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.
Emaline
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we could lose ourselves in crowds everyday.
'Cause Emaline, she'll walk in time.
She's not the same, that's all you can say.
When I've heard enough I tell myself
That we've learned our lesson
But I don't want to walk away from Emaline.
Does she know what they're saying?
She's go the air to float above it.
I'm sinking into someone should pay.
She's dear to me and so expensive.
Now I'm not talking about money.
When money talks, I hate to listen,
But lately it's been screaming in my ear.
When I've heard enough I tell myself
That we've learned our lesson
But I don't want to walk away from Emaline.
It only took me one look to understand Emaline.
Sometimes I don't know what she's saying.
Sometimes I do,
Sometimes I don't know what she's saying,
But I know, I know,
I know what she wants to believe.
I wish it was last September.
Don't let me walk away from Emaline
For stupid reasons.
Now I'm talking about money.
When money talks, I hate to listen,
But lately it's been screaming in my ear.
My one advice, girls need attention,
Or are you different than all mine?
For what it's worth, she's got attention
From people like a.c. black and white.
When I've heard enough, I tell you what.
I really shouldn't sit here and whine,
I'll take you down to see my Emaline.
The song Emaline by Ben Folds is about a girl named Emaline who seems to be the center of attention for a lot of people. The singer wishes it was September, a time when they could get lost in crowds and not have to think about their problems. He talks about how Emaline walks in time, but she's not the same as she used to be, and he wonders if she knows what people are saying about her. Though he knows that they've learned their lesson, he doesn't want to walk away from Emaline.
The singer expresses his love for Emaline and how dear she is to him. He's not talking about money when he says she's expensive, but he hates to listen to money talk. He believes that girls need attention, and if they don't get it, they'll go somewhere else. He knows that Emaline has attention from people like A.C. Black and White, and he shouldn't whine about it. The singer promises to take us down to see Emaline, and we shouldn't leave her for stupid reasons.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish it was last September
I long for the carefree days we had last September when we could get lost in a crowd every day.
When we could lose ourselves in crowds everyday.
We could easily blend in and disappear in the crowds, and it felt liberating.
'Cause Emaline, she'll walk in time.
Emaline always seems to go with the flow and never out of sync with everyone else.
She's not the same, that's all you can say.
Though she looks like everyone else, there's something unique and different about Emaline that sets her apart.
When I've heard enough I tell myself
That we've learned our lesson
But I don't want to walk away from Emaline.
Despite knowing when to quit, I can't help but stay drawn to Emaline and keep coming back for more.
They're talking now.
People are gossiping about Emaline, and I wonder if she's aware and how she's taking it.
Does she know what they're saying?
I ponder on whether or not Emaline is privy to the rumors about her.
She's got the air to float above it.
Emaline has the confidence and grace to rise above the negative opinions of others.
I'm sinking into someone should pay.
I'm feeling resentful towards whoever started the rumors and wishing they would face consequences.
She's dear to me and so expensive.
Emaline is someone I cherish and hold in high regard; she's priceless to me.
Now I'm not talking about money.
I'm not referring to material worth when I say Emaline is expensive.
When money talks, I hate to listen,
But lately it's been screaming in my ear.
I detest being influenced by money, but lately, it's become increasingly hard to ignore its implications in my life.
It only took me one look to understand Emaline.
Despite not knowing what Emaline is thinking or saying, one look from her is enough for me to understand her.
Sometimes I don't know what she's saying.
Emaline can be cryptic and difficult to read at times.
Sometimes I do,
Sometimes I don't know what she's saying,
But I know, I know,
I know what she wants to believe.
While I may not always grasp what Emaline is saying, I can sense what she truly wants to believe deep down.
Don't let me walk away from Emaline
For stupid reasons.
I don't want to lose Emaline over petty reasons or materialistic values.
My one advice, girls need attention,
Or are you different than all mine?
My experience has taught me that girls require attention and care, or am I missing something when it comes to Emaline?
For what it's worth, she's got attention
From people like a.c. black and white.
Emaline already has admirers and attention, including those considered prominent in society.
When I've heard enough, I tell you what.
I really shouldn't sit here and whine,
I'll take you down to see my Emaline.
Once I've had my fill of complaining, I'll take you to meet Emaline and let you understand why she captivates me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Martina Giselle
Have loved this song for about 15 years... am currently pregnant with my second daughter and naming her Emaline. Thanks to BF5 for being the soundtrack to my life.
LoBo
The sound of the life and the mind.
Shannon M.
I named my 2nd Emaline too. She’s 6 now and as unique as the girl in the song ❤️
Emira
My daughter will be 13 this year and she’s named after this song! Her name is Emaline Freya 🥰
Burner Facetime
This is one of my all time favorite live performances ever.
Robert Ruby
This was the first version I ever heard of this song and it's still my favorite. I love the energy that the backup vocals and the drums add.
I just posted a multi-instrument cover of this version in particular to my channel :]
Jack Dorsey
Wow, I have literally the same opinion. First version, and it's my favorite because of the backup vocals and other instruments. :)
Pinemarten
This has very quickly turned into my favourite Ben Folds Five song. What a beautiful song, should have been put on an album
eldawgthemus
i think this whole show is indescribably amazing, but this one is probably the best one next to selfless, cold and composed in this show
Nikki Murphy
My heart is full listening to this ❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰