His music is typically labeled as power pop, though he doesn't completely agree. His major musical influences include The Cars, David Bowie, Electric Light Orchestra, Elvis Costello, The Kinks, Robyn Hitchcock, Paul McCartney, and Todd Rundgren.
His debut album, One Mississippi, was released in 1996 on Virgin Records. The album featured several contributions with Jason Falkner and gained many favourable reviews in the music press but failed to sell in sufficient numbers and Benson was dropped by Virgin.
It would be another six years until Benson issued the follow-up, Lapalco. Again the critical plaudits poured in but this time the record enjoyed a certain degree of commercial success.
While touring this record Benson played the Reading and Leeds Festivals and finished his Leeds set with a performance of the track "Jet Lag" featuring guest appearances from Meg White of The White Stripes along with members of The Datsuns and Soledad Brothers.
In 2003 Benson re-released his debut album along with bonus tracks including the unreleased six track extended player, Welfed Boy EP, featuring songs from a demo session with Falkner.
Also in 2003, Benson released an EP, Metarie, with his then band, The Wellfed Boys. The EP featured a cover of Paul McCartney's "Let Me Roll It". This was the first song written completely by another artist to be featured on a Benson release. Another cover, this time "Strong Boy", from Gram Parsons International Submarine Band's 1968 album, Safe at Home, was released as a b-side in 2005.
In 2005, Benson released his third album, The Alternative to Love, and toured extensively in the US, UK and Europe with his new touring band, The Stiff Tissues.
Benson is also a member of The Raconteurs, a collaboration with Jack White of The White Stripes and two members of The Greenhornes, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. The group's debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, was released in the US on May 16th, 2006, with "Steady, As She Goes" the first single.
Brendan currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
He has also worked as a producer for The Greenhornes, The Nice Device, The Mood Elevator (a permutation of The Welfed Boys), and Stiff Tissues member Dean Fertita's former band, The Waxwings.
In 2008, his song "What I'm Looking For" was used in an Apple iPod Touch television ad, propelling sales of that particular song on iTunes and other online music retailers.
Benson's fourth full-length record, My Old, Familiar Friend, was released on August 18, 2009. This was followed by What Kind of World (2012), and You Were Right (2013).
Between Us
Brendan Benson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But other days I get restless
I can't stand to be alone
Okay, I've been known to cry in my sleep
But dreams often show what you don't want to know
When you're awake you're not so deep
Could be a bad habit I need to break
That I could learn to fake
Maybe it's the devil in my ear
Averting his eyes and whispering lies
So that no one can hear
There isn't anything between us
Many times I listened to the things that people say
But many times I disagree
And I see it a different way
Could say that it looks and tastes so real
But I wouldn't mind if I went blind
Maybe then I'd learn how to feel
Yes man, I'm so glad to be alive
It's a beautiful day and my girl is okay
So we go out for a drive
Yes sir, I haven't felt my right in my head
There's no getting dressed when I get depressed
I don't want to leave my bed
There isn't anything between us
In Brendan Benson's song Between Us, he speaks about his own struggle with contentment and loneliness. He confesses that while some days he is okay with staying at home, there are other days where he feels restless and cannot stand to be alone. He admits to having cried in his sleep and that his dreams often reveal things he does not want to know. However, when he is awake, he does not feel so deeply.
He wonders if this restlessness and discontentment is a bad habit he needs to break or if it is some kind of sentiment that he needs to learn to fake. He even suggests that it could be the devil whispering lies in his ear. Benson acknowledges that there is nothing between him and this feeling of loneliness and restlessness that he experiences.
In the second verse, Benson expresses his disagreement with people when they say things that do not align with his own perspective. He reveals that sometimes things may seem real, but he would not mind going blind because then he would learn how to feel. Benson also openly talks about his depression and his reluctance to get out of bed when he is feeling low. He concludes by stating that there is nothing between him and this feeling of loneliness.
This song explores the internal struggle many people face when they battle loneliness and depression. By acknowledging his feelings and stating that there is nothing between them, Benson is expressing a desire for a sense of companionship and happiness but admits that he is not sure how to achieve it.
Line by Line Meaning
Some days I'm content to stay at home
I sometimes feel comfortable staying at home
But other days I get restless
Other times, I feel restless and need to do something
I can't stand to be alone
I don't like being alone
Okay, I've been known to cry in my sleep
I have cried in my sleep before
But dreams often show what you don't want to know
Dreams can reveal things you don't want to face
When you're awake you're not so deep
When you're awake, you're not as introspective
Could be a bad habit I need to break
It could be a bad habit that I need to stop
Or some kind of sentiment
Or maybe it's a feeling
That I could learn to fake
I could pretend to feel it
Maybe it's the devil in my ear
Perhaps it's a negative voice in my head
Averting his eyes and whispering lies
That distracts me and tells me untruths
So that no one can hear
So no one else can hear what it says
There isn't anything between us
There's no connection between us
Many times I listened to the things that people say
I have heard many things people say
But many times I disagree
But often, I don't agree with them
And I see it a different way
I have my own perspective
Could say that it looks and tastes so real
It might seem believable
But I wouldn't mind if I went blind
But I wouldn't be upset if I didn't see it anymore
Maybe then I'd learn how to feel
Perhaps I would experience things more deeply
Yes man, I'm so glad to be alive
I feel happy to be alive
It's a beautiful day and my girl is okay
The weather is great and my girlfriend is doing well
So we go out for a drive
We are going for a drive
Yes sir, I haven't felt my right in my head
However, sometimes I don't feel right
There's no getting dressed when I get depressed
I don't feel like getting dressed when I'm depressed
I don't want to leave my bed
I don't feel like leaving my bed
There isn't anything between us
There's no connection between us
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRENDAN BENSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind