Brick (song)
Encyclopedia
"Brick" is a song performed by Ben Folds Five
released on their 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen
and later on Ben Folds Live
. The verses were written by Ben Folds
about his high school girlfriend undergoing an abortion
, and the chorus was written by the band's drummer, Darren Jessee
. "Brick" was one of Ben Folds Five's biggest hits, gaining much mainstream radio play in the USA, the UK, and Australia in 1998.
On Folds' recent iTunes
Originals compilation, he confesses that he had attempted to write a song about the abortion for quite some time, but he had trouble getting the song finished because it was too literal, but thanks to Darren Jessee
's chorus, the song was given just enough mystique to be the hit that it was. (Folds even jokes that "I've never understood a hit chorus. I wish I did.")
He goes on to explain in the same interview that he was not put off by the fans: "When I look back on it, I think that the fact that that song was a hit gives me some confidence in pop music because the song is completely honest, what it is, it's crafted well, it's relaxed, it's recorded in a way that we'd never recorded a song before, which was absolutely live, three or four microphones in a bedroom. The song cannot have more integrity than it had."
In the Hottest 100 songs of all time
poll conducted by Australian radio station Triple J
in July 2009, Brick placed in at #67. More than half a million votes were cast in to the poll.
Actress and artist Ariana Richards
appears as a pregnant teen in the music video of the song.
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds , Robert Sledge , and Darren Jessee . The group achieved mainstream success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes...
released on their 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen
Whatever and Ever Amen
Whatever and Ever Amen is the second album by Ben Folds Five, released in 1997. A remaster was made available on March 22, 2005. All of the extra tracks had been previously released except for a cover of the Buggles song "Video Killed the Radio Star", which is a staple of Ben Folds Five's live...
and later on Ben Folds Live
Ben Folds Live
Ben Folds Live is a live album by Ben Folds, released in 2002 .This album marked the first official release of the classic Ben Folds live routine, "Rock This Bitch", which he went on to perform at least 60 more times since, including on the releases Songs for Goldfish and on the Live in Perth DVD...
. The verses were written by Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
about his high school girlfriend undergoing an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, and the chorus was written by the band's drummer, Darren Jessee
Darren Jessee
Darren Jessee is an American musician and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as the drummer for the alternative rock group Ben Folds Five...
. "Brick" was one of Ben Folds Five's biggest hits, gaining much mainstream radio play in the USA, the UK, and Australia in 1998.
Track listing
- "Brick" - 4:43
- "Smoke" - 4:52
- "Kate" - 3:14
- "Fair" - 4:43
- "Mitchell Lane" - 3:40
Backstory
On the album Ben Folds Live, Folds explained: "People ask me what this song's about... I was asked about it a lot, and I didn't really wanna make a big hairy deal out of it, because I just wanted the song to speak for itself. But the song is about when I was in high school, me and my girlfriend had to get an abortion, and it was a very sad thing. And, I didn't really want to write this song from any kind of political standpoint, or make a statement. I just wanted to reflect what it feels like. So, anyone who's gone through that before, then you'll know what the song's about."On Folds' recent iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Originals compilation, he confesses that he had attempted to write a song about the abortion for quite some time, but he had trouble getting the song finished because it was too literal, but thanks to Darren Jessee
Darren Jessee
Darren Jessee is an American musician and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as the drummer for the alternative rock group Ben Folds Five...
's chorus, the song was given just enough mystique to be the hit that it was. (Folds even jokes that "I've never understood a hit chorus. I wish I did.")
Fan response
In his iTunes Originals interviews, Folds addresses his fanbase's disapproval: "When you have a hit song, much of your fanbase and people that listen to your music... their opinion is gonna be loud and clear that they feel that you've abandoned the fanbase; you've written something that's not for them, it's for everybody else, you've 'sold out', all kinds of things like that... That was the overwhelming vibe... 'What is that crap?'... because we'd been playing silly, up-tempo... we were the piano band that rocks... We couldn't even fit the song into a show."He goes on to explain in the same interview that he was not put off by the fans: "When I look back on it, I think that the fact that that song was a hit gives me some confidence in pop music because the song is completely honest, what it is, it's crafted well, it's relaxed, it's recorded in a way that we'd never recorded a song before, which was absolutely live, three or four microphones in a bedroom. The song cannot have more integrity than it had."
In the Hottest 100 songs of all time
Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, 2009
The Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time was a music poll conducted in 2009 amongst listeners of Australian youth radio network Triple J. Over half a million votes were compiled, with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" collecting the highest number of votes. Voters could submit a list of up to ten...
poll conducted by Australian radio station Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
in July 2009, Brick placed in at #67. More than half a million votes were cast in to the poll.
Music video
The music video features the band performing in front of a film projected on a screen on a wall, with several inches of water covering the floor.Actress and artist Ariana Richards
Ariana Richards
Ariana Clarice Richards is an American actress and professional painter. She is best known for her roles as Mindy Sterngood in Tremors, Lex Murphy in the film Jurassic Park, and as Carol Wetherby in the film Prancer....
appears as a pregnant teen in the music video of the song.
External links
- "Brick" song with lyrics at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....