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.
Late
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eating takeout by myself
I played the shows
Got back in the van and put the Walkman on
And you were playing
In some other dive a thousand miles away
I played a thousand times before
I always knew
You saw them too
But you never will again
It's too late
Don't you know
It's been too late
For a long time
Elliott, man, you played a fine guitar
And some dirty basketball
The songs you wrote
Got me through a lot
Just want to tell you that
But it's too late
It's too late
No, don't you know
it's been too late
for a long time
Oh no
Things were looking up
Least that's what I heard
Oh no
Someone came and washed away your hard-earned
Peace of mind
When desperate static beats the silence up
A quiet truth to calm you down
The songs you wrote
Got me through a lot
Just want to tell you that
But it's too late
It's too late
No, don't you know
It's been too late
For a long time
It's too late
It's too late
No, don't you know
It's been too late
For a long time
The lyrics to "Late" by Ben Folds are full of a sense of regret and missed opportunities. The opening verse sets the scene for the rest of the song, with the singer eating alone by a dirty wall and listening to music on their Walkman. The line "And you were playing" suggests that the song they are listening to is by someone they have a connection with, perhaps someone they used to play music with.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is singing to someone who they are unable to reach - Elliott, a former bandmate or friend who has since passed away. The lyrics express admiration for Elliott's guitar playing and songwriting, and the way that his music helped the singer through tough times. However, the repeated refrain of "It's too late" underscores the sense of regret and loss that runs throughout the song. The idea that "you never will again" see the same truck stops and rock club walls is particularly poignant, suggesting that both the singer and Elliott are now unable to experience the same kind of connection they once had through music.
The final verse introduces a new character - someone who has had their "hard-earned peace of mind" washed away by some unknown event. The singer suggests that music can provide a "quiet truth" to calm them down, just as it did for them when they were going through tough times. However, the repeated refrain of "It's too late" suggests that the same regret and missed opportunities apply to this situation as well.
In summary, the lyrics to "Late" mourn the loss of a connection that once existed between the singer and a former bandmate or friend, as well as the sense of missed opportunities that comes with it. The sense of regret and loss is amplified by the repeated refrain of "It's too late," which suggests that there is no chance to regain what has been lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Under some dirty words on a dirty wall
Amidst vulgar graffiti on an unkempt wall
Eating takeout by myself
Dining alone on fast food
I played the shows
I performed music concerts
Got back in the van and put the Walkman on
Returning to a vehicle to listen to music
And you were playing
While you were also performing somewhere else
In some other dive a thousand miles away
Performing at a seedy venue distant by many miles
I played a thousand times before
I had performed similar concerts on numerous occasions
And like pathetic stars, the truck stops and the rock club walls
Similar to dwarfed stars, the walls of the truck stops and rock clubs
I always knew
I was certain of this fact beforehand
You saw them too
You also knew and saw what I knew and saw
But you never will again
You'll never experience or witness that again
It's too late
The time has passed beyond the possibility of change
Don't you know
Are you not aware
It's been too late
The opportunity for resolution elapsed long ago
For a long time
It has been a considerable length of time
Elliott, man, you played a fine guitar
Elliott, your musical talent with a guitar was outstanding
And some dirty basketball
Playing unclean basketball
The songs you wrote
The melodies you composed
Got me through a lot
Your music helped me in challenging times
Just want to tell you that
I yearn to express to you this sentiment
Oh no
Exclamation signifying worry or concern
Things were looking up
The situation appeared to be improving
Least that's what I heard
At least as far as I'm aware
Someone came and washed away your hard-earned
Someone destroyed your hard-earned
Peace of mind
Mental calm and tranquility
When desperate static beats the silence up
During times of great stress, interference and discordance overpower the silence
A quiet truth to calm you down
A soothing reality to pacify your worries
It's too late
The opportunity has passed beyond the possibility of change
No, don't you know
Are you not aware?
For a long time
It has been a considerable length of time
It's been too late
The chance for improvement elapsed long ago
For a long time
It has been a considerable length of time
It's too late
The time has passed beyond the possibility of change
No, don't you know
Are you not aware?
It's been too late
The chance for resolution elapsed long ago
For a long time
It has been a considerable length of time
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind