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.
Hiro's Song
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am fifty one
Since nineteen eighty
Life has been no fun
And I don't want to die
I left my family for the secretary
Her name is yuko
She and my daughter
Were best friends in high school
They say I'm crazy and it's temporary
But I refuse to rot
Like my contemporaries
I want to explode
In a karaoke supernova
I don't want to grow old
Won't you let me
Won't you let me explode
In a karaoke supernova
Last night she dressed me up
In hip hop pants
The phat g-style
That rides below your ass
She wants to show me
To her mom and dad
I told her
I would not be down with that
Cause lately I can feel the years between us
And hope to god that friends at work don't see us
Tonight she asked me if I'd ever seen jesus
Cause she had backstage passes for three of us
I don't want to grow old
Won't you let me
Won't you let me explode
In a karaoke supernova
So now she's gone and broke my heart, goddamn her
Turns out she's been fucking his drum programmer
She likes his style
She likes his rock star glamour
Well, she's an infant
He can damn well have her
I don't want to grow old
Won't you let me
Won't you let me explode in a karaoke supernova
In Ben Folds's song Hiro's Song, Hiro is a 51-year-old man who feels disenchanted with life since 1980. Hiro abandoned his family for his secretary, Yuko, who is 29 years junior to him. She was his daughter's high school friend, and Hiro's family and colleagues perceive that his unconventional relationship with Yuko is a temporary, foolish behavior. However, Hiro feels reinvigorated by Yuko's youth, and she convinces him to wear hip-hop pants that ride below his butt and to attend karaoke for a chance at a supernova. Hiro wants to live life to the fullest and refuses to grow old in the unfortunate state, but his relationship with Yuko ends when he discovers that she is cheating on him with his drum programmer. He realizes that Yuko is immature and that he is better off without her.
The lyrics to this song reflect a middle-aged man's desire to break free and feel young again. Hiro is in a rut and refuses to accept the mundane lifestyle that many people his age submit to. Although his decision to leave his family for Yuko is unpopular, Hiro believes that he deserves to be happy, even if it means making unconventional choices. He wants to explode and make something of himself through karaoke, which represents a therapeutic escape from his everyday life. However, Hiro's desire to go supernova is complicated by his age and his relationship with Yuko, ultimately leading to heartbreak and a sense of resignation.
Line by Line Meaning
My name is hiro
The singer is introducing himself as Hiro
I am fifty one
Hiro is 51 years old
Since nineteen eighty
Since the year 1980
Life has been no fun
Hiro's life has not been enjoyable
And I don't want to die
Despite the challenges in his life, Hiro is not ready to give up on living
I left my family for the secretary
Hiro left his family to be with the secretary at his workplace
Her name is yuko
The secretary's name is Yuko
She is twenty two
Yuko is 22 years old
She and my daughter
Yuko and Hiro's daughter were close friends in high school
Were best friends in high school
Yuko and Hiro's daughter had a strong friendship during their high school years
They say I'm crazy and it's temporary
Others have expressed concern over Hiro's behavior, but he believes it's only a temporary phase
But I refuse to rot
Hiro doesn't want to waste away or give up on life
Like my contemporaries
Hiro doesn't want to age or live a typical, boring life like others his age
I want to explode
Hiro wants to break free and let loose
In a karaoke supernova
Hiro wants to experience a wild and memorable moment at a karaoke bar
I don't want to grow old
Hiro fears the effects of aging and doesn't want to become old and boring
Won't you let me
Hiro is pleading for permission to live life on his own terms
Last night she dressed me up
Yuko gave Hiro a makeover the night before
In hip hop pants
Hiro was dressed in fashionable hip hop-inspired clothing
The phat g-style
Hiro was wearing trendy baggy pants that hang low on the hips
That rides below your ass
Hiro's pants were so loose that they hung below his backside
She wants to show me
Yuko wants to share her new image of Hiro with her family
To her mom and dad
Yuko wants to introduce Hiro to her parents
I told her
Hiro refused Yuko's request to meet her parents
I would not be down with that
Hiro was not comfortable with meeting Yuko's parents
Cause lately I can feel the years between us
Hiro is becoming more aware of the age gap between him and Yuko
And hope to god that friends at work don't see us
Hiro is worried about what his colleagues at work might think if they saw him with a much younger woman
Tonight she asked me if I'd ever seen jesus
Yuko asked Hiro if he has ever had a religious experience
Cause she had backstage passes for three of us
Yuko has an opportunity to attend a concert with Hiro and one other person
So now she's gone and broke my heart, goddamn her
Yuko has betrayed Hiro by having an affair with someone else
Turns out she's been fucking his drum programmer
Yuko has been having a sexual relationship with the drummer for the band she is a part of
She likes his style
Yuko is attracted to the drummer's personality and appearance
She likes his rock star glamour
Yuko is drawn to the glamorous and exciting lifestyle of a rock star
Well, she's an infant
Hiro believes that Yuko is too young and immature for him
He can damn well have her
Hiro has given up on Yuko and doesn't want her back
Won't you let me explode in a karaoke supernova
Hiro still desires to have a wild and memorable experience at a karaoke bar
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind