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.
Hiroshima
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was the start of the show
Hiroshima
And the people were shouting my name
As the house lights came down
And the spotlight followed me out
I waved down low to the crowd
Oh-oh Oh!
They're watching me, watching me fall
Maybe it was the course of adrenaline
As the concrete rose to meet my face
Maybe it was the sheer embarrassment
That kept me concious and standing as I
Crawled back on the stage
And started pounding out the first song
There was blood on the keyboard...
..Oh my God.
Oh-oh Oh!
They're watching me, watching me fall
Oh-oh Oh!
They're watching me, watching me fall
You wanna see what's in my head?
You wanna see what's in my head?
You wanna see what's in my head?
Check it out 'cause;
I got pictures of what's in my head
I got pictures of what's in my head
They took of me in Tokyo
And I brought 'em back with me to the USA
Oh-oh Oh!
They're watching me, watching me fall
Oh-oh Oh!
They're watching me, watching me fall
Alright, fall!
The song "Hiroshima" by Ben Folds tells the story of a performer who takes the stage in Hiroshima, Japan, and is welcomed by a screaming crowd. As the performer begins to play, he falls off the stage and hits his head on the concrete floor, resulting in blood on the keyboard. Despite this, the performer gets back on stage, and the crowd continues to watch him, as if waiting for him to fall again. The performer then reveals that he has pictures of what's in his head, which were taken of him in Tokyo, and that he has brought them back to the USA.
The lyrics of "Hiroshima" seem to reference the destructive power of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. The performer's fall off the stage could be seen as symbolic of this devastating event, and the blood on the keyboard represents the violence and destruction caused by the bomb. The line "They're watching me, watching me fall" suggests that the crowd is not just watching the performer, but also watching the destruction caused by the bombing, as if the two are somehow connected.
However, the song's ending with the reference to pictures taken in Tokyo seems to suggest that the performer has found some sort of beauty or meaning in Japanese culture, perhaps a way of healing from the destruction of the past. The song's overall message is one of resilience in the face of tragedy and the ability to find hope and beauty in unexpected places.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh-oh, Oh!
The anticipation and excitement of the concert are palpable, with the crowd cheering as the lights dim and the spotlight falls on the singer.
It was the start of the show
The setting for the song is a concert, where the singer is the main act.
Hiroshima
The location of the concert or tour where the singer is performing.
And the people were shouting my name
The audience is familiar with the singer and shows their admiration and support by calling out his name.
As the house lights came down
The show begins as the lights in the venue are turned off, signaling the start of the performance.
And the spotlight followed me out
The singer is introduced with the spotlight shining on them, marking the beginning of their performance.
I waved down low to the crowd
The singer acknowledges and greets their fans as they take the stage.
As I busted ass on the front of the stage
The singer puts on an energetic performance, giving their all and engaging with the audience.
They're watching me, watching me fall
The singer is aware that they are being watched and observed throughout their performance.
Maybe it was the course of adrenaline
The singer speculates that the adrenaline rush from performing caused them to lose balance and fall offstage.
As the concrete rose to meet my face
The singer fell from the stage onto the hard concrete ground, injuring their face.
Maybe it was the sheer embarrassment
Another possible explanation for the singer's fall is overwhelming embarrassment that made them collapse offstage.
That kept me conscious and standing as I
Despite the embarrassment of falling, the singer remains conscious on the stage floor and continues performing.
Crawled back on the stage
The singer gets back on stage, despite being injured and embarrassed.
And started pounding out the first song
The singer begins performing their first song, displaying true dedication and professionalism.
There was blood on the keyboard... Oh my God.
The injury sustained from the fall caused blood to be on the keyboard, leading the singer to express their shock and horror.
You wanna see what's in my head?
The singer questions if the audience wants to know what is going on in their head.
Check it out 'cause; I got pictures of what's in my head
The singer has pictures taken in Tokyo that show what is in their head and brings them back to the USA.
They took of me in Tokyo
The pictures taken are from the time the singer spent in Tokyo.
Alright, fall!
The singer seems to be resigning themselves to the fact that they have fallen and allows themselves to do so.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind