View source for Has Been

{{hatnote|For the grammatical construction "has been (to)", see [[have been]]. For the word "has-been", see its [[wikt:has-been|Wiktionary entry]].}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Has Been
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[William Shatner]]
| cover      = WilliamShatner-HasBeen.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = October 5, 2004
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = [[Indie rock]], [[spoken word]]
| length     = 39:49
| label      = [[Shout! Factory]]
| producer   = [[Ben Folds]]
| prev_title = [[William Shatner Live]]
| prev_year  = 1977
| next_title = [[Exodus: An Oratorio in Three Parts]]
| next_year  = 2008
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Has Been
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Common People (song)|Common People]]
 | single1date = 2004<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/William-Shatner-Common-People/master/703862|title=William Shatner - Common People|website=Discogs|access-date=1 August 2017}}</ref>
}}
}}

{{Album reviews
|rev1 = ''[[AllMusic]]''
|rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r709380}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
|rev2score = neutral<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/oct/01/popandrock.shopping1|title=William Shatner, Has Been|location=London|work=The Guardian|first=Pascal|last=Wyse|date=1 October 2004}}</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[Pitchfork Media]]''
|rev3score = 7.5/10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7781-has-been/|title=William Shatner - Has Been|work=Pitchfork}}</ref>
}}

'''''Has Been''''' is [[William Shatner]]'s second musical album after 1968's ''[[The Transformed Man]]'', released in 2004. 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. The album features guest appearances from [[Joe Jackson (musician)|Joe Jackson]] (on a cover of [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]]'s "[[Common People (song)|Common People]]"), Folds and [[Aimee Mann]] (backup vocals on "That's Me Trying"), [[Lemon Jelly]] (on "Together"), [[Henry Rollins]], [[Adrian Belew]] (on "I Can't Get Behind That"), and [[Brad Paisley]] (on "Real", which he wrote specifically for Shatner).

==History==
Joe Jackson explained his involvement in an interview, saying, "That came through Ben Folds, who's a big fan of mine. You’d have to ask him how he got hooked up with Bill Shatner, I don't remember. But I think he did a really great job of putting an album behind Shatner that is fun and not completely cheesy, though when it is too cheesy, it's deliberately so. (laughs) It's just a very musically satisfying record, and when he asked me to be a part of it, why would I not?  How could I refuse? I went to Nashville for a few days and hung out with the two of them, and we created a couple of masterpieces."<ref name="huffpo">{{cite web |last1=Ragogna |first1=Mike |title=Chatting With Joe Jackson And Earl Klugh, Plus Mick Harvey's "The Ballad Of Jay Givens" Video |date=July 2011 |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chatting-with-joe-jackson_b_888406?guccounter=1 |publisher=Huffington Post |access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref> He ultimately said about working with Shatner, "He's wonderful, very musical, and very funny, because he's so obviously in on the joke".<ref name="joe jackson toronto star">{{cite news |last1=Quill |first1=Greg |title=First he loved Manhattan - now he loves Berlin |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2008/03/30/first_he_loved_manhattan_now_he_loves_berlin.html |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=30 March 2008 |access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref>

Originally, [[Weezer]] and former U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] were set to be featured on the album but by the time Weezer responded, Clinton had already backed out.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/aug/18/cult-heroes-ben-folds-the-bespectacled-piano-man-forever-flouting-convention|title=Cult heroes: Ben Folds, the bespectacled piano man forever flouting convention|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=18 August 2015}}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/uU6T4bEXLAA Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20211201172053/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU6T4bEXLAA Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU6T4bEXLAA| title = Ben Folds on Getting William Shatner, Bill Clinton & Weezer on the Same Stage {{!}} The Rich Eisen Show | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milwaukeeballet.org/about-us/artistic-director/blog-archive/william-shatner-ballet|title=The William Shatner Ballet|work=[[Milwaukee Ballet]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404152139/http://www.milwaukeeballet.org/about-us/artistic-director/blog-archive/william-shatner-ballet|archive-date=2015-04-04}}</ref> Shatner attended the première and had the event filmed. This footage became ''[[William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet]]'', a feature film which premiered at the [[Nashville Film Festival]] on April 17, 2009.  The documentary also features interviews with Shatner, Folds, and Henry Rollins.

==Track listing==
# "[[Common People (song)#William Shatner cover version|Common People]]" ([[Nick Banks]], [[Jarvis Cocker]], [[Candida Doyle]], [[Steve Mackey]], [[Russell Senior]]) – 4:40
# "It Hasn't Happened Yet" ([[Ben Folds]], [[William Shatner]]) – 3:49
# "You'll Have Time" (Folds, W. Shatner) – 5:18
# "That's Me Trying" (Folds, [[Nick Hornby]]) – 3:48
# "What Have You Done" (W. Shatner) – 1:46
# "Together" ([[Lemon Jelly]], Elizabeth Shatner, W. Shatner) – 5:39
# "Familiar Love" (Folds, W. Shatner) – 4:00
# "Ideal Woman" (Folds, W. Shatner) – 2:23
# "Has Been" (Folds, W. Shatner) – 2:18
# "I Can't Get Behind That" (Folds, [[Henry Rollins]], W. Shatner) – 3:00
# "Real" ([[Brad Paisley]]) – 3:08

==Personnel==
'''Musicians'''
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
*[[William Shatner]] – vocals
*[[Joe Jackson (musician)|Joe Jackson]] – guest vocals (1), piano (3), cowboy vocals (9)
*Lindsay Jamieson – drums (1)
*[[Ben Folds]] – bass guitar (1), synthesizer (1), piano (2, 4, 7), [[Wurlitzer]] granny organ (3, 8), guest vocals (4), background ahhs (4), electric piano (8, 11), [[tack piano]] (9), drums (11)
*[[John Mark Painter]] – guitars (1, 3, 7), bass guitar (2, 4, 8), background ahhs (4), cowboy vocals (9), [[baritone guitar]] (9), trumpets (9), bass guitar (11)
*Louisville Common People's Choir – background vocals (1)
*[[Jon Auer]] – guitars (2, 4, 8–9), background ahhs (4), electric guitars (7), cowboy vocals (9)
*[[Matt Chamberlain]] – drums (2–4, 7–8, 10), percussion (9–10)
*[[Fleming McWilliams]] – Goddess of Yosemite (2)
*[[Kim Richey]] – gospel choir (3)
*[[Webb Wilder]] – gospel choir (3)
*John Davis – gospel choir (3)
*Jared Reynolds – gospel choir (3)
*Carmella Ramsey – gospel choir (3)
*[[Sebastian Steinberg]] – bass guitar (3), [[double bass|upright bass]] (5, 7, 10), cowboy vocals (9)
*[[Aimee Mann]] – guest vocals (4)
*[[Lemon Jelly]] – [[programming (music)|programming]] (6), all instruments (6)
*Benita Hill – choir (7)
*Laurie Wheeler – choir (7)
*Nick Wheeler – choir (7)
*Curt Bol – choir (7)
*[[Henry Rollins]] – guest vocals (10)
*[[Adrian Belew]] – guitar (10)
*[[Brad Paisley]] – guest vocals (11), guitar (11)
{{div col end}}

'''Technical'''
*Ben Folds – producer, arranger, mixing, art direction
*Joe Costa – engineer, mixing
*[[Ted Jensen]] – mastering
*Alan Wolmark – executive producer
*Smog Design, Inc. – art design
*Jeri Heiden – package design, photography
*Ryan Corey – package design
*John Heiden – package design
*Frally Folds – photography

==Charts==
===Album===
{|class="wikitable"
! Chart (2004)
! Position
|-
| ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Top Heatseekers<ref>[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=william shatner|chart=all}} ''Has Been'' Billboard chart history], Billboard.com. Retrieved November 18, 2011.</ref>
| 22
|-
|}

===Song===
{|class="wikitable"
! Song
! Chart (2004)
! Position
|-
| "[[Common People (song)|Common People]]"
| [[Triple J Hottest 100, 2004]]
| 21
|-
|}

==See also==
*[[William Shatner's musical career]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Metacritic album}}
*{{AllMusic | id= has-been-mw0000167771 | title= ''Has Been'' | accessdate= Nov 15, 2019}}

{{William Shatner}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2004 albums]]
[[Category:William Shatner albums]]
[[Category:Shout! Factory albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Ben Folds]]