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.
Lullabye
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world has more for you
Than it seems
Goodnight, goodnight
Let the moonlight take the lid off your dreams
We took a small flight
In the middle of the night
And my parents they remained
At the shack with Lorraine
And my aunt and my Grandpa and brother
We walked past the tarmac
And boarded the craft
The rain had me chilled to the bones
Just the three of us took flight that night
Uncle Richard, me and James Earl Jones
And the pilot he gave me a blanket
And the tall dark man sang to me in deep
Rich tones...
Goodnight, goodnight sweet baby
The world has more for you
Than it seems
Goodnight, goodnight
Let the moonlight take the lid off your dreams
In the song "Lullabye" by Ben Folds, the singer tells a story of a small flight he took on a rainy night with his uncle and James Earl Jones. They left behind the shack where his parents, aunt, and grandpa were staying with Lorraine. On the flight, James Earl Jones sang a lullaby to the singer and the pilot gave him a blanket to keep warm. The song ends with a message of hope and encouragement for the baby to have good dreams as there is more to the world than what it seems.
This song is interesting because it is based on a true story that happened to Ben Folds when he was four years old. James Earl Jones was on the same flight as him and sang him a lullaby, leaving a lasting impression on Folds. The song is also unique in that it is written from the perspective of a baby, which lends a certain innocence and vulnerability to the lyrics. Additionally, the song's melody and arrangement mimic a lullaby, with a gentle and soothing piano accompaniment and vocal line.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodnight, goodnight sweet baby
It's time for the baby to rest peacefully and have a good sleep
The world has more for you
There are endless opportunities and experiences that the baby will encounter as they grow up
Than it seems
Even though the baby is small and the world may seem big, there is much more in store for them than they can currently perceive
Goodnight, goodnight
The reassurance that it's time for bed and time to let go of the day's worries
Let the moonlight take the lid off your dreams
Encouraging the child to dream and allow the imagination to flow freely as the moonlight shines on and amplifies their dreams
We took a small flight
The singer shares a personal memory of taking a short flight
In the middle of the night
Emphasis on the time frame, which could create a mysterious or adventurous atmosphere
From one tiny place to another
A small journey from one location to another and perhaps the destination isn't too far
And my parents they remained
The artist, as a child, left their parents behind, possibly for the first time, on this journey
At the shack with Lorraine
Painting a picture of who the parents are with at the time, which is Lorraine, possibly an acquaintance or relative
And my aunt and my Grandpa and brother
Listing who else was present with the parents, possibly leaving the child feeling the absence of their family
We walked past the tarmac
Describing a fleeting moment from the journey and the movements that the child saw and experienced
And boarded the craft
Following the theme of travel, the child is entering a mechanical craft to take them to their destination
The rain had me chilled to the bones
Describing the weather and how it affected the singer's physical perception during the trip
Just the three of us took flight that night
The idea of three individuals embarking on a new adventure, creating the feeling of excitement or fear for the singer
Uncle Richard, me and James Earl Jones
Listing the individuals present on the flight and highlights the name of a famous actor, James Earl Jones
And the pilot he gave me a blanket
The child narrator was given a blanket, either by the pilot or someone else, to keep warm and comfortable during the flight
And the tall dark man sang to me in deep
Reference to the deep voice of James Earl Jones and how he made the child feel comfortable and safe
Rich tones...
Further describing the deepness of voice and feeling it was an enjoyable experience for the child
Contributed by Keira I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.