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!.
Something Borrowed Something Blue
Ben Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Prodigal sunscreen, our love's a guillotine, something borrowed, something blue.
Another ship sunk, family tree trunk, deep scar diving, I look for you,
And we're hoping and we're choking, something borrowed, something blue.
I get the feeling I could leave you on the interstate,
I get the feeling like I just broke through.
I get the feeling like you never mattered anyway,
It gets harder, my father, the weight you manage and the damage too,
Polystyrene, I wanna daydream, something borrowed, something
I get the feeling I could leave you on the interstate,
I get the feeling like I just broke through.
I get the feeling like you never mattered anyway,
Something borrowed, something,
I get the feeling I could leave you on the interstate,
I get the feeling like I just broke through.
I get the feeling like you never mattered anyway,
Something borrowed, something blue, something borrowed, something blue,
Something borrowed, something blue, something borrowed, something blue.
Ten floors, I'm falling, guess who I'm recalling?
Oh yeah, it's true, my life begins and ends with you.
I get the feeling I could leave you on the interstate,
I get the feeling like I just broke through.
I get the feeling like you never mattered anyway,
Something borrowed, something,
I get the feeling I could leave you on the interstate,
I get the feeling like I just broke through.
I get the feeling like you never mattered anyway,
Something borrowed, something blue, something borrowed, something blue,
Something borrowed, something blue, something borrowed, something blue.
The opening lines of the song "Polystyrene, I wanna daydream, I need an enemy to get me through, Prodigal sunscreen, our love's a guillotine, something borrowed, something blue" carry a sense of confusion and frustration. It seems like the singer is trying to find a way to escape their reality by daydreaming or creating an enemy to focus on. The mention of "our love's a guillotine" suggests that the relationship they are in is causing pain or harm to both parties. They are hoping and choking, trying to hold on to something borrowed and something blue, which could be a reference to the tradition of brides wearing something borrowed and something blue at weddings.
The chorus repeats the phrase "I get the feeling" three times, suggesting that the singer is uncertain about the relationship they are in. They feel like they could leave at any moment and that their partner never really mattered. The repetition of "something borrowed, something blue" reinforces the idea that they are holding on to something that is not truly theirs, or something that is causing them pain.
The verse that follows continues the theme of family struggles, with the singer referencing their father and the weight and damage he has caused. The final repetition of "something borrowed, something blue" is followed by the line "my life begins and ends with you," suggesting that despite their doubts and struggles, the singer is still tied to this person in some way.
Line by Line Meaning
Polystyrene, I wanna daydream, I need an enemy to get me through,
I want to be lost in a daydream, but I need something or someone to fight against in order to feel alive.
Prodigal sunscreen, our love's a guillotine, something borrowed, something blue.
Our relationship is like a deadly device that once seemed like a protective barrier against the sun but now feels like it's cutting us both.
Another ship sunk, family tree trunk, deep scar diving, I look for you,
Another relationship failed, my family history full of disappointments, I dive into the emotional scars and search for you.
And we're hoping and we're choking, something borrowed, something blue.
We're holding onto hope while also struggling to breathe, our relationship still feels like a borrowed concept but with a sadness attached.
I get the feeling I could leave you on the interstate,
I have a strong sense that I could abandon this relationship and leave it behind on the road.
I get the feeling like I just broke through.
I feel like I've just come out the other side of something difficult, like a breakthrough or an epiphany of some kind.
I get the feeling like you never mattered anyway,
I have a sense that perhaps you didn't matter as much as I thought you did, or that our relationship was not as important as I believed.
Something borrowed, something blue.
The phrase associated with weddings that suggests the bride should have something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Here, it signifies the feelings of the relationship being borrowed and sad in nature.
Ten floors, I'm falling, guess who I'm recalling? Oh yeah, it's true, my life begins and ends with you.
As I fall and spiral out of control, I think of you and realize that my life revolves around you.
It gets harder, my father, the weight you manage and the damage too,
It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to cope with the emotional burdens of my father and the damage he has caused me, as well as the weight of the relationship.
Something borrowed, something.
The phrase is repeated, emphasizing the borrowed nature of the relationship and the unknown future that lies ahead. The 'something' leaves both a sense of ambiguity and sadness-inducing emptiness.
Something borrowed, something blue, something borrowed, something blue.
The repeated phrase once again emphasizes the sad and sorrowful nature of the relationship; the blue evokes feelings of sadness and mourning.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shaun Dulen
Always loved this track. Having worked in radio for 20+ years, I can truly say Ben was one of my favorite, and one of the nicest, people I was ever lucky enough to interview. Hard to believe this was almost 20 years ago!!
Retro Rev
I still have the single and loved this tune from back in the day. I have not been able to find this clip for some time. After listening to born for this bullshit 3 times in a row i went looking for this again and bam.. Thanks Ben.
Just remembered the petrol price spells a name.
T F
Perth concert hall .. several years ago ... Ben at his best sneaking up behind the WASO conductor and doing a blindsided lift on him... priceless... Ben Lee is 1 of the best artist I've sen interacting with audiences.
R C
a standout song, this track has a little of everything. The clip is pure art.
Seventy Five
How timeless is this song in 2021? I dug up a couple of Ben's CDs and gave them a spin after he was outed as professor on Masked. I haven't had enough time to listen to some of my favourite jams from 20 years or so ago.
The Plettz
How has this only a couple of hundred views? This is awesome.🔥
Tumblestripes
Happy feel good vibes in every song.
Digital Brinjen
I've been looking for this video. Thank you for uploading, it's one of my favourites.
sean ternent
Been looking for this for longer than I care to admit
Donna Sadler
Joel edgerton in the video - classic early 00's... and the price of fuel was still 63c a Litre (now $1.70 -- so depressing well be double that again in 15 years)