The Record That Changed My Life

Ben Folds reflects on Pirates

Rickie Lee Jones cover art: courtesy of Warner Bros. Records; Ben Folds: James Michner III

"Something about Rickie Lee Jones' Pirates [1981] showed me that there could be a movie or a book inside music—there are characters and living stories inside that record. I keep saying `inside' because that album is a space you step into. And she doesn't seem to give a shit about the form, which is awesome. The songs could go for eight minutes or they could be a minute and a half. Her singing and her phrasing are a step to Bruce Springsteen and then it's another step to Bob Dylan and then branches out to lots of R&B acts, lots of blues. And believe me, I've listened to that record and read the lyrics at the same time a billion times. I wore out a couple of copies; the grooves turned white. And I can't say that the album actually aged well, mostly because people really don't seem to have the time for that kind of intense detail. That album is meant to be lived with."

Ben Folds' Way to Normal is out now.

This Is A Developing Story

Don't Miss