43 Ben Folds “Zac and Sara”

The Ben Folds Five was a big deal when I was working the record store, though it never caught my attention. Frankly, the folks who were buying it didn’t seem to me to have the most discerning taste and at best it sounded like a Joe Jackson cover band. This is, of course, unfair for two reasons. The first is that even if they were a Joe Jackson cover band that would be amazing. Second, Ben Folds is not just a Joe Jackson wannabe. I mean, there’s a clear connection between the two styles of pop piano song writing, but Ben Folds can certainly stand on his own. 

My first real introduction to Ben Folds was his solo album Rockin’ The Suburbs. My cousin, who played bass in our band, gave me a burned copy of the cd when burning cds were a new thing. The copy came in alphabetical song order and was missing the song I chose for this list, “Zac and Sara.”

I imagine my reaction was one of incredulity, but she said I really need to listen to it. She was right, it was great. A collection of songs that sounded like they were recorded in whatever room the cover of the album was taken, this lent it an air of authenticity – an “I’m going to do what I want how I want to” that I find appealing.

Years later, I tracked down my own copy of the album and found there was a track I didn’t know about, and it was the second track on the album. Apparently the burned cd couldn’t handle songs that started with z. It’s a great pop song, up tempo, with the piano part playing the general background while synths and backing vocals are layered to fill out the sound. 

It also captures a scene of this young couple hanging out in a guitar shop so well. You get a handle on both of them, particularly Sara, with just a few lines and the description of the guitar shop being like a submarine is pretty spot on for many shops.