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.
Not the Same
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At Robert Sledge's party
And there you stayed 'till morning came
And you were not the same after that
You gave your life to Jesus Christ
And after all your friends went home
You came down, you looked around
You were not the same after that
You were not the same after that
You see 'em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
You've got one good trick and you're hanging on you're hanging on...
To it
You took the word and made it heard
And eased the people's pain and for that
You were idolized, immortalized
And you were not the same after that
Walking tall, you'd bought it all
And you were not the same after that
Till someone died on the water slide
And you were not the same after that
You see 'em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
You've got one good trick and you're hanging on you're hanging on to it
(ooh ooh ooh ooh)
(You were not the same!)
(ooh ooh ooh ooh)
You see 'em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
You've got one good trick and you're hanging on
you're hanging on:
You're hanging on
You're hanging on
The opening lines of Ben Folds's song Not The Same describe a transformative experience the singer had while attending a party: he climbed a tree and stayed there until morning, only to come down to find that he was "not the same after that." The song goes on to describe various other experiences that altered the singer's life, such as giving his life to Jesus and becoming a religious fanatic, and achieving fame as a musician only to be brought back down to earth by tragedy. The recurring lyric "you were not the same after that" underscores the theme of transformation and the idea that one event, one decision, or one realization can completely change a person's life.
The song can be read as a commentary on the nature of identity and how it can sometimes shift dramatically over the course of a single incident or moment. The singer seems to be grappling with the fact he can never be the same as he once was, no matter how hard he tries or how much he longs for that old self. Instead, he must embrace the person he has become, for better or for worse.
Overall, "Not The Same" is a powerful, introspective song that speaks to the universal experience of change and transformation. It reflects on the various forces that can shape us, and how they can sometimes be out of our control.
Line by Line Meaning
You took a trip and climbed a tree
You experienced something new and adventurous
At Robert Sledge's party
You were somewhere you don't usually go
And there you stayed 'till morning came
You didn't leave when others did, you stayed longer
And you were not the same after that
This experience changed you in some way
You gave your life to Jesus Christ
You had a religious conversion
And after all your friends went home
You were alone with your new beliefs
You came down, you looked around
You returned to reality and took stock of your surroundings
And you were not the same after that
Your new beliefs changed you in some way
You see 'em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
People around you are falling victim to something
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
People are seeking help from you
You've got one good trick and you're hanging on you're hanging on...
You have one skill, and you're trying to keep it relevant
You took the word and made it heard
You spread a message and made it popular
And eased the people's pain and for that
Your message helped people in some way
You were idolized, immortalized
You became a beloved figure and your message lived on
And you were not the same after that
Your newfound fame and impact changed you in some way
Walking tall, you'd bought it all
You had achieved success and felt confident
And you were not the same after that
Your success changed you in some way
Till someone died on the water slide
A tragedy occurred
And you were not the same after that
The tragedy changed you in some way
You're hanging on
You're trying to hold onto what you've achieved
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SuperballsSupervidsOnYT
In the 90s I knew Brick by Ben Folds 5.
I knew nothing about Ben Folds until the Sing Off.
When he did this song with the crowd on that show I thought it was awesome. And never really heard such a beautiful crowd part. This was about 2 months before my wife and I married.
I checked out Rockin' the Suburbs and it is now one of my favorite albums of all time.
My wife and I played The Luckiest as our first dance at our wedding.
@instinctivelychelsea2905
You took a trip and climbed a tree
At Robert Sledge's party
And there you stayed 'till morning came
And you were not the same after that
You gave your life to Jesus Christ
And after all your friends went home
You came down, you looked around
And you were not the same after that
You were not the same after that
You were not the same after that
You see 'em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
You've got one good trick and you're hanging on you're hanging on...
To it
You took the word and made it heard
And eased the people's pain and for that
You were idolized, immortalized
And you were not the same after that
Walking tall, you'd bought it all
And you were not the same after that
Till someone died on the water slide
And you were not the same after that
You see 'em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
You've got one good trick and you're hanging on you're hanging on to it
You see 'em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
You've got one good trick and you're hanging on
you're hanging on:
You're hanging on
You're hanging on
@JellyGoat666
I was in this crowd. What a song, man…
@MyGran
Long Lost Cousin Ben. Thanks Guv.
@ericcarlisle
Sang along in Baltimore, MD w/ Ben & the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. A completely amazing experience! We love you Ben & the BSO!!!
@Tw0shedz08
I’d love to be able to be in a crowd like this just once.
@Porkleaker
Yeah wish he came here, all I've seen is Tool and Sigur Ros both awesome but this is more up my alley now lol.
@Abergstrom8
I was fortunate to see Ben in Glasgow in 2015 or 2016 ish and when he played this song, I got shivers as the audience did this singing part. It was amazing!
@rishoutfield2043
I effing love this version of the song. And I also like that shot of the crowd...and only one person is on their cellphone.
@charlisparkles
Regret so much not making it to Ben Folds live gig some 10 years ago ... this is too awesome.
@stevegoodson9022
Ben Folds has two instruments and plays both masterfully, his piano (or little red keyboard) and the audience
@sleepingdeadman1
I miss the screaming of "you were not the SAAAAAMMMMEEE" that occurs around 3 minutes in on the original... but this is still great.