Song #27 of 9999 - Gracie by Ben Folds

Song #27 of 9999

Title: Gracie
Artist: Ben Folds
Year: 2005
Album: Songs for Silverman

Click here to listen!

It's Thanksgiving so I decided to choose a random song with the word "Thank" in it. I chose "You to Thank" by Ben Folds, which is a great song that teeters on the brink between 3/4 and 6/8 while reminding everyone that Ben Folds can really play the piano. Like for real. I also love that track because it sounds like Ben Folds Five even though it comes years after their breakup. Nice to hear that true live sound on a record again—they were so good at that.

Anyway, in the process of preparing my thoughts to write about that song, I listened to another track from Songs from Silverman (my favorite BF album by far) and decided it was a better song to share on Thanksgiving. "Gracie" is the kind of song everyone wishes they could write for a loved one but almost no-one is capable of pulling off. By the time you get to the end of the two-plus minutes, you really know who Gracie is and that Ben Folds loves her very much. This song evokes all kinds of emotions in people about someone close to them not because its lyrics are universal but because they are specific. By writing about a real person, real qualities, real actions, Folds paints a detailed picture in the mind of the listener that is easily transferrable to his or her own life. The fact that the song has beautiful melodies and a particularly lovely bridge doesn't hurt. It's a very powerful song and offers strong evidence that Folds is an extremely talented songwriter.

Hope you love the song and it made you think of someone you are thankful for. Now go check out "You to Thank." Or just buy the whole album.