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!.
Birthday Song
Ben Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm in love with you
There's an ocean between us
Just like me, deep and blue
And I, at times have had nothing
But tonight I want nothing but you
The only thing I want
The only thing on my mind
All the time
Staying up till dawn won't take its toll
Till we get old
And drinking is just the way
We keep away the cold
And you, you know what it means
To be true and searching like me
You're the only thing I need
The only thing I need
The only thing on my mind
All the time
And you gave me a reason
To give you my soul
I'll give you it all
You're the only one I want
The only one I need
The only one on my mind
All the time
All the time
All the time
All the time
The lyrics for the song "Birthday Song" by Ben Lee express deeply intense romantic feelings of the singer towards the addressee. It starts with the singer confessing that they are in love with the person, despite an ocean separating them. The metaphor of the ocean is used to signify the depth and vastness of the singer's emotions, just like a deep, blue ocean.
In the next few lines, the singer talks about how he has had nothing before but tonight, he wants nothing but the person he loves. This signifies that the person is everything the singer needs, and he is willing to give all his attention and love to them. The singer goes on to say that the person he loves is the only thing on his mind, and he wants to be with them every moment.
The second verse talks about how the singer and the person he loves are willing to stay up until dawn to be with each other, and drinking is just a way to keep away the cold. Here, "cold" could signify loneliness, sadness or emptiness, and the singer and the addressee want to keep each other warm and happy. Then, the singer says that the person he loves is someone who understands the importance of being true and searching for something genuine, just like the singer.
Finally, the singer asserts that the person he loves is the only one he wants, needs, and thinks about all the time. The love he has received from the person has made him trust them with his soul, and he will give them everything he has. The last lines repeat the phrase "all the time" to signify the stability and permanence of the singer's feelings towards the person.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey there, I said it
I am expressing my feelings to you.
I'm in love with you
I am deeply in love with you.
There's an ocean between us
We are physically far apart from each other.
Just like me, deep and blue
The distance between us is deep and melancholic.
And I, at times have had nothing
I experienced hardships at times in my life.
But tonight I want nothing but you
But tonight, being with you is all that matters to me.
You're the only thing I want
You are the only thing that I desire.
The only thing I want
My sole want is you.
The only thing on my mind
I can only think of you.
All the time
Every moment, I am thinking about you.
Staying up till dawn won't take its toll
Staying up late with you will not have negative consequences.
Till we get old
We can stay up late together for as long as we live.
And drinking is just the way
Drinking is how we cope with the coldness of the world.
We keep away the cold
We keep ourselves emotionally and physically warm by being together.
And you, you know what it means
You understand what it means to search for something true, just like me.
To be true and searching like me
To search for authenticity and truth, just like I do.
You're the only thing I need
You are the only one I require to be happy and fulfilled.
The only thing I need
You are my sole necessity.
And you gave me a reason
You provided me with a motive to give you my heart and soul.
To give you my soul
I am willing to give you every part of me, including my soul.
I'll give you it all
I am ready to give you every part of me, without any reservations.
You're the only one I want
You are the only person whom I have a deep desire for.
The only one I need
You are the only one who can fulfill my needs and desires.
All the time
I am always thinking about you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BENJAMIN MICHAEL LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nathan Armstrong
I'm gonna play and sing this on my wedding day when she walks down the isle
soulchanter
WoW I have always been wondering who made this song from american pie 5 And now I found it by accident ^^.. Keep on making great tracks mate i love you style
Karrah Banana
i really like this song =)
room0505
how cud someone dislike it?
KevGonzales
why is this not on itunes? T.T
joshkennedy
I gave this song to my wife of 25 years.
Gabrielle Marie
<3 Dedicated to my husband
Wilma Agtarap
This song reminds me of my ex boyfren.. it made me cry.
Aquareine
@soulchanter Ben Lee didn't make this song from that film. It is a single from his third album "Breathing Tronados" (1999)
manuel4722
Wou. This song is pretty much. K liked yes!!!!