Has Been

Has Been (2004) is William Shatner's second musical album after 1968's The Transformed Man. It is perhaps the first part of William Shatner's musical career to be successful on its own terms.

The album was produced and arranged by Ben Folds and most of the songs are co-written by Folds and Shatner, with Folds creating arrangements for Shatner's prose-poems, and feature guest appearances from Joe Jackson (on a cover of Pulp's "Common People"), Folds and Aimee Mann (backup vocals on "That's Me Trying"), Lemon Jelly (on "Together"), Henry Rollins and Adrian Belew (on "I Can't Get Behind That"), and Brad Paisley (on "Real", which he wrote specifically for Shatner).

Henry Rollins also talks about the making of the song "I Can't Get Behind That" on his spokenword album Talk Is Cheap Vol IV.

In 2007, a ballet called Common People, set to Has Been, was created by Margo Sappington (of Oh! Calcutta! fame) and performed by the Milwaukee Ballet. Shatner attended the premiere and had the event filmed. This footage became William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet, a feature film due out in 2008, which features interviews with William Shatner, Ben Folds, and Henry Rollins.

Track listing

1. "Common People" (Nick Banks, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey, Russell Senior) – 4:40
2. "It Hasn't Happened Yet" (Folds, Shatner) – 3:49
3. "You'll Have Time" (Folds, Shatner) – 5:18
4. "That's Me Trying" (Folds, Nick Hornby) – 3:48
5. "What Have You Done" (Shatner) – 1:46
6. "Together" (Lemon Jelly, Elizabeth Martin, Shatner) – 5:39
7. "Familiar Love" (Folds, Shatner) – 4:00
8. "Ideal Woman" (Folds, Shatner) – 2:23
9. "Has Been" (Folds, Shatner) – 2:18
10. "I Can't Get Behind That" (Folds, Henry Rollins, Shatner) – 3:00
11. "Real" (Paisley) – 3:08

Charts

Album

Song

See also

• William Shatner's musical career

External links

• Official William Shatner Has Been website