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.
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Cryings not for me
I'm never gonna stop the Rain by complaining
So I just did me some talking to the sun.
And I said I didn't like the way, he got things done
Sleeping on the job those
Falling on my head, they keep falling.
But there's one thing I know:
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me.
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me.
Raindrops keep falling on my head
Just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed,
Nothing seems to fit.
Those raindrops are falling on my head,
They keep falling.
Yeah and I'm free
Nothings worrying me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me.
Raindrops keep falling on my head
That doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Cryings not for me
I'm never gonna stop the Rain by complaining
Because I'm free
Nothings worrying me
Yeah, nothing worrying me
The song "Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head" is a classic pop ballad that was originally composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." The song gained immense popularity and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song that year.
The song talks about how raindrops keep falling on the singer's head, but that does not mean that he will be overwhelmed by sadness and start crying. He believes that complaining and crying won't help stop the rain, so he decides to be optimistic and talk to the sun about how he dislikes the way it does things. He believes that the raindrops won't defeat him and that happiness will soon step up to greet him.
The lyrics showcase how the singer keeps a positive outlook on life and looks for ways to tackle obstacles by communicating with the elements of nature. The song is an inspiration for many who are going through tough times, and who need a reminder that things will get better.
Line by Line Meaning
Raindrops keep falling on my head
Although raindrops keep falling on my head, it doesn't bother me or make me sad.
That doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Just because raindrops keep falling on my head doesn't mean I'm going to cry.
Cryings not for me
I'm not the kind of person who cries because of raindrops falling on my head.
I'm never gonna stop the Rain by complaining
Complaining about the rain won't make it stop, so I accept it and move on.
So I just did me some talking to the sun.
I talked to the sun about how I didn't like how he was doing his job.
And I said I didn't like the way, he got things done
I expressed my dissatisfaction with how the sun was handling his responsibilities.
Sleeping on the job those
I accuse the sun of being lazy and not doing his job.
Raindrops are
I acknowledge that raindrops continue to fall despite my conversation with the sun.
Falling on my head, they keep falling.
Raindrops continue to fall on my head, despite my conversation with the sun.
But there's one thing I know:
Regardless of the rain falling on my head, I have confidence in the future.
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me.
I will not be defeated by sadness or depression that the rain might bring.
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me.
I believe that happiness is just around the corner.
Just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed,
I can relate to the man whose feet don't fit in his bed, as I feel like I don't quite fit in with the world.
Nothing seems to fit.
I don't feel like I belong.
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling.
Raindrops continue to fall on my head despite my feelings of not fitting in.
Yeah and I'm free
I feel free from the burdens that raindrops can bring.
Nothings worrying me
I'm not worried about anything, including the raindrops falling on my head.
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me.
I believe that my happiness is just around the corner.
Raindrops keep falling on my head
Although raindrops keep falling on my head, it doesn't bother me or make me sad.
That doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Just because raindrops keep falling on my head doesn't mean I'm going to cry.
Cryings not for me
I'm not the kind of person who cries because of raindrops falling on my head.
I'm never gonna stop the Rain by complaining
Complaining about the rain won't make it stop, so I accept it and move on.
Because I'm free
I feel free from the burdens that raindrops can bring.
Nothings worrying me
I'm not worried about anything, including the raindrops falling on my head.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Burt F. Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
wtwrush
Ben’s voice is so effortlessly clear and pure, it perfectly fits the song (even if he gets those first and third verses mixed up lol)
Dorkus64
Rest in peace to Burt. Such a great songwriter, and this may be my favorite of his songs.
mstob1969
Ditto. Love both the B.J. Thomas and Ben Fold Five versions.
Chris Henson
Although I was alive when the original was released, this is the version I wanted to hear when the news of Burt's death hit me this morning.
Ethan Cooney
I love how much Burt is into this. It's a great cover! They take the song and make it their own. I love that they included the outro, it's amazing, and an often forgotten part of the song.
CHRIS. BCFC. KEEP RIGHT ON.
Love Ben Folds Five. Love the music of Burt Bacharach.
midtownjohn
This is the bomb. It still holds up in 2021 .
Scott Silver
RIP Mr. Bacharach, but great cover Ben Folds Five!
CHRIS. BCFC. KEEP RIGHT ON.
Two of my favourite composers. Burt Bacharach and Ben Folds.
Bgb Strm
BB great composer - BFF great band!! 💯🎵🎶