As of fall 2006, Ben Folds has released five solo LPs. His first album, Fear of Pop: Volume 1, an album of spoken word and instrumental compositions, was recorded and released while Ben Folds Five was still together. Since it was an uncharacteristic release, and officially released under the moniker of 'Fear of Pop', it is widely considered that his first "proper" solo album was Rockin' the Suburbs (2001), on which he played all the instruments by himself. A year later, in 2002, he released Ben Folds Live, a collection of live solo recordings. In late 2003, two solo EPs, Speed Graphic and Sunny 16, were released, with a third entitled Super D released in mid-2004. In 2005, Folds released a second studio album called Songs for Silverman. Most recently Folds has released the album "Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp" a compliation of his EPs, a The Bens track called "Bruised," "Still" from the motion picture of 2006 "Over the Hedge" for which Folds wrote all the songs, his cover of the Dr. Dre song "Bitches Ain't Shit", and, with the kind permission of his good friend Neil Hannon, a cover of The Divine Comedy song "Songs of Love". "Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp" otherwise includes remastered takes from the three internet EPs from 2002-2004. Ben claims that he wanted to have the CD in hard format so he could "put it past him."
Ben resides in Nashville. He often tours the United States, the United Kingdom, other countries in Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Folds' tours are famous for his solo act as "Ben Folds and a piano", often having the audience become involved by "playing" the accompanying instruments (such as the trumpet and saxophone harmonies in "Army") and singing choir-like backing vocals on "Not the Same". His concerts are charismatic, yet calm - an enjoyable experience for most. And although Folds is constantly putting out new songs, his concerts rarely omit classic fan favorites such as "Philosophy," "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces," and "Army." Also, a seemingly fan favorite that started in Chicago, IL was "Rock this Bitch," a song where Folds has to come up an impromptu new tune with the words "Rock this Bitch" in it; though the song seems to be phasing out, it still makes appearances on tours, such as the November 2006 tour and the Spring US College tour of 2007 and 2008.
Folds also produced and arranged the William Shatner album, Has Been (2004); he previously worked with Shatner on the songs "In Love" and "Still in Love" for Fear of Pop.
Folds described his former band, Ben Folds Five, as "punk rock for sissies," and his oddball lyrics often contain nuances of depression, melancholy and self-conflict. Folds also provided a number of songs for film soundtracks. Some of these include "Lonely Christmas Eve" for the Jim Carrey film How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (2000), and a rendition of the Beatles' "Golden Slumbers" for the film I Am Sam (2001). He (as The Bens) has also done charity compilations, from singing "Wicked Little Town" (from film and stage show Hedwig and the Angry Inch) on the benefit album "Wig in a Box" (2003) to appearing on No Boundaries, a benefit album for Kosovo refugees, with the song "Leather Jacket." (written by Darren Jessee)
On a planned tour of Australia, Folds teamed up with solo artists Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to travel the country together as The Bens, at the suggestion of a fan on Ben Kweller's official website. The trio also went on to record a four-track EP together, entitled The Bens.
In summer of 2004, Folds co-headlined an American tour with fellow rockers Rufus Wainwright and Guster. His second solo studio album, entitled Songs for Silverman, was released in the U.S. on April 26, 2005, featuring Jared Reynolds on bass, and Lindsay Jamieson on the drums, thus returning to the trio format, which had been so successful earlier, in earnest. This album includes the track "Late," a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and also features backing vocals from "Weird Al" Yankovic on "Time." (Folds had played piano for Yankovic's song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" and "Weird Al" directed Folds' music video for Rockin' the Suburbs). In January of 2007 Lindsay Jamieson left the band and was replaced by Sam Smith, of The Comfies on drums.
Folds performed with Rufus Wainwright and Ben Lee in the summer of 2005 as part of the "Odd Men Out" tour. In addition, Folds has performed with many other famous musical names, including Weezer. Folds has also shown the complexity behind his authentic sound by performing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, in March 2005, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in November 2005. A DVD recording of Folds playing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was released in December, 2005.
Folds was the first artist to do a "Live at Myspace" concert, held on October 24, 2006 in his recording studio in Nashville, the show was an hour long and had requests from the internet submitted via Myspace's Messenger. It also entailed several stunts, including a suicide attempt, and a falling audience member during "Jesusland". The DVD of the broadcast (almost whole) was released in February of 2007.
Folds supports the independent music scene, creating his own record label (Attacked By Plastic) and doing promotional work for independent record stores across the country.
In 2008, September 16 marked the release of Amanda Palmer's solo album which was produced by Folds. Two days following that release, Ben Folds Five had a one-time reunion concert held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the same place the band was formed. Weeks later, he released his third solo album entitled Way To Normal, released on September 30. Folds also recorded a fake album that was leaked intentionally during the summer to please fans and in an attempt to stop the real album from leaking. The fake tracks were recorded and mixed over a period of only several days. The leak contained 6 fake songs with names similar to the real songs or the album, and three songs from the actual release (except the song Cologne, which was an orchestral version of a song by the same name on the final album).
Since December 2008, Folds has been collaborating with English novelist Nick Hornby, writing the music while Hornby writes the lyrics. This album was originally planned to be recorded over a course of 3 days, the same amount of time in which the fake album was recorded, but Folds has since been recording the album in a more standard format, albeit attempting to retain the live recording format. He has also played several songs from the upcoming album at live shows since mid-2009, and the album is slated to be released on September 27th of 2010.
From December 14 through 21, 2009, Folds was featured as a judge on NBC's a cappella competition The Sing Off alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman and offered insightful, constructive comments and criticisms to the contestants. On the final show, in a departure from his a cappella purism, showcased his talents and played the roaring, riffing piano background on "Why Can't We Be Friends?" sung by the two finalist groups, Tufts Beelzebubs from Tufts University near Boston and Nota, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He again returned for the show's second season, and has been confirmed to return for the third season in September 2011 alongside Stockman and new judge Sara Bareilles.
Recently Ben Folds was assumed to be the anonymous pianist playing songs to random ChatRoulette users, named "Merton." Although Ben Folds has admitted to NOT being Merton, he paid tribute to the YouTube star at a concert in Charlotte in "Ode To Merton."
Ben Folds recently released his first album since So There, What Matters Most in June of 2023 after a 12 year hiatus.
Amelia Bright
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It got into me and I hope that it got into you
The way my covers are made
Trumpets will play
And I hope that it's inside
I hope that it got into you
There's no doubt
In a red 50's dress
From a thrift shop nearby
I laid on the ground and stared at the sky
With Amelia Bright
There's clothes
That hide them away
There's me spread
All over the floor
And I'm lost in one place,
I'm stuck, and I'm straight,
And I hope that you feel the same way
There's no doubt
Here lies Amelia Bright
In a red 50's dress
From a thrift shop nearby
I laid on the grass and stared at the sky
With Amelia Bright
There's no doubt
There's nothing to work out
You're alone
'Cause you're always on your own
When you yawn,
It makes me want to yawn, too
Plain, expressionless view
It got into you with a necklace, no shoes,
The promise of truth
And a life to be bright and new
There's no doubt
Here lies Amelia Bright
Over the bars of the graveyard at night
I laid on the grass
And stared at the sky
With Amelia Bright
With Amelia Bright
With Amelia Bright
"Amelia Bright" is an introspective ballad by Ben Folds that ponders over various themes such as love, loneliness, and loss. The song begins with the singer feeling something new in his life and hoping that his loved one also feels the same way. He then describes his room strewn with clothes and how he feels lost in one place. He later joins Amelia Bright, who is lying on the ground in a thrift-shop 50s red dress, and stares at the sky with her.
The song's lyrics create a hauntingly nostalgic atmosphere that portrays the feeling of being lost and missing someone. The singer's longing to share his feelings with the person he admires is evident in the lyrics. The song takes a slightly darker turn towards the end as the singer visits Amelia Bright's grave at night, further emphasizing the theme of loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, something is new
I am feeling different and exciting emotions.
It got into me and I hope that it got into you
I hope that you are feeling the same newfound excitement as me.
The way my covers are made
My bed is neatly arranged with my covers styled in a certain way.
Trumpets will play
I feel like celebrating and want music to accompany my mood.
And I hope that it's inside
I hope that this happy energy is inside of me and also in you.
There's no doubt
I am sure and certain of what I am about to say.
Here lies Amelia Bright
This is the name of the person who has passed away and is being mentioned.
In a red 50's dress
Amelia is dressed in a vintage red dress from the 1950s.
From a thrift shop nearby
The dress was most likely purchased from a nearby secondhand store.
I laid on the ground and stared at the sky
I was lying down outdoors and looking up into the sky.
With Amelia Bright
Amelia is the person I was spending time with in this moment.
There's clothes
Clothes can act as a mask or disguise to hide one's true emotions.
That hide them away
People can use clothing to hide their true selves from the world.
There's me spread
I am exposing my true self in this moment.
All over the floor
I am vulnerable and open, baring my emotions for all to see.
And I'm lost in one place,
I feel as if I am stuck and unmoving in my current situation.
I'm stuck, and I'm straight,
I feel like I am trapped in a straight, narrow path in my life.
And I hope that you feel the same way
I hope that you can understand and relate to my feelings of being trapped and exposed.
There's no doubt
I am certain and secure in what I am stating next.
Here lies Amelia Bright
Amelia has passed away and we are at her gravesite.
In a red 50's dress
Amelia is wearing her signature red dress from the 1950s at her burial.
From a thrift shop nearby
The dress was most likely purchased secondhand from a nearby thrift shop.
I laid on the grass and stared at the sky
I am lying down outside, looking up into the sky and reflecting.
There's no doubt
I am still confident and secure in my thoughts and emotions.
There's nothing to work out
There is no further explanation or reasoning needed in this situation.
You're alone
You are facing life's challenges and ups and downs by yourself.
'Cause you're always on your own
You are accustomed to handling things on your own and being independent.
When you yawn,
When you yawn (as a natural human response),
It makes me want to yawn, too
It has an effect on me as well, triggering my own urge to yawn.
Plain, expressionless view
The current scene and environment is unremarkable and lacking emotion.
It got into you with a necklace, no shoes,
A necklace and lack of shoes were seemingly the only things needed to influence your current mood and energy.
The promise of truth
The commitment and reliability of honesty.
And a life to be bright and new
A future of optimism and potential for something new and better.
Here lies Amelia Bright
We return to Amelia's gravesite, reflecting and remembering her life.
Over the bars of the graveyard at night
The dark surroundings and nighttime add a haunting and eerie feeling to the situation.
I laid on the grass
Once again, I am lying down and reflecting on the current moment.
And stared at the sky
Looking up at the sky can be a symbol of contemplation and reflection.
With Amelia Bright
Amelia's memory is still present and significant in this moment of reflection.
With Amelia Bright
The repetition of this line serves to emphasize the importance of Amelia's memory and impact on the singer.
Contributed by Reagan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lippy Pongstockings
OOhh me too! I have played this on piano for years from a truly pants, inaudible live recording - it's great to actually hear that I was replicating it somewhat accurately!! I believe this is a Jessee lyric - sounds like it. I may be wrong so don't hate.... But what a gorgeous song. Thank you so much for uploading x
M S
kate hargreaves It is Jesse yes
David Flexer
I was also used to the poor live recording I got from off Napster back in the day. Hotel Lights definitely rocked this song a million times better, but Darren's stuff from this period is really exceptional.
M S
David Flexer I’ve been trying to find that bootleg for like 15 minutes
Christopher Quinn
Good version, but I like the Hotel Lights one better. Darren's voice suits his own songs better :)
Carrie Gold
I had the same crappy live version for the longest time, but I'm glad I found this one.
samharriswenttoparis
Thanks and check out the rest of the album. It has a load of Ben Folds Rarity's. The links in the description. :D