Ben Lee (born on September 11, 1978) is an Australian musician. He began as… Read Full Bio ↴Ben Lee (born on September 11, 1978) is an Australian musician. He began as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band, Noise Addict. Lee's solo career started at the age of 16, while he was still in Noise Addict, with his first solo album, Grandpaw Would. This was followed by the 1997 album, Something To Remember Me By, also produced by Wood.

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!.

Sprawl
Ben Lee Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I pretend I'm mellow
So you don't think I'm hurt
I'm just a real sad fellow
Pretends he's so down to earth

And I might get a kiss
If I play my cards right
Don't care if I've missed

The whole goddamn point
Just pull myself together in the way
That you'd want me to

You're so mellow
You can't see I'm in pain
My knees turn to jello
And my eyes start to rain

And I might not get dissed
If I play my cards right
Don't care if I've missed
The whole goddamn point
Try to be nice in the way
That you'd want me to

And I wear my shirt like I'm not affected
I'll eat my lunch like I still haven't checked yet

I'll try to be cool and if that doesn't work at all
I'll try to sprawl

Overall Meaning

The song "Sprawl" by Ben Lee is an indie-pop track that explores the complexities of relationships and the facade that people put up to hide their true emotions. The singer pretends to be "mellow" in front of his love interest, so she won't think he's hurt. He portrays himself as a "real sad fellow" who pretends to be down-to-earth. He hopes to win her over by playing his cards right, even if he misses the whole point. He tries to pull himself together in the way that she would want him to.

Despite the singer's efforts, his love interest remains unaware of his pain. She is too focused on her own mellow demeanor to notice his plight. He feels weak in her presence, his knees turning to "jello" and his eyes starting to "rain". The singer continues to put up a front, hoping to avoid being "dissed" by her. He tries to be nice in the way she wants him to, but it is clear that he is struggling.

Towards the end of the song, the singer starts to reveal more of his vulnerabilities. He confesses that he tries to wear his shirt as if he's not affected, eat his lunch like he still hasn't checked yet, and tries to be cool. But if that doesn't work, he'll "try to sprawl". The song ends on this note, leaving the listener with a sense of the singer's inner turmoil and the challenges of trying to navigate relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

I pretend I'm mellow
I fake being laid-back

So you don't think I'm hurt
So you won't perceive my emotional pain

I'm just a real sad fellow
I am truly unhappy

Pretends he's so down to earth
I affect an unpretentious manner

And I might get a kiss
I could receive physical affection

If I play my cards right
If I act correctly

Don't care if I've missed
I am indifferent to whether I have failed

The whole goddamn point
The overarching task or goal

Just pull myself together in the way
I will behave in the manner

That you'd want me to
That complies with your expectations

You're so mellow
You come across as calm and relaxed