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.
Silver Street
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Over Silver Street
They got 'em dressed up like clowns
Married couples slamming doors
Bums praising the Lord
You're playing tapes for the town
Now the neighborhood's mixed
And your college friends
The wind don't blow
And the grass don't grow
You're never leaving Silver Street
You bought some brown wire-frames
At a junk shop
And that was you trademark at school
Now they're barely hanging on
And the styles are moving on
It's hard for a man to stay cool.
Now the seasons change
And the storefronts change
While everything stays the same
The wind don't blow
And the grass don't grow
You're never leaving Silver Street
But, now don't get me wrong
Cause I like this neighborhood
Oh, and seeing you was good
But now we spent the day
So completely uninspired
Asking, "Why should I be tired?"
They're filling the potholes in on Silver Street
You're waking the neighbors up at noon
Now your friends are out on break
And you're out on your brown lawn
Breaking the dirt with a broom
Never leaving
"Silver Street" by Ben Folds is a song that focuses on the concept of nostalgia and the feeling of being trapped in one's own past. In the song, the singer reminisces about a street he once lived on, where now everything seems faded and old. The song starts by referring to the houses on Silver Street as ghosts, highlighting the idea that the memories of the old times are all that's left. He talks about how the married couples slam doors and bums praise the Lord, painting a picture of the kind of folks that utilized Silver Street. The singer then takes a trip down memory lane, remarking how his college friends seem to get younger each year while everything else stays the same. He reflects on his trademark brown wire-frames that he bought at a junk shop earlier in life, and how that once defined him, but now they barely hang on.
As the song progresses, the singer accepts the reality of the present. The seasons change, the storefronts change, and the world moves on, but Silver Street stays the same. The feeling of being trapped and unwilling to leave is palpable, as the wind doesn't blow and the grass doesn't grow, making it impossible to move on mentally. The song concludes with the singer acknowledging that, while he likes the neighborhood, he feels uninspired and unmotivated.
Overall, "Silver Street" is a poignant reflection on the nature of nostalgia, how one's past experiences stay with them throughout their lives, and the feeling of being trapped by those memories. It's a window into how one can feel isolated and lost in the myriad of history, chained and unable to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the houses are ghosts
The houses on Silver Street have been abandoned and are a mere semblance of what they once were.
Over Silver Street
The street in question is known as Silver Street.
They got 'em dressed up like clowns
The abandoned houses have been adorned in a garish way to mask their true state of disrepair.
Married couples slamming doors
Sounds of domestic strife can be heard from the houses.
Bums praising the Lord
Homeless people have taken to congregating in the neighborhood to worship.
You're playing tapes for the town
You are trying to get the attention of the neighborhood by blasting music from a boombox.
Now the neighborhood's mixed
There is now a diverse group of people living in the area.
And your college friends
Your friends from college are still frequent visitors despite the changes in the neighborhood.
Are getting younger every year
Your friends from college are getting older, but the new students seem to be getting younger every year.
The wind don't blow
It is very still in the neighborhood.
And the grass don't grow
The grass is not growing on Silver Street.
You're never leaving Silver Street
You have been there so long that you are unable to leave.
You bought some brown wire-frames
You bought a pair of eyeglasses with wire-frames when you were younger.
At a junk shop
You purchased the eyeglasses at a secondhand store.
And that was you trademark at school
The glasses became your personal style statement when you were in school.
Now they're barely hanging on
The glasses are almost broken now after enduring years of wear and tear.
And the styles are moving on
Fashion has moved on from wire-framed glasses.
It's hard for a man to stay cool.
It is difficult to maintain one's cool factor as fashion trends change.
Now the seasons change
The weather patterns have shifted over time.
And the storefronts change
The shops and businesses on the street have changed over time.
While everything stays the same
Despite the changes, Silver Street remains an unchanged environment.
But, now don't get me wrong
Despite the state of the street, the artist still holds affection for the neighborhood.
Cause I like this neighborhood
The singer loves the neighborhood despite its flaws.
Oh, and seeing you was good
The artist enjoyed seeing their friend again.
But now we spent the day
The singer and their friend have spent the day together.
So completely uninspired
The singer feels unmotivated and lacking in creativity.
Asking, "Why should I be tired?"
The singer is questioning why they should feel tired when they've done nothing all day.
They're filling the potholes in on Silver Street
The city is finally repairing the potholes in the road.
You're waking the neighbors up at noon
You are creating a disturbance in the neighborhood by making noise at noon.
Now your friends are out on break
Your friends are on break from school or work.
And you're out on your brown lawn
You are outside on your lawn that has recently turned brown due to seasonal changes.
Breaking the dirt with a broom
You are unsuccessfully trying to clean your lawn with a broom.
Never leaving
You have been there so long that you are unable to leave.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind