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* FirstInstallmentWins: ''Hopes and Fears'' is still considered to be their best album.
* OlderThanTheyThink: Many early reviews of the band went out of their way to note the novelty of a band that had piano, bass and drums, but no guitar. Apparently, none of these critics had ever heard of Music/BenFoldsFive.
* SignatureSong: "Somewhere Only We Know" is their most popular song and their biggest hit overall, although "Is It Any Wonder?" reached a higher position on alternative rock charts in the US. "Everybody's Changing" is the band's second best-known song.
* TearJerker: "Black Rain" from ''Strangeland'' and "Love Is the End" from ''Perfect Symmetry'' both have a desperate feel to them, both in the melody and lyrics.
** "A Bad Dream" and "Try Again" from ''Under the Iron Sea''.
** "Somewhere Only We Know," one of the most evocative songs ever written about nostalgia. Later put to absolutely perfect use in the trailer for ''WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh2011''.
---> '''Tim Rice-Oxley''': "It's about being able to draw strength from a place or experience you've shared with someone. I think its an idea a lot of people can relate to."
** "Bed Shaped" can bring a tear to your eye easily, especially if you interpret it as being about a terminal illness.
** "This Is the Last Time" is particularly haunting. It's often read as a song about a failed relationship or even an abusive one, with the protagonist completely torn apart and emotionally exhausted by the ordeal.
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