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.
Brick
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I throw some clothes on in the dark
The smell of cold
Car seat is freezing
The world is sleeping
I am numb
Up the stairs to her apartment
Her mom and dad went down to Charlotte
They're not home to find us out
And we drive
Now that I have found someone
I'm feeling more alone
Than I ever have before
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
They call her name at seven-thirty
I pace around the parking lot
Then I walk down to buy her flowers
And sell some gifts that I got
Can't you see
It's not me you're dying for?
Now she's feeling more alone
Than she ever has before
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
As weeks went by
It showed that she was not fine
They told me "Son it's time to tell the truth"
And she broke down and I broke down
'Cause I was tired of lying
Driving back to her apartment
For the moment, we're alone
Yeah, she's alone and I'm alone
And now I know it
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
The lyrics to "Brick" by Ben Folds Five, and Ben Folds serve as a painful reminder of a difficult moment in the past for the songwriter. The song deals with a teenage pregnancy, which the singer and his girlfriend are trying to manage without their parents finding out. The opening verse is particularly vivid as Folds describes leaving his apartment building on a cold winter morning to pick up his girlfriend, who is alone and scared, waiting on the couch in her apartment. As the song progresses, the two characters' loneliness only deepens, with little hope of salvation. Folds sings of the guilt and the weight of secrets, leading to a bittersweet realisation of the harsh reality they face.
The song "Brick" was co-written by Ben Folds and drummer Darren Jessee, and was the first single of Ben Folds Five's second album, Whatever and Ever Amen. The song gained critical acclaim upon its release in 1997 and won a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song's emotional ballad owes its staying power to Folds' plaintive, vulnerable voice and the haunting melody that resonates long after the song ends.
Line by Line Meaning
Six am day after Christmas
The singer wakes up early on the day after Christmas.
I throw some clothes on in the dark
The singer gets dressed without turning on the lights.
The smell of cold
The singer can smell the cold air outside.
Car seat is freezing
The artist's car is very cold.
The world is sleeping
It seems like everyone else is still asleep.
I am numb
The singer is emotionally numb.
Up the stairs to her apartment
The singer walks up the stairs to his girlfriend's apartment.
She is balled up on the couch
The artist's girlfriend is curled up on the couch.
Her mom and dad went down to Charlotte
The girlfriend's parents are out of town.
They're not home to find us out
The artist and his girlfriend are alone in the apartment.
And we drive
The singer and his girlfriend leave the apartment and start driving.
Now that I have found someone
The artist has found a new girlfriend.
I'm feeling more alone
Despite having a girlfriend, the singer feels more alone than ever.
Than I ever have before
This feeling is worse than anything he has felt in the past.
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
The singer's girlfriend is a burden to him and he feels like he is drowning because of her.
Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere
The artist is lost and directionless in his life.
They call her name at seven thirty
The girlfriend is called to come back to the abortion clinic.
I pace around the parking lot
The singer waits anxiously in the parking lot.
Then I walk down to buy her flowers
After the procedure, the singer buys his girlfriend flowers.
And sell some gifts that I got
The artist sells some gifts he had bought for his girlfriend, which now seem pointless.
Can't you see
The artist is frustrated that his girlfriend can't understand his feelings.
It's not me you're dying for
The artist feels like his girlfriend is clinging to him for comfort, but he can't give it to her.
Now she's feeling more alone
His girlfriend is now feeling more alone too.
Then she ever has before
Her loneliness is worse than anything she has felt before.
As weeks went by
Time passes after the abortion.
It showed that she was not fine
His girlfriend is struggling emotionally after the abortion.
They told me son it's time to tell the truth
The girlfriend's parents tell the singer that he needs to tell his parents what happened.
She broke down and I broke down
Both the artist and his girlfriend are emotional wrecks.
'Cause I was tired of lying
The artist was tired of pretending like everything was okay.
Driving home to her apartment
The singer drives his girlfriend home.
For the moment we're alone
They are alone for the moment.
She's alone
His girlfriend is now truly alone.
I'm alone
The artist also feels alone.
Now I know it
The artist has come to terms with his emotions and his situation.
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
The singer's girlfriend is still a burden to him and he still feels like he is drowning because of her.
Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ben Folds, Darren Jessee
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pagemastrogiovanni9195
@@augustmoon5596 From my research I think I went to one of the free On the Bricks concerts in Centennial Park about 20 years ago to see Sting. It was wonderful!
From an article:
"Atlanta Prepares For āOn The Bricksā
Billboard Staff
4/24/2002
Rising neo-soul star India.Arie will headline the inaugural show of Atlantaās 2002 On the Bricks free weekly concert series. Set for May 24 in the cityās Centennial Olympic Park, the bill for the opening event will also feature singer/songwriter John Mayer, modern rock act the Calling, and locally based singer/songwriter Chrystina Lloree.
While the full schedule for the series is not yet announced, many artists who will perform in the park throughout the summer have been confirmed, including Michelle Branch, They Might Be Giants, Cracker, Blues Traveler, Sister Hazel, former Whiskeytown member Caitlin Cary, Will Hoge, the Smithereens, and Edwin McCain."
@randomlibra
This is one of the most haunting, heart breaking songs ever.
Driving back to her apartment
For the moment we're alone
But she's alone
And I'm alone
And now I know it
That part kills me every time I hear it.Ā
@Balthazar2242
One of the most honest songs I've ever heard. It takes guts to write about an experience like this and release it on the radio with no agenda. I think this song should be remembered for a long time.
@chazzatheninja
what's it about?
@Balthazar2242
chazzatheninja
This is about a time when he got his girlfriend pregnant and they went to get an abortion.
He's said that he just wanted to be honest about his experience without entering into the larger debate.
I'm just impressed that he can totally open up about it to the masses and be honest about how sucky it was for him and his girlfriend.
@bradleygonzalez1160
wow....Ā
@kellyadams1783
It kind of reminds me of a Crash Test Dummies Song "mmmmmmmmm".Ā Ā Another sad song aboutĀ experiences released on the radio.
@filminginportland1654
Dunno why everything has to have an agenda. Glad he just let it speak for itself without attaching anything.
@verbavolant6895
I've fallen down the hole of 90s nostalgia. But that's okay, life is better down here anyway.
@emileesmits6585
Me too
@mickklower6465
Yep, im here right now... 98-99
@tammym8966
Same friend, same