Way to Normal

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Ben Folds

| headline = Way to Normal

| title1 = Hiroshima (B-B-B-Benny Hit His Head)

| length1 = 3:38

| title2 = Dr. Yang

| length2 = 2:30

| title3 = The Frown Song

| length3 = 3:38

| title4 = You Don't Know Me

| note4=featuring Regina Spektor

| length4 = 3:12

| title5 = Before Cologne

| length5 = 0:54

| title6 = Cologne

| length6 = 5:03

| title7 = Errant Dog

| length7 = 2:24

| title8 = Free Coffee

| length8 = 3:08

| title9 = Bitch Went Nuts

| note9 = length includes a 52-second pregap

| length9 = 3:58

| title10 = Brainwascht

| length10 = 3:49

| title11 = Effington

| length11 = 3:33

| title12 = Kylie from Connecticut

| length12 = 4:43

}}

{{Track listing

| all_writing =

| headline = Japanese bonus tracks

| title1 = Way to Normal

| length1 = 4:10

| title2 = Free Coffee Town

| length2 = 2:42

| title3 = Frowne Song (Feeble Anthem)

| length3 = 3:50

| title4 = Cologne

| note4 = piano orchestra version

| length4 = 6:08

}}

• Ben Folds - piano, Moog synthesizer, Wurlitzer, mellotron, vocals
• Jared Reynolds - electric bass guitar, backing vocals (holding coffee cup on album cover)
• Sam Smith - drums, backing vocals (holding umbrella on album cover)
• Dennis Herring - drums on "You Don't Know Me"
• Regina Spektor - vocals on "You Don't Know Me"

The album is named after Normal, Illinois, as referenced in the track "Effington". "Effington" refers to Effingham, Illinois.{{cite news | first= Charlie |last=Amter | title = Small town Mayor to Ben Folds: We will bury you | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2008/10/small-town-ma-1.html | accessdate=September 15, 2009 | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=October 21, 2008}}

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|date=November 2024}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/02/12/22731/|title=Nassoons join Ben Folds onstage at McCarter - The Daily Princetonian|last=Ackerman|first=Jack|date=February 12, 2009|accessdate=March 18, 2009|archive-date=June 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614220602/http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/02/12/22731/|url-status=dead}} (See prepared piano)

"Dr. Yang" was used in the trailer for the 2011 film, Mars Needs Moms.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

"Dr. Yang" appeared in episode 4 of the BBC Three sitcom, We Are Klang

"Before Cologne" was used for the introduction of the iPhone 4S and in a commercial for the Honda Accord in 2015.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}

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".{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/breakfast/blog/s2332103.htm |title=Ben Folds Interview |website=Triple J |date=August 12, 2008 |accessdate=August 24, 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013095229/http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/breakfast/blog/s2332103.htm |archivedate=October 13, 2008}} [http://www.thesuburbs.org.uk/news/Ben_confesses_to_leak_on_Triple_J Alternative URL]

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.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/why-i-leaked-it-ben-folds-comes-clean-about-his-fake-and-real-new-album-way-to-normal-20080813|title=Why I Leaked It: Ben Folds Comes Clean About His Fake (And Real) New Album, "Way To Normal" |last=Downs|first=David|date=August 13, 2008|magazine=Rolling Stone|accessdate=November 29, 2008}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://meetinmontauk.com/2017/09/30/song-of-the-day-3375-long-way-to-go-ben-folds/|title=Song of the Day #3,375: 'Long Way To Go' – Ben Folds|website=Meet Me In Montauk|date=30 September 2017 |access-date=July 16, 2018}}

{{Track listing

| all_lyrics = Ben Folds except where noted {{cite web |title=Ben Folds - Normal People Do It Too, 2008 (Behind the Scenes Footage) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXPEftA2gK4&t=432s |website=YouTube |publisher=Silver St. |access-date=1 August 2024}}

| all_music = Ben Folds

| headline = Way to Normal (fake leak)

| title1 = Brainwashed

| note1 = lyrics by Sam Smith

| length1 = 3:36

| title2 = Way to Normal

| length2 = 4:10

| title3 = Lovesick Diagnostician (Dr. Yang)

| length3 = 2:53

| title4 = Free Coffee Town

| note4 = lyrics by Jared Reynolds

| length4 = 2:42

| title5 = Bitch Went Nutz

| length5 = 3:53

| title6 = Frowne Song (Feeble Anthem)

| note6 = lyrics by Sam Smith

| length6 = 3:50

| title7 = Cologne

| note7 = piano orchestra version

| length7 = 6:07

| title8 = Hiroshima^†

| length8 = 3:38

| title9 = You Don't Know Me^†

| note9 = featuring Regina Spektor

| length9 = 3:10

}}

• ^† - Real version of song featured on main album
• "Cologne" (piano orchestra version) is a bonus track on the iTunes version of the album. "Bitch Went Nutz" was available to those who pre-ordered the album.

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{Metacritic album}}

{{Ben Folds}}

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Category:Ben Folds albums

Category:2008 albums

Category:Albums produced by Dennis Herring