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!.
Thrash Unreal
Ben Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's going until the house lights come up or her stomach spills onto the floor.
This night is gonna to end when we're damn well ready for it to be over.
Worked all week long now the music is playing on our time.
Yeah we do what we do to get by, and then we need a release.
You get mixed up with the wrong guys.
You get messed up on the wrong drugs.
When people see the track marks on her arms, she knows what they're thinking.
She keeps on working for that minimum,
As if a high school education gave you any other options.
You know, they don't know nothing about redemption.
They don't know nothing about recovery.
Some people just aren't the type for marriage and family.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to be a junkie.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to sleep alone.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to be a junkie.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to sleep alone.
She's out of step with the style.
She don't know where the actions happening.
You know the downtown club scene ain't nothing like it used to be.
You reach a point where there's not a lie in the world
That you could use to make the boys believe your still in your twenties.
But they keep getting younger, don't they baby.
She's not waiting for someone to come over and ask for the priviledge.
She can still hear that Rebel Yell just as loud as it was in 1983.
You know, there ain't no Johnny coming home to share a bed with her and she doesn't care.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to be a junkie.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to sleep alone.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to be a junkie.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to sleep alone.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to be a junkie.
And if she had to live it all over again you know she wouldn't change anything for the world.
The lyrics of Ben Lee's song Thrash Unreal depict the life of a woman who has severe drug addiction and is a part of the downtown club scene. She spends her nights dancing and drinking until the house lights come up or until she throws up on the floor. She works hard all week long and parties hard on the weekends to release the stress. However, her lifestyle leads her to be mixed up with the wrong guys and drugs that eventually turn her into a junkie.
The song highlights the deep irony of the situation, as no mother ever dreams that her daughter will grow up to become a junkie or sleep alone. It portrays how different people go through various challenges in their lives and try to release their stress in different ways. Despite her lifestyle, the woman in the song would not change anything as it makes her happy, and she enjoys the freedom.
Overall, "Thrash Unreal" is a commentary on the darker, seedier side of the party scene and the lives of those involved in it, revealing the life of those who are often hidden away from society and draws attention to the societal pressures that lead to such lifestyles.
Line by Line Meaning
If she wants to dance and drink all night well there's no one that can stop her.
She wants to let loose and party all night, and nobody is going to prevent her from doing that.
She's going until the house lights come up or her stomach spills onto the floor.
She's going to dance and drink until the very end of the night or until she can't handle it anymore.
This night is gonna to end when we're damn well ready for it to be over.
We're going to keep partying until we're done, not when society expects us to end the night.
Worked all week long now the music is playing on our time.
After a long week of work, we finally have time to enjoy ourselves and listen to music.
Yeah we do what we do to get by, and then we need a release.
We work hard during the week to get by, but we need a fun escape on the weekends to relieve stress.
You get mixed up with the wrong guys.
Sometimes you end up hanging out with unsavory people.
You get messed up on the wrong drugs.
Taking the wrong drugs can really mess up your life and your future.
Sometimes the party takes you places that you didn't really plan on going.
Partying can lead to unexpected situations and outcomes that you didn't predict.
When people see the track marks on her arms, she knows what they're thinking.
When people notice the visible signs of drug use on her body, she knows they're making assumptions about her life choices.
She keeps on working for that minimum, as if a high school education gave you any other options.
She's stuck in a low-paying job, and it seems like her education didn't give her any other opportunities for advancement.
You know, they don't know nothing about redemption.
Others may not fully understand the concept of redemption and changing one's life for the better.
They don't know nothing about recovery.
Others may not understand the struggles and hard work involved in recovering from addiction.
Some people just aren't the type for marriage and family.
Not everyone is meant to have a traditional family and settle down with a spouse and kids.
She's out of step with the style.
She doesn't fit into the current fashion and style trends.
She don't know where the actions happening.
She's not sure where all the fun and excitement is happening, because she's not in the loop with the cool crowd.
You know the downtown club scene ain't nothing like it used to be.
The club scene in downtown is not as cool or exciting as it was in the past.
You reach a point where there's not a lie in the world that you could use to make the boys believe your still in your twenties.
There comes a time when you can't lie anymore about your age and convince others that you're younger than you really are.
But they keep getting younger, don't they baby.
The people around her seem to be getting younger and younger, making her feel old and out of touch.
She's not waiting for someone to come over and ask for the priviledge.
She's not waiting for someone to come to her and offer her special treatment or privileges.
She can still hear that Rebel Yell just as loud as it was in 1983.
She can still feel the excitement of rebelling against the norm, just as strongly as she did in the past.
You know, there ain't no Johnny coming home to share a bed with her and she doesn't care.
She doesn't have a romantic partner to share her bed with, but she's okay with that and doesn't need someone to fulfill that role in her life.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to be a junkie.
No mother wants their child to become addicted to drugs or engage in destructive behavior.
No mother ever dreams that her daughters going to grow up to sleep alone.
No mother wants their child to end up alone and unhappy in life.
And if she had to live it all over again you know she wouldn't change anything for the world.
She's lived her life the way she wanted, and despite the ups and downs, she wouldn't want to change anything because it's made her who she is.
Contributed by Grayson E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.