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.
Missing The War
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
see figures jotted down
And clothes all strewn around
the bedroom flood
Now nothing's adding up
And nothing's making sense
She's sleeping like a baby
She doesn't like a baby
I'm missing the war
I'm missing the war all night
Missing the war
He drove home again
Pissed and beaten
Its really no big deal
It happens all the time
Its no big deal
I'm missing the war
I'm missing the war all night
Missing the war
I'm missing the war
'Till beads of sunlight hit me in the morning
So much time so little to say
Time may fly
And dreams may die
The shaking voice that tells him go
Still thinks he might
He knows he won't
I'm missing the war
Missing the war all night
Missing the war
The song "Missing The War" by Ben Folds Five depicts the story of a soldier who comes home to an unfaithful wife. The opening lines of the song "All is quiet his tired eyes, see figures jotted down" suggest that the soldier is back home and is trying to make sense of what he sees. The lyrics further describe the chaos in the bedroom, where clothes are strewn around and nothing is adding up. The soldier's wife is sleeping like a baby, oblivious to the fact that her husband is not meant for this kind of treatment.
The second verse is a narration of what the soldier goes through as he returns home. He is beaten and pissed and yet considers it no big deal. The chorus of the song highlights the misses of the war. The soldier seems to be missing everything about the war, perhaps suggesting that the war has become his home and his true calling. The final lines of the song depict the pain and agony of the soldier who knows that he must leave, but still has a shaking voice that tells him to stay.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the trauma and pain that soldiers go through when they return home. It depicts the struggles of a soldier who returns home to find that his wife has been unfaithful, and he is not sure of what to do next. It is a poignant and heartfelt song that highlights the emotional toll of war and its aftermath.
Line by Line Meaning
All is quiet his tired eyes
He is exhausted and seeing things haphazardly
see figures jotted down
Noticing some scribbled notes on paper
And clothes all strewn around
His room is in chaos as clothes are scattered everywhere
the bedroom flood
Room is so cluttered it looks like a river of stuff
Now nothing's adding up
He is unable to grasp the situation
And nothing's making sense
He is confused and lost
She's sleeping like a baby
His wife is fast asleep, oblivious to his struggles
She doesn't like a baby
She doesn't toss and turn like he does
She doesn't know he wasn't meant for this
His wife doesn't realize he is struggling with his life and career choices
I'm missing the war
He misses the excitement and adrenaline rush he once felt when he was in the midst of conflict or competition
I'm missing the war all night
He is preoccupied with thoughts of war and can't sleep
He drove home again
He left the workplace in a defeated state
Pissed and beaten
He is angry and frustrated
Its really no big deal
He is trying to minimize the situation but it is affecting him deeply
It happens all the time
This is a recurring problem for him
I'm missing the war
He is feeling disheartened and missing the thrill of conflict
Till beads of sunlight hit me in the morning
He stays up all night but eventually falls asleep until daylight appears
So much time so little to say
He ponders a lot but can't make sense of his own thoughts
Time may fly
The clock keeps ticking, regardless of his mental state
And dreams may die
His aspirations may never come to fruition
The shaking voice that tells him go
His inner voice urges him to leave and start fresh
Still thinks he might
He wants to believe he can make a change
He knows he won't
But deep down, he knows he can't
I'm missing the war
He is longing for a time when he was engaged in competition and battles
Missing the war all night
It's all he can think about, even when he is trying to sleep
Missing the war
Overall, He is struggling with his current life and is nostalgic for a different time of challenge and excitement
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BEN FOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thirteen2k
Ben Folds Five at their peak. Man, these guys were good.
@lavizol
Still best for me. λ²€λ½μ¦νμ΄λΈ ν¬λ λ²!
@jeffa4110
Fuck yes
@velvitjonze
Iβve literally spent 23 years trying to learn this on piano and today I finally got it. Love the song as much now as I did the first time I heard it
@CherubRocket1979
been trying the same on acoustic guitar... even though Ben says that instrument is "illegal" π
@jenzeck8660
How did you learn it??
@velvitjonze
@Jen Zeck a bit of a mix of having the sheet music (since the album came out!), by ear and finally some brilliant tutorials on youtube. It was always the bridge bit I struggled with. Have a watch of this one if you're trying to learn it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-03ClTL3yjw
@jenzeck8660
Thank you so much!!
@velvitjonze
@Jen Zeck you're welcome
@ryandowd7040
My ex and I used to sit at the piano while I tried pathetically to play this and she tried somewhat less pathetically to sing it. It was fantastic.