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.
Picture Window
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing to be done about that
Rainbows, daffodils, she's not naive
Symbolism's all crap
There's a big picture window in the room on the ward
With a view over Parliament Hill
But the view offers more joy than they can afford
You know what hope is
Hope is a bastard
Hope is a liar, a cheat and a tease
Hope comes near you, kick its backside
Got no place in days like these
The dust, the darkness surrenders to color
As the fireworks streak the sky
And their window gives them the prettiest picture
Their useless luck makes her want to cry
Then it turns midnight
The shitty whole year's spent
Another mom deserves some sparkling wine
And she nearly gives into the moment
But he'll still be sick in two-thousand and nine
You know what hope is
Hope is a bastard
Hope is a liar, a cheat and a tease
Hope comes near you, kick its backside
Got no place in days like these
And just as she's thinking
Of pulling the blind down
A rocket bursts in front of her eyes
The city lit up, London's givin' her bright crown
She tries and fails to stop
Spirits rise
You know what hope is
Hope is a bastard
Hope is a liar, a cheat and a tease
Hope comes near you, kick its backside
Got no place in days like these
You know what hope is
Hope is a bastard
Hope is a liar, a cheat and a tease
Hope comes near you, kick its backside
Got no place in days like these
In days like these
The song "Picture Window" by Ben Folds is a heartbreaking tale of a couple spending their New Year's Eve in a hospital room as one of them is sick. The song starts with them checking into the hospital and realizing that there's nothing more they can do. The thought of rainbows and daffodils doesn't comfort them as the symbolism seems pointless. The hospital room has a big window with a view of Parliament Hill, but they can't take pleasure in the view as there's too much pain in their hearts. The song touches upon the feeling of hope, which is supposed to be a positive thing, but the lyrics describe hope as a liar, a cheat, and a tease. The couple knows they can't count on it to save them from their pain.
As they wait for midnight, the couple watches the fireworks light up the sky outside their window. The colorful display of lights marks the beginning of the new year, but the couple is not in a celebratory mood. They realize that another year has passed, and the illness is still there, with no apparent signs of getting better. The lyrics suggest that the woman wants to give in to the moment and celebrate the new year, but her partner will still be sick in 2009, making it impossible for them to feel any joy.
However, as the fireworks continue to light up the sky, the woman can't help but feel a sense of hope rising within her. The city lit up in colorful bursts of light is like a crown on London, and it's impossible not to be affected by it. The song ends with the couple coming to terms with the new year and the challenges ahead, but also realizing that there's hope, even in the darkest of moments.
Line by Line Meaning
We checked into the hospital New Year's Eve
The singer and presumably someone else entered the hospital on New Year's Eve
Nothing to be done about that
It was unavoidable
Rainbows, daffodils, she's not naive
The singer references symbols of optimism that may be used to brighten someone's day and suggests that despite hardship, the person is not taken in by such things
Symbolism's all crap
The artist dismisses symbolism as useless
There's a big picture window in the room on the ward
The artist describes a window in their hospital room
With a view over Parliament Hill
The window looks out at a specific location
But the view offers more joy than they can afford
Though the view is nice, it is not enough to outweigh the pain
When there's this much pain to kill
There is a lot of pain being experienced
You know what hope is
The artist begins a refrain on the nature of hope
Hope is a bastard
The artist suggests hope is cruel and unkind
Hope is a liar, a cheat and a tease
The singer expands on the nature of hope, suggesting it is deceitful and tantalizing
Hope comes near you, kick its backside
The artist suggests that hope should be shunned
Got no place in days like these
Hope is not practical in the current situation
The dust, the darkness around surrenders to color
The singer describes the transformation caused by fireworks
As the fireworks streak the sky
The scene includes fireworks lighting up the sky
And their window gives them the prettiest picture
Despite the pain, the view from the hospital window is lovely
Their useless luck makes her want to cry
The artist finds the situation unfair and painful
Then it turns midnight
The time changes to midnight, signifying a new year has begun
The shitty whole year's spent
The singer describes the recent past as unpleasant
Another mom deserves some sparkling wine
The artist references others deserving of celebration
And she nearly gives into the moment
The artist is tempted to celebrate despite their difficult situation
But he'll still be sick in two-thousand and nine
The sickness will continue into the new year and overshadow any joy it may bring
And just as she's thinking
The singer transitions to a moment of reflection
Of pulling the blind down
The artist considers closing the window's blinds
A rocket bursts in front of her eyes
Instead, a firework suddenly goes off
The city lit up London's given a bright crown
The firework display is impressive and the singer notes the effect it has on the city
And she tries and fails to stop / Spirits rise
The singer unsuccessfully tries to contain their emotions as they react with positivity
You know what hope is
The refrain repeats, further emphasizing the artist's negative view of hope
Hope is a bastard
The refrain continues
Hope is a liar, a cheat and a tease
The refrain continues
Hope comes near you, kick its backside
The refrain continues
Got no place in days like these
The refrain concludes with a restatement of the belief that hope is not helpful in tough times
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS, NICHOLAS PETER JOHN HORNBY, NICK HORNBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind