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.
Your Dogs
Ben Folds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I get it
I promise you I do
Your mom walked out on you
When you were only two
You've grown up believing
That this country is a bore
And your only twenty four
The Christians on the radio
They act like your're scum
Self righteous congressmen
They bastard each and every one
I don't read the bible
But I try to love you man
Every flaw and violent act
I think I understand
But your dogs
Your dogs
What's fun about those
The tat on your neck and the ring through your nose
The weed, the jump through the violent pornography
Don't think you want to be just a little more like me
I still have hopes
You can join our community
More of us than you
But we welcome the diversity
You're not quite trash like the other neighbors say
If you want to challenge stereotypes then join the P.T.A.
At night when your pitbulls are scaring our children
My wife, I'll be honest here, wants me to shoot them
Sometimes I bet my fantasy is fun
But your dogs
Your dogs
What's fun about those
The tat on your neck and the ring through your nose
The weed the jump through the violent pornography
Don't you think you want to be just a little more like me
But that's only at night when I'm not really thinking
And your listening to Metallica in your backyard drinking
The rest of the time I think we get along fine
I've never judged you I'm a live and let live guy
But your dogs
Your dogs
What's fun about those
The tat on your neck and the ring through your nose
The weed the jump through the violent pornography
Don't think you want to be just a little more like me
The lyrics to Ben Folds's song "Your Dogs" are about a man who is trying to empathize with his neighbor, who is different from him in many ways. The first verse reveals that the neighbor's mother left when he was only two years old, and he has grown up feeling angry and abandoned. He has also become a young father three times over, which isn't typical in their community. The neighbor feels like an outsider in his own country and doesn't relate to the conservative Christians or politicians who he sees as looking down on him.
The chorus of the song is directed at the neighbor's dogs, who are loud and aggressive and scare the singer's children. The singer is conflicted about how to feel about the neighbor and wants to like him but is frustrated with the neighbor's behavior. He acknowledges that he doesn't read the bible or live a perfect life, but he still wishes the neighbor would be more like him and less like he is. He tries to find common ground with the neighbor but is constantly reminded of their differences by the neighbor's tattoos, piercings, and violent behaviors.
Overall, this song captures the tension and divide between different upbringings and lifestyles, and emphasizes the importance of empathy, understanding, and acceptance of others.
Line by Line Meaning
I see it
I understand your situation
I get it
I comprehend your point of view
I promise you I do
I assure you that I understand
Your mom walked out on you
Your mother abandoned you when you were young
When you were only two
You were very young when your mother left
You've grown up believing
Your upbringing led you to think
That this country is a bore
You find this country to be dull or uninteresting
Your a dad three times
Despite being young, you have three children
And your only twenty four
You are still in your mid-twenties
The Christians on the radio
Those of the Christian faith who broadcast on the radio
They act like your're scum
They treat you like trash or an inferior person
Self righteous congressmen
Politicians who hold themselves in high regard
They bastard each and every one
They are all despicable in their own way
I don't read the bible
I do not follow the teachings of the Christian Bible
But I try to love you man
But I do my best to care for you as a person
Every flaw and violent act
I attempt to understand every mistake and aggressive action
I think I understand
I believe that I comprehend your behavior
But your dogs
However, your dogs...
What's fun about those
What is enjoyable about them?
The tat on your neck and the ring through your nose
The tattoo on your neck and the piercing in your nose
The weed, the jump through the violent pornography
The marijuana use, the extreme pornography, and other potentially disturbing behavior
Don't think you want to be just a little more like me
I do not think you would benefit from emulating me, necessarily
I still have hopes
Despite this, I remain optimistic
You can join our community
You could become a part of our local society
More of us than you
There are more of us than there are of you
But we welcome the diversity
Even so, we value and appreciate diversity
You're not quite trash like the other neighbors say
You are not as worthless as the other neighbors claim
If you want to challenge stereotypes then join the P.T.A.
If you wish to challenge preconceptions about yourself, you could join the Parent-Teacher Association
At night when your pitbulls are scaring our children
During the night, when your pitbull dogs frighten our children
My wife, I'll be honest here, wants me to shoot them
I must confess that my wife desires for me to kill them
Sometimes I bet my fantasy is fun
Sometimes I imagine that it would be enjoyable to carry out her request
But your dogs
However, your dogs...
What's fun about those
What is enjoyable about them?
The tat on your neck and the ring through your nose
The tattoo on your neck and the piercing in your nose
The weed the jump through the violent pornography
The marijuana use, the extreme pornography, and other potentially disturbing behavior
Don't you think you want to be just a little more like me
Do you not believe that you could benefit from becoming more like me?
But that's only at night when I'm not really thinking
But those thoughts are only present when I am not entirely rational
And your listening to Metallica in your backyard drinking
When you are listening to Metallica and drinking in your backyard
The rest of the time I think we get along fine
Otherwise, I believe we share a cordial relationship
I've never judged you I'm a live and let live guy
I have never criticized you; I believe in allowing others to live as they choose
But your dogs
However, your dogs...
What's fun about those
What is enjoyable about them?
The tat on your neck and the ring through your nose
The tattoo on your neck and the piercing in your nose
The weed the jump through the violent pornography
The marijuana use, the extreme pornography, and other potentially disturbing behavior
Don't think you want to be just a little more like me
I do not think you would benefit from emulating me, necessarily
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS, NICHOLAS PETER JOHN HORNBY, NICK HORNBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind