Why I Leaked It: Ben Folds Comes Clean About His Fake (And Real) New Album, "Way To Normal"

Fake: "I changed the title to 'Free Coffee Town.' They were really horrible words. He writes these really earnest lyrics from the point of view of someone who's really short on brain cells. Like, 'In Jared Reynolds' free coffee town utopia the dirt is chocolate, beer flows from the ground and every woman you see makes out with you right there in the chocolate dirt.' It's just so dumb. I'd be thrilled [if it went to Number One.]"

"Bitch Went Nutz"
Real: "The real 'Bitch Went Nuts' is about a girl in college who stabbed my friend's volleyball. That song is about when men and women break up, the girls all have different versions of why the breakup might've happened and the guys, you ask them and they go 'oh, bitch went nuts.' "

Fake: "That's one of my favorite songs I've written, lyrically and everything. This is what the fake lyrics allowed me to do — completely write earnestly from the point of view of a Republican ex-fratboy guy who's trying to make it at his law firm and is horrified 'cause his girlfriend has left, liberal views and it's fun. It's about a girl who's my hero. She's like Jane Fonda and goes and does too many drugs at some lawyer's party and the last line says she shouted 'Fuck Dick Cheney' and puked on floor."

"Frowne Song"
Real: " 'The Frowne Song' on the record is about how fashionable it is to be nouveau riche and walk around town bumming people out. Like if you go to a spa or a high-end fashion store in one of those malls. You see these people kinda barking orders and being rude and frowney. The chorus is meant to be sort of an anthem, kinda like, go around town and frown and bum 'em all out and spend your money and be an asshole and do your yoga and get it all wrong, and bum everyone out."

Fake: "This is what happens when you don't think. It's awesome. That's Sam lyric. He took the political cue of bad 'Way To Normal.' We had 45 minutes left, it was eight or nine in the morning."