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!.
Pathetic
Ben Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't care - she didn't notice me
Then I asked her does she want to hang out
Get something to eat
She said I'm just another guy with high hopes
A real sorry sight
I'm also half her height
She laughed at me
I died
I wrote her a song, took me a real long time
To get everything to rhyme
Read in a magazine girls like it best
When you're honest with them
She said the song sucked big time
I'm a talentless clown
She doesn't want me around
She said the final goodbye
A punch in my eye
I died, I died
The lyrics of Ben Lee's song, Pathetic, tells a story of one's unrequited love and the eventual rejection that comes with it. The singer of the song describes a relationship that could have been, where things seemed nice and perfect for the first few weeks. However, he quickly realizes that the girl he likes does not notice or care about him, and he finds himself trying to win her over.
The singer then musters up the courage to ask her out on a date, which she interestingly accepts. However, when he arrives, she laughs at him and cruelly tells him that he is just like every other guy, ordinary, and not worth her time. The singer still tries to impress her by writing a song, which took him a long time to get everything right. Sadly, the girl again harshly criticizes him, calling him talentless and saying the song sucks big time.
The song's theme captures the raw emotions of heartbreak and feelings of inadequacy that are all too relatable. The lyrics reveal how the singer's self-esteem and worth are entirely tied to the girl's acceptance. The song tells a heart-wrenching tale of a boy who tries so hard to be noticed and loved by someone but fails and is left feeling inadequate.
Line by Line Meaning
Things seemed so nice for the first few weeks
The beginning of the relationship gave off a great impression.
Didn't care - she didn't notice me
Initially, the singer didn't expect anything out of the relationship. The girl he liked didn't even know he existed.
Then I asked her does she want to hang out
With time, the singer mustered up the courage to ask the girl out on a date.
Get something to eat
The artist wanted to spend time with her and have a meal together.
She said I'm just another guy with high hopes
The girl didn't think much of the artist's efforts and saw him the same as any other guy who tried to impress her.
A real sorry sight
The girl thought the singer's attempts were pathetic and sad.
I'm also half her height
The girl saw the singer as physically inferior to her and therefore, not desirable.
I'm just another guy in the crowd
The girl saw the artist as someone who blended in with the rest and had nothing special about him.
She laughed at me
The girl didn't hold back her derision for the artist's actions and belittled him.
I died
The artist was deeply hurt and felt tremendous embarrassment.
I wrote her a song, took me a real long time
To make up for the previous rejection, the singer tried to impress the girl by writing her a song.
To get everything to rhyme
The artist put in a lot of effort to make sure the song sounded good and everything flowed together perfectly.
Read in a magazine girls like it best
The singer believed that girls liked it when guys were honest with them and felt that this notion is universally accepted at face value.
When you're honest with them
Being truthful and transparent is a surefire way to appeal to girls according to the singer's belief.
She said the song sucked big time
The girl didn't hold back her criticism of the song and thought it was terrible.
I'm a talentless clown
The girl thought the artist lacked any musical talent and the song was nothing more than a joke to her.
She doesn't want me around
The girl had no interest in continuing any kind of relationship with the artist.
She said the final goodbye
The girl said her goodbyes firmly and for the final time.
A punch in my eye
The singer felt hurt and defeated, as if he was physically punched in the face.
I died, I died
The artist felt immense emotional trauma and sadness that he felt as if he died twice.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BENJAMIN MICHAEL LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind