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.
Songs Of Love
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Roam through the streets
And coffee-shops
Their prey gather in herds
Of stiff knee-length skirts
And white ankle-socks
But while they search for a mate
My type hibernate
Composing their songs of love
Young, uniform minds
In uniform lines
And uniform ties
Run round with trousers on fire
And signs of desire
They cannot disguise
While I try to find words
As light as the birds
That circle above
To put in my songs of love
Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice
Fortune depends on the tone of your voice
So sing while you have time
Let the sun shine down from above
And fill you with songs of love
Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice
Fortune depends on the tone of your voice
So let's sing while we still can
While the sun hangs high up above
Wonderful songs of love
Beautiful songs of love
In this song, Ben Folds is contrasting the ways in which young people, including himself, approach love and relationships. In the first verse, he describes the "pubescent beasts" who roam the streets in search of love, specifically the girls who dress up in stiff knee-length skirts and white ankle-socks, while he prefers to hibernate in his bedroom above and write his "songs of love." He sees himself as separate from this group, not interested in the same things they are.
In the second verse, Folds contrasts himself with the "young, uniform minds" who are more interested in physical desire than love. He compares them to birds circling above, light and free, while he tries to find words just as light to put in his songs of love.
The chorus reinforces the idea that fate and fortune depend on how one carries themselves, the tone of their voice. He urges listeners to sing while they have time, while the sun shines down from above, filling them with songs of love.
Overall, the song emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself and finding one's own way of approaching love and relationships. It encourages listeners to embrace their individuality and not be swayed by societal expectations or pressure.
Line by Line Meaning
Pale, pubescent beasts
Young and inexperienced individuals wandering the streets
Roam through the streets
Moving around aimlessly
And coffee-shops
And frequenting cafes
Their prey gather in herds
Their desired partners gather in groups
Of stiff knee-length skirts
Wearing formal clothing
And white ankle-socks
And sporting plain socks
But while they search for a mate
While they look for love interests
My type hibernate
I prefer to stay indoors
In bedrooms above
Upstairs in private
Composing their songs of love
Writing and creating music about love
Young, uniform minds
Uniformed and inexperienced minds
In uniform lines
Following standard procedures and behavior
And uniform ties
And having the same connections and affiliations
Run round with trousers on fire
Acting on strong emotions
And signs of desire
Showing physical signs of attraction
They cannot disguise
They can't hide their feelings
While I try to find words
Meanwhile I search for the right words
As light as the birds
Words as free and effortless as birds in flight
That circle above
That fly and move around up high
To put in my songs of love
To incorporate into my love songs
Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice
Our destiny isn't completely determined by making the right or wrong choice
Fortune depends on the tone of your voice
Our luck can depend on how we present ourselves
So sing while you have time
So sing while there is still an opportunity
Let the sun shine down from above
Enjoy the good things in life
And fill you with songs of love
To inspire and fill us with love
So let's sing while we still can
So let's make the most of our time
While the sun hangs high up above
While there's still light and hope
Wonderful songs of love
Songs that are full of love, beauty, and emotion
Beautiful songs of love
Songs that are lovely and have a lot of meaning
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEIL HANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
KBMusic
This doesn't have the same sensitivity of the original version, but it's still pretty cool hearing an artist I like cover another artist I like.
Kinitawowi
Saw Ben Folds touring together with The Divine Comedy in about 2001 or so. They did one of each other's songs - I'm pretty sure Ben did Your Daddy's Car. They clearly work pretty well together.
R Williams
It's very rare that a cover is as good as the original; this is one such song.
Brian Boylan
absolutely smashing cover. love his vocals! Saw ben folds in vicar st years back and he had Neil Hannon come out and do the rap to bitches aint shit!!!
David Garcia
This guy is magic, even though the sound is terrible. Where is this version available?
Blisterdude123
Pretty good this, a more playful rendition of an emotional song, yet it still has that bittersweet twinge. Brilliant.
Sassy Keys
The original is by the Divine Comedy who initially composed the music for Father Ted before deciding to use it themselves. This version is nice but the Divine Comedy's version is a lot more butiful imo
thefinalword1980
This is a cover, it was originally written and performed The Divine Comedy
Bob Lewis
Ben Folds and Neil Hannon toured together and became mates , BF covered this (and NH did backing on a few BF songs live) . I was a huge Folds and Divine comedy fan , and went to see them live at the Ambassador in Dublin , sadly I was so hyped for the gig I got super super shitfaced before hand and have very little memory of it :( drink responsibly kids!
EuphoniaPooch
Never would have known. Now I'm a Divine Comedy fan. Thanks