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.
Claire's Ninth
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're late, they come, so dumb
In two cars when they agreed one
And it's gone wrong on her birthday
So they go to Joe's for pizza and ice cream
They sit and stare and Claire just wants to be 9 and a half
Next year she'll tell them she only wants world peace
I wish you knew how this all got twisted
I wish you could see right inside us
'Cause all of this stuff, the best of us that we can't get out
What's the point of this
What's wrong with two birthdays
It's cool at school
Her friends, they all have two birthdays
Oh geez, he just asked the waitress out on a date on her birthday
But Claire, Claire baby
I wish you knew how this all got twisted
I wish you could see right inside us
'Cause all of this stuff, the best of us that we can't get to
Here's the check
They pay with two cards like they've never met
Goodbyes outside; it's cold in LA
Claire, Claire baby
I wish you knew how this all got twisted
I wish you could see right inside us
The best of us for most of us
Or what we were, you're all that's left
It used to be our birthday too
The song Claire's Ninth by Ben Folds tells the story of a girl named Claire who is waiting for her parents to pick her up from school on her birthday. They arrive late and in separate cars instead of the agreed-upon one, causing the day to start off on a bad note. They try to make it up to her by taking her to Joe's for pizza and ice cream, but the tension remains. Claire just wants to have a good birthday and be "9 and a half", but her parents' issues and preoccupations overshadow her. She wishes things could be different and wonders why her parents can't just have two birthdays for her.
The chorus of the song speaks to a deeper level of dysfunction within the family dynamic. The parents are clearly going through some kind of strife that they cannot seem to work out. They are presenting a front to Claire that everything is okay, but beneath the surface, there is turmoil that they cannot seem to let go of. The repetition of the line "I wish you could see right inside us" alludes to this conflict.
Overall, the song Claire's Ninth is a poignant commentary on the complexities of family dynamics and how the small things can accumulate to create larger issues.
Line by Line Meaning
So she stands and waits and waits at the school gate
Claire is waiting at the school gate, and she has been waiting for a while.
They're late, they come, so dumb
Claire's parents are late, despite having agreed upon a time to arrive.
In two cars when they agreed one
Claire's parents arrived in two cars, despite having agreed to arrive in only one.
And it's gone wrong on her birthday
Claire's parents messed up on her birthday.
So they go to Joe's for pizza and ice cream
Instead of having a party, Claire and her parents go to Joe's for pizza and ice cream.
They sit and stare and Claire just wants to be 9 and a half
Claire is not enjoying the moment and wants to be a little older.
Next year she'll tell them she only wants world peace
Claire will ask for world peace as a birthday present next year.
But Claire, Claire baby
The artist is addressing Claire.
I wish you knew how this all got twisted
The artist wishes Claire understood how things went wrong.
I wish you could see right inside us
The artist wishes that Claire could understand what her parents are going through.
'Cause all of this stuff, the best of us that we can't get out
There is something that is affecting them deeply that they cannot change.
What's the point of this
The artist is asking what the point of the current situation is.
What's wrong with two birthdays
The singer is questioning why having two birthdays is a problem.
It's cool at school
Having two birthdays is seen as a good thing amongst Claire's friends.
Her friends, they all have two birthdays
All of Claire's friends have two birthdays.
Oh geez, he just asked the waitress out on a date on her birthday
Someone just did something gauche.
They pay with two cards like they've never met
Claire's parents pay with two separate payment methods.
Goodbyes outside; it's cold in LA
The family says their goodbyes outside, where it is cold in Los Angeles.
The best of us for most of us
We try to show the best part of ourselves.
Or what we were, you're all that's left
Claire is what remains of what they once were.
It used to be our birthday too
Claire's parents share a birthday with Claire, but they had a falling out with their friend who shared the same birthday.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS, NICHOLAS PETER JOHN HORNBY, NICK HORNBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind