Track: Make Me Mommy
Album: Rockin' The Suburbs UK Single (Part 1)
Artist: Ben Folds
Year: 2001
Ben starts this hilarious B-side off as an ode to his twins, Louis and Gracie, and by the second verse manages to turn the meaning completely around into an mock-angry rant about the high expectations parents sometimes place on their children.
Musically, the song is all guitar, bass and drums (nary a piano in earshot!), the lyrics are shouted, sneered, and screamed, and overall is reminiscent of early B-52's-style punk/new-wave.
The song was a staple of Ben Fold's 2001 solo tour, and for the live version, Ben leaves his Baldwin Baby Grand and straps on his keytar (a Roland AX-1, with which he controls a MIDI rig programmed with a "distorted guitar" sample and some sort of piercing synthesized sound) to join touring bassist Millard Powers and guitarist Snuzz at the front of the stage, and each band member sings a line.
For the studio version, Ben sings his parts and the parts marked "Snuzz" while his wife, Frally Hines sings the parts marked "Millard."
Snuzz: Ohhh, mommy! She touched me mommy!
Millard: Ohhh, mommy! He touched me first!
Ben: You two, you make me mad! You're bad!
chorus:
B: You
go to your room!
S/M: You
make me mommy!
S: Ohhh, mommy! I don't wanna be a doctor!
M: Ohhh, mommy! I don't wanna be a lawyer!
B: You two! You let me down, and how!
(chorus)
S/M: You make me mommy!
B: You make me make you!
S/M: You make me make you make me!
B/S/M: You make me make you make me make you make me etc.
S/M: Ohhh, kill me mommy!
B: You go to your room!
S/M: Kill me mommy!
B: You got to your room!
S/M: Kill me mommy!
B: I'm not mommy!
S/M: Kill me mommy!
B: I'm daddy!