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!.

Tornados
Ben Lee Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm feeling tornados
Blood drips off the town now
Blood drips off the town now

I'm watching the wind change
Blood drips off the town now
Blood drips off the town now

My mouth is dry
I've had better luck
My eyes are blind
But soon I'll straighten up
Soon I'll straighten up

I left for a while
Blood drips on the floor now
Blood drips on the floor now

I'm looking for ghosts here
Blood drips on the floor now
Blood drips on the floor now

My mouth is dry
My joints are stuck
My eyes are blind
But soon I'll straighten up
Soon I'll straighten up
But soon I'll straighten up

My mouth is dry
I've had better luck
My eyes are blind
But soon I'll straighten up
Soon I'll straighten up

And I feel it ending
Blood drains from my face now
Blood drains from my face now
And you keep my heart pure

You keep my heart pure
You keep my heart pure

Overall Meaning

The opening line of Ben Lee’s “Tornados” sets the tone for the song with “I’m feeling tornados.” Tornados are often used as a metaphor for chaos and destruction, and in this song, they represent the turmoil felt by the singer. The second line goes on to say “Blood drips off the town now,” further emphasizing the destruction and pain happening within the town. The repetition of this line throughout the song creates a sense of ongoing strife and struggle.

As the song progresses, the singer speaks of the wind changing and searching for ghosts. It is unclear whether the ghosts are literal or metaphorical, but they represent the past and the things that haunt the singer. The line “My mouth is dry” suggests a sense of anxiety and nervousness. They have been through much and are struggling to see the way forward. However, the repetition of “Soon I'll straighten up” shows that they are determined to move past the chaos and destruction to find stability.

The final lines of the song are a bit more hopeful as the singer feels something changing. The line “Blood drains from my face now” suggests that the chaos is ending, and the line “You keep my heart pure” talks about someone providing love and support, indicating that there is hope for a brighter future. Overall, “Tornados” is a song about the struggle to find peace and stability in the midst of chaos and destruction.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm feeling tornados
I feel like my life is spinning out of control, like a tornado

Blood drips off the town now
There is violence and tragedy happening in my community

I'm watching the wind change
I'm seeing things in my life change rapidly and unpredictably

My mouth is dry
I am anxious and scared

I've had better luck
Things were better for me before this chaos started

My eyes are blind
I can't see a clear path out of this situation

But soon I'll straighten up
I believe I can get myself together and overcome this

I left for a while
I tried to escape this chaos and took a break from it

I'm looking for ghosts here
I'm searching for answers and meaning in this difficult situation

My joints are stuck
I feel immobile and unable to move forward

And I feel it ending
I sense that this chaos is coming to a close