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.
Free Coffee Town
Ben Folds Lyrics
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Stepped out my front door
Squinted up at the sky
And strapped on my backpack
Got into a band
And when I returned I had
Ex-wives and children,
Boxes of photographs
And they gave me some food
And they didn't charge me
And they gave me some coffee
And they didn't charge me
And when I was broke I needed it more
But now that I'm rich, they give me coffee
Eating an ice-cream cone
Texting with my thumbs
The state of the asshole
Who pulled into my lane
Life could be longer than it's cracked up to be
You get new cells every seven years
I feel seven today;
It's a good day to die again
And they gave me some food
And they didn't charge me
And they gave me some coffee
And they didn't charge me
And when I was broke I needed it more
But now that I'm rich, they give me coffee
The lyrics to Ben Folds's song "Free Coffee Town" convey a sense of nostalgia and gratitude towards a community that supported the singer during tough times. The song starts with him reflecting on a day he called in sick and went out into the world with no real plan. He then joined a band, and when he returned to his hometown, he found he had an entirely new life with ex-wives and children and boxes full of photographs. Despite all these changes, the community he left behind still welcomed him back with open arms, feeding him and giving him coffee for free - a simple act of kindness that meant the world to him.
The song seems to be about the ephemeral and cyclical nature of life, how we all change over time, and how the things we once took for granted become more valuable to us later in life. The singer reflects on how he needed the community's help the most when he was broke, but now that he's rich, they still give him coffee. Through this lens, the song encourages us to cherish the people and things around us, knowing that they won't always be there.
Overall, "Free Coffee Town" is a touching and introspective song that speaks to the human experience in a relatable and poignant way.
Line by Line Meaning
Called in sick one day
I pretended to be sick and took the day off from work
Stepped out my front door
I walked outside my house
Squinted up at the sky
I looked up at the sky with my eyes half-closed
And strapped on my backpack
I put on my backpack
Got into a band
I joined a musical group
And when I returned I had
When I came back from my travels, I had
Ex-wives and children,
Former spouses and offspring
Boxes of photographs
Collections of pictures
And they gave me some food
They offered me some food to eat
And they didn't charge me
And they didn't ask me for money
And they gave me some coffee
They offered me some coffee to drink
And when I was broke I needed it more
When I was poor, I needed it more than I do now
But now that I'm rich, they give me coffee
But now that I have money, they offer me coffee without asking for payment
Eating an ice-cream cone
I am consuming a dessert consisting of frozen, sweetened dairy
Texting with my thumbs
I am communicating via text messages using my fingers
The state of the asshole
The condition of the person who drove recklessly in front of me
Who pulled into my lane
Who entered my designated area of the road
Life could be longer than it's cracked up to be
Existence has the potential to exceed common expectations
You get new cells every seven years
The human body replaces its cells every seven years
I feel seven today;
I feel youthful and lighthearted today
It's a good day to die again
I am ready to embrace the unknown and accept my mortality
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS, JARED REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind