Album · Ben Folds Five
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner by Ben Folds Five
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner is an album by Ben Folds Five, released in 1999. 2 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 20 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Army”, on 18 lists with a best position of #24.
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, Ben Folds Five's third album, arrived on 550 Music on April 27, 1999, and it's the Chapel Hill trio taking a sharp left turn. Caleb Southern, their regular producer, was back behind the desk, but the bouncy pop-rock of before gives way to arrangements borrowed from classical and chamber music, with Ben Folds' piano, Robert Sledge's bass and Darren Jessee's drums wrapped in something more ornate and more somber.
The lyrics go darker too, turning over regret, death and the loss of innocence. "Army" is the song that lasted, hanging around the countdowns for years, while "Don't Change Your Plans" had a shorter run. The band broke up not long after the tour, so this stood as their final word until the reunion in 2011 and The Sound of the Life of the Mind a year later.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Army | 18 | #24 | – | 1999–2022 | |
| 2 | Don't Change Your Plans | 2 | #55 | – | 1999 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.