Ben Rector (born November 6, 1986) is a singer/songwriter from Tulsa, Oklah… Read Full Bio ↴Ben Rector (born November 6, 1986) is a singer/songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma, US now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Rector’s stylistic influences include pop, rock, and folk music.

Rector took piano lessons as a small child but did not begin playing music seriously until he picked up the guitar in high school. He began writing songs in tenth grade and formed a band called Euromart the following year. Euromart made an EP and played club shows in Tulsa, but dissolved when the members left for college.

After high school, Rector attended the University of Arkansas where he studied marketing. During his freshman year he recorded a self-titled EP that featured the song “Conversation”, which won the Grand Prize in the pop category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2006. He is the youngest person ever to win the award for the pop category. The EP grew popular in surrounding states, and by his sophomore year, Rector began touring frequently on weekends and during breaks in the school year. In 2008 Rector released his first full-length record, Twenty Tomorrow, followed by Songs That Duke Wrote in 2009. In 2009 Rector was given the NAMA award for best singer songwriter in Northwest Arkansas. During his college career at the University of Arkansas he played approximately 200 shows.

In June 2009 Rector moved to Nashville with his wife to pursue songwriting and to continue his career as an artist. On November 28, 2009 he released Jingles and Bells, a Christmas album composed of classic Christmas songs. Rector arranged the songs and played all the instruments on the album. He released his most recent album Into The Morning on February 16, 2010. Through word of mouth, the record peaked at #5 on the iTunes pop chart, #10 on the iTunes overall chart, and #11 on Billboard Heatseekers.[3] Immediately following the release, Rector co-headlined the “Three Amigos” tour throughout the eastern half of the United States with fellow Nashvillians Steve Moakler and Andrew Ripp. Later in the spring of 2010 he toured with both Dave Barnes and Five for Fighting.

His song “After All” was used in the June 15, 2010 episode of the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars.

Albums
Year Title
2007 Twenty Tomorrow
2008 Songs That Duke Wrote
2010 Into the Morning
2011 Something like This

EPs
Year Title
2006 Ben Rector
2009 Jingles and Bells

Singles
Year Title
2010 Summer Candy

Need You Tonight
Ben Rector Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I can't seem to find the way to keep you
from running 'round in circles in my mind
There are things that we've both done that haunt us
There are things that we both left behind
And all I know is

Ooooh Ooooh Don't leave me
Don't say goodbye

Ooooh Ooooh I need you,
Need you tonight

Morning's end up crueler than the memories
Waking up from dreams that I can't trust
Everything I see somehow reminds me
of what my life was like when we were us
It's all I know

Ooooh Ooooh Don't leave me
Don't say goodbye
Ooooh Ooooh I need you,
Need you tonight

Ooooh Ooooh Don't leave me
Don't say goodbye
Ooooh Ooooh I need you,
Need you tonight

Ooooh Ooooh Don't leave me
Don't say goodbye
Ooooh Ooooh I need you,

Need you tonight
Need you tonight

Overall Meaning

Ben Rector's "Need You Tonight" is a heartfelt song about the struggle of moving on from a past relationship. The lyrics tackle the notion of haunting memories of unrequited love that tend to give a person a hard time, with the images of this past love filling up the mind as the person tries to move on. Despite the moments they shared which resulted in hurt and pain, the singer still pleads and openly admits that he needs his love interest at the moment, wanting them to stay and not leave him.

The morning is presented as the hardest time of the day, where dreams that the singer can't trust happen, and the reality of the present hits harder. Every little thing reminds him of who he was when she was around, making it harder for him to find peace with himself and move forward. The repetition of the ooh's throughout the song emphasizes the urgency and desperation of the singer's plea for his lover's presence. The chorus is a display of the conflict between wanting to let go and move on, yet still holding onto the past and the longing for that one last chance.

Overall, "Need You Tonight" is a beautifully emotive ballad that tugs at the strings of one's heart. The lyrics, paired with Ben Rector's soothing voice, convey the pain, longing, and hope that make up the struggle of coming to terms with lost love.

Line by Line Meaning

I can't seem to find the way to keep you
I'm struggling to keep you out of my thoughts and move on

from running 'round in circles in my mind
Your memory keeps coming back and I can't escape it

There are things that we've both done that haunt us
We have regrets about our past actions

There are things that we both left behind
We have unresolved issues from our past

And all I know is
Despite everything, this is all I can understand

Ooooh Ooooh Don't leave me
I'm afraid of being alone without you

Don't say goodbye
Please don't leave me, don't end it like this

Ooooh Ooooh I need you,
I still have strong feelings for you

Need you tonight
I need you right now, in this moment

Morning's end up crueler than the memories
The reality of waking up alone is worse than the memories of us together

Waking up from dreams that I can't trust
Even my dreams are haunted by the uncertainty of our relationship