Not-so-gentle-Ben Folds Five

Shane Gammon

Friday, May 8, 1998 | 9:31 a.m.

"So you wanted to take a break," Ben Folds whines in the latest single, "Song For The Dumped," by his namesake rock band, Ben Folds Five.

The tune, about a soured relationship, is short and to the point with its parting words: "Give me my money back, you (expletive) ... and don't forget my black t-shirt."

The trio, which also includes drummer Darren Jessee. and bassist Robert Sledge, makes a stop on its current tour at The Joint tonight.

Ben Folds Five debuted on the music scene in 1995. Two years later, after performing in the lineup of bands on the 1996 Lollapalooza tour, the group released its second CD, "Whatever and Amen."

Despite the group having presented a third offering, "Naked Baby Photos," earlier this year, "Whatever," which reached gold record status last February, continues to flourish and has produced four singles. The most notable, "Brick," tells the tale of a teenage girl who gets an abortion in the early morning hours on the day after Christmas.

"People ask all the time what this song is about and I usually don't tell them," Folds told Teen People magazine. "Basically, the girl in the song is a high-schooler going to get an abortion and (the experience is) told from the boyfriend's perspective.

"I didn't want to make it an issue song or take a stance in any way. The fact is (abortion) happens, and it's a really tough thing for a teenager, male or female, to go through," he said. "It's not something that's really talked about much. It's expressed in statistics, but I'm sure that with most girls who go through it, at school, their friends don't even know.

"I wanted to show that the way (abortion) affects the guy is a little different. I don't meet many guys who will sit on your couch and break down and cry. So I wanted the lyrics to be deadpan," Folds explained. "But the song should imply that there's a lot of feeling. The word 'numb' is in there because that's usually how guys tend to react when hit with too much emotion."

Later this month, the band will make the jump from the radio to the silver screen when another of its tunes, "Air," is released on the upcoming "Godzilla" soundtrack. The guys are also at work on their next disc, scheduled for release next year.

Ben Folds Five will be joined by special guests Superdrag for the performance at 8 tonight. Tickets, which are $20, can be purchased at the Hard Rock hotel-casino box office and Ticketmaster locations. Call 693-5066 for more information.