1999's Breathing Tornados marked a new direction for Lee as he introduced synths and increased instrumentation into his sound. The album was a huge success, with the first single, "Cigarettes Will Kill You", finishing second in that year's Triple J Hottest 100. Lee also enjoyed success with the single "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" - from the album hey you. yes you. - reaching no 22 in 2002's Triple J Hottest 100.
In 2001 he joined forces with Evan Dando, Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick and Jason Schwartzman of Phantom Planet and acting fame. Calling themselves Dando Lee Petersson Schwartzman, they recorded a single, "Dead or Anything", at Globe Studios, New York.
During 2003 he teamed up with Ben Kweller and Ben Folds for a side project entitled The Bens. They recorded four songs together in Nashville, resulting in a self-titled EP.
In late 2004, he left Steve Pavlovic's Modular Recordings and started up his own record label, Ten Fingers. The first release on the label was the single, "Gamble Everything For Love", followed by the album, Awake Is The New Sleep in February 2005. A defining release in his career, the album showcased a much brighter, positive side of Lee's personality, in contrast to his previous darker musings. Awake Is The New Sleep received several nominations for the 2005 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awards, and Lee won Best Male Artist, Best Independent Release, and Single Of The Year for "Catch My Disease". Catch My Disease was also number 2 on the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100.
In September 2007, Lee released his sixth solo album, named "Ripe" after the final song on the record. The album is somewhat controversial, with most songs relating in some way to sex, lust and love. Mandy Moore features on the album in the song "Birds and Bees", and Benji Madden plays electric guitar in "Sex Without Love". It also features Sara Watkins, Rachael Yamagata, Charlotte Martin, Ned Bower, Taylor Locke and Robert Schwatzman (who is also credited for co-writing 'Sex Without Love'). It was a big step away from the spiritual "Awake is the New Sleep", but shows Lee's need for change in songs. The album was produced by John Alagia and released under the Inertia/Ten Fingers label 'Awake is the New Sleep' was released under.
February 2009 brought the release of his latest LP entitled "The Rebirth of Venus." This release also includes a bonus disk that includes six cover songs that Ben has done including "Kids" by MGMT and "New Wave" by Against Me!.
Animal
Ben Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was lost in your arms' embrace
Our bodies collide together
Oh, this ultimate betrayal
The heart will not resign
What could be said, what could be done?
I hold out hope
Like an animal
These thoughts have gone beyond my control
For pleasure
Maybe just amusement
This overwhelming urge
Towards you I feign disinterest
While I covet the attention
While I crave your affection
Ravenous with lust
Jackal in heat, spit dripping
This mechanical impulse
Knows not loyalty or mercy
Like an animal
These thoughts have gone beyond my control
For pleasure
Maybe just amusement
In Ben Lee's song "Animal," he explores the theme of desire and attraction that has gone beyond one's control. The song portrays an individual who is in love with someone else but is unable to stop feeling that way, despite knowing that their love is not reciprocated. The first verse talks about dreaming of love and being lost in the embrace of the person they desire. The second verse deals with the internal conflict of the singer, who is unable to control their animalistic urges and feels ashamed of it. They pretend to feign disinterest but secretly crave the attention and affection of their love interest.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea of these uncontrollable thoughts going beyond the singer's control, and their desire for pleasure or amusement. The singer is depicted as a ravenous, mechanical impulse, not capable of loyalty or mercy. The song's lyrics are raw and honest about the pain of unrequited love, and how it can make someone feel both vulnerable and ashamed.
Line by Line Meaning
I was dreaming of your love
I was fantasizing about being with you, in a committed relationship.
I was lost in your arms' embrace
I found refuge in your embrace and it made me forget about the outside world.
Our bodies collide together
We have a physical connection that feels overwhelming and intense when we come together.
Oh, this ultimate betrayal
This feeling of intense love is something that feels like a betrayal, almost like a crime because it's so intense and powerful.
The heart will not resign
Despite the irrationality of my emotions, my heart refuses to let go of you.
What could be said, what could be done?
I acknowledge that my love for you is something I cannot easily express, but I'm still willing to try.
I hold out hope
I have faith that our connection will be established and we will finally be together.
For your reciprocation
My hope is that you feel the same way I do and that we can ultimately be together.
Like an animal
The intensity of my emotions has made me feel like I'm driven purely by base, animalistic desires.
These thoughts have gone beyond my control
My feelings are so intense that I feel powerless to control them, no matter how hard I try.
For pleasure
Ultimately, my attraction to you is driven by the desire for physical pleasure.
Maybe just amusement
My attraction to you might just be a fleeting, surface-level amusement rather than a deep, meaningful connection.
This overwhelming urge
My attraction toward you is so overwhelming that it's difficult to think about anything else.
Towards you I feign disinterest
I act like I don't care about you as a defense mechanism, to protect myself from the immense emotional vulnerability I feel around you.
While I covet the attention
Despite my attempts to protect myself, I still long for your attention and affection.
While I crave your affection
I crave your love and attention more than anything else in the world.
Ravenous with lust
My desire for you is all-consuming and difficult to satisfy.
Jackal in heat, spit dripping
I feel like a wild animal, completely consumed by my attraction to you.
This mechanical impulse
My attraction to you feels like a mechanical, animalistic impulse that I'm unable to resist.
Knows not loyalty or mercy
My attraction to you is not influenced by any sense of loyalty or mercy, I simply can't help the way I feel.
Contributed by Colin H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.