for being so different from their usual high-energy alt. rock. It only got worse when it became [[ItsPopularSoItSucks their only big radio hit]]. Ben himself acknowledged this in his iTunes Original interview.

* BreakupBreakOut: Subverted. Despite being reasonably successful, Ben's not much more of a star solo than he was when he was with his original band.

* FaceOfTheBand: Even some hardcore BFF fans would be hard pressed to name one other member of the band (Robert Sledge is the bassist and Darren Jessee is the drummer, for the record). This despite Darren writing or co-writing several of their songs. Some even think there's [[NonIndicativeName five]] of them.
** Not helped by the fact that Ben's solo material sounds ''exactly'' like BFF stuff, right down to the distorted bass and having only two other members in his touring band, to the point that newcomers have no idea that there's a difference.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: A completely rewrote and kid-friendly version of the song "Rockin' the Suburbs" was made for the soundtrack of Over the Hedge. The original version contains profanity, including an AtomicFBomb.

* HilariousInHindsight: "Rockin' The Suburbs" has a line about going to the store for some Preperation H after feeling someone "sending dirty vibes my way." In other words, he's pretty "[[StealthPun butthurt]]" about it.

* EarWorm: [[LyricalDissonance "You Don't Know Me"]], with Music/ReginaSpektor.
** "Brick."
** "Do It Anyway"
** "Draw A Crowd"
** "Landed" is an [[InvokedTrope invocation]]: it's his only song to date that he wrote with the intent of releasing it as a single.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: A completely rewrote and kid-friendly version of the song "Rockin' the Suburbs" was made for the soundtrack of Over the Hedge. The original version contains profanity, including an Atomic F-Bomb.

* StrangledByTheRedString: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and inverted while still played straight in "From Above", a song about two people who keep running into each-other, know that they should be together, but end up marrying other people and living unfufilling lives.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The EpicInstrumentalOpener to "Narcolepsy," and the beginning of "Erase Me."
** Also, see EarWorm.
** "Steven's Last Night In Town" combines the trio with the Klezmer group the Klezmatics, making it epic.
** His [[PopStarComposer songs]] for ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge.''

* EarWorm: [[LyricalDissonance "You Don't Know Me"]], with ReginaSpektor.

* MindScrew: The WeirdAlYankovic-directed video for "Rockin' The Suburbs."

* SignatureSong: Ben Folds Five's is "Brick", while Ben's solo would probably be either "Landed" or "Rockin' the Suburbs".

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: The "Do It Anyway" video with Creator/AnnaKendrick and ''Series/FraggleRock''. SO FUN!
* [[Heartwarming/Music Heartwarming Music]]: "Gracie," a ParentalLoveSong written for his then five-year-old daughter. It's the closest he's ever come to writing a completely sincere love song.

** BRICK.
** Do It Anyway
** "Draw A Crowd."
* EpicRiff: Ben frequently does a piano version; notable ones include "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces", "Annie Waits", and "Philosophy".

* BrokenBase: His collaboration with Nick Hornsby, "Lonely Avenue." Some say it's the best collection of songs he's ever written, while others feel that Hornsby's writing isn't musical enough.