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.
Frown Song
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a weary war-torn refugee
Crossing the border with her starving child
It's a struggle just to get to shiatsu
Present the waitress with your allergy card
And tell all of your problems
Leave no tip at all
Down at the shoe store with your friends
Rock on, rock on with your fashionable frown
Rock on, rock on. Spread the love around
Rock on, rock on with a fashionable frown
Spread the love around
Hard to remember how we managed before
We could afford real and nervous breakdowns
Or before the anthropology store
Was erected on Indian burial grounds
So really don't you see a little of yourself in the bathroom attendant that you just scowled at?
Or the child who's hiding inside as you wipe the smile off a teenage barista
Rock on, rock on with your fashionable frown
Rock on, rock on. Spread the love around
Rock on, rock on with a fashionable frown
Spread the love around
Spread the love around
Alright
You're gonna be alright, baby
You're gonna be alright, baby
Floating back from the spa to the car
State of bliss, and it wasn't the steam room
Sometimes life's not so bad
Now we know who's been fucking the guru
Rock on, rock on with your fashionable frown
Rock on, rock on. Spread the love around
Rock on, rock on with a fashionable frown
Spread the love around
Smile for us now
Do it upside down
The lyrics of Ben Folds's song "Frown Song" explore the themes of materialism, self-importance, and the human tendency to be unhappy despite living in a world of luxury and convenience. The first verse, with its references to visiting a posh spa, seems to be a commentary on the triviality of modern society's concerns. The singer compares the act of going to the spa to that of a refugee crossing a border, suggesting that people place undue importance on self-care and indulgence. The second stanza delves deeper into the idea of entitlement, as the singer describes a scenario in which a customer presents a detailed allergy card and complains to the waitstaff, only to leave without leaving a tip. The final lines of the verse suggest a kind of ironic detachment from the situation, as the singer's friends engage in a frivolous conversation about who might be "fucking a guru."
The chorus of "Frown Song" is where the title of the song comes into play. The phrase "fashionable frown" suggests the idea that people may try to appear unhappy or discontented as a way of seeming deep or introspective. This is juxtaposed with the lyrics "spread the love around," which seem to be an ironic commentary on the way that people view themselves as isolated individuals rather than part of a larger community.
Line by Line Meaning
Tread slowly from the car to the spa
Moving at a sluggish pace as if you're a tired and exhausted refugee traveling from one place to another
Like a weary war-torn refugee
Traveling from one place to another with the same level of exhaustion and weariness as refugees who have come from war-torn countries
Crossing the border with her starving child
As difficult as crossing a border with a starving child, you struggle to reach the spa
It's a struggle just to get to shiatsu
The process is so challenging that reaching shiatsu seems like a significant obstacle to overcome
Present the waitress with your allergy card
Handing over a card with all of your allergies to the waitress to avoid any issues and problems
And tell all of your problems
Releasing all of your pent up emotions onto the waitress as she listens to your problems
Leave no tip at all
After complaining and burdening the waitress, you leave without giving a tip to your server
Down at the shoe store with your friends
Hanging out with friends in the shoe store
Speculate who might be fucking a guru
Gossiping with friends about who may be having a sexual affair with a guru
Hard to remember how we managed before
It's challenging to think about how we handled life before our breakdowns and the anthropology store were created
We could afford real and nervous breakdowns
When we could genuinely afford stress and breakdowns in our lives
Or before the anthropology store
Before the store that studies human behavior and social customs existed
Was erected on Indian burial grounds
Before the store was built on lands where Native Americans were buried
So really don't you see a little of yourself in the bathroom attendant that you just scowled at?
Do you realize that the bathroom attendant that you just scowled at is very much like you?
Or the child who's hiding inside as you wipe the smile off a teenage barista
Think about the young kid who is hiding inside their shell, as you're taking away the smile from a teenage barista.
Rock on, rock on with your fashionable frown
Continue to pretend that being unhappy is fashionable and trendy.
Rock on, rock on. Spread the love around
Keep spreading love to those around you.
Spread the love around
Share your love and happiness with others.
Alright
Great!
You're gonna be alright, baby
You're going to be okay.
Floating back from the spa to the car
Returning from the spa in a state of serenity and calmness
State of bliss, and it wasn't the steam room
You're feeling euphoric, but it's not because of the steam room
Sometimes life's not so bad
Life isn't always terrible.
Now we know who's been fucking the guru
You finally figured out who's been having sex with the guru.
Smile for us now
Please show us your smile.
Do it upside down
Now, turn your smile upside down.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind