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).
Evil Eyes
Brendan Benson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What was even there to be seen?
What did I ever do to you
To make you go and treat me so mean?
And I've been burned so many times
If you want a turn you better get in line
So go on and hurt me and tell me lies
Oh those evil eyes
Oh those evil eyes
Oh those evil eyes
Oh those evil eyes
What did I do to deserve this?
This lesson from you
Like you were born for this very purpose
To snap my heart in two
And I've been burned so many times
If you want a turn you better get in line
So go on and hurt me and tell me lies
Cause I've got a thing for those evil eyes
She's giving me evil eyes
And everything I say and everything I do
Isn't good enough, there's no pleasing you
And I feel as though I've been atomized
And I could step right through a needle's eye
I've been burned so many times
I guess I'll never learn, and I don't know why
So go on and tell another lie
Cause I've got a thing for those evil eyes
What did I do to deserve this?
In Brendan Benson's song Evil Eyes, the lyrics reflect the emotional turmoil of someone who has been hurt repeatedly by a partner, and yet finds themselves inexplicably drawn to their partner's dark and dangerous eyes. The singer begins by questioning what they ever saw in this person to begin with, or what they did to provoke the kind of hurtful, manipulative behavior they have experienced. Despite having been hurt so many times, they seem to have an uncontrollable attraction to these "evil eyes," suggesting a kind of fatalism and a sense of being trapped in a cycle of abuse.
As the song unfolds, the singer describes feeling insufficient and unable to please their partner, no matter how hard they try. They describe feeling "atomized," suggesting a sense of being broken into their smallest components, unable to cohere or make sense of themselves. The repeated reference to having been "burned" many times underscores the sense of emotional trauma and leaves the listener with the impression that the singer is both resigned to their fate and unable to break free of the cycle of abuse.
Overall, Benson's lyrics in this song paint a vivid portrait of someone trapped in a painful and dysfunctional relationship, yet powerless to break free due to the pull of unhealthy emotional dynamics. The image of the evil eyes serves as a potent symbol of manipulation and danger, one that the singer seems drawn to despite (or maybe because of) the risks it poses.
Line by Line Meaning
What did I ever see in you?
Questioning why the singer was even attracted to the person referred to.
What was even there to be seen?
Wondering if there was anything worthwhile about the person being referred to.
What did I ever do to you
To make you go and treat me so mean?
Asking if the singer's actions were the reason for the person being so cruel.
And I've been burned so many times
If you want a turn you better get in line
So go on and hurt me and tell me lies
Cause I've got a thing for those evil eyes
Despite past experiences, the singer is still drawn to the person's harmful gaze.
She's giving me evil eyes
The person being referred to is currently glaring at the singer.
And everything I say and everything I do
Isn't good enough, there's no pleasing you
And I feel as though I've been atomized
And I could step right through a needle's eye
The person being referred to is impossible to please and the singer feels emotionally destroyed.
I've been burned so many times
I guess I'll never learn, and I don't know why
So go on and tell another lie
Cause I've got a thing for those evil eyes
Despite all the heartaches, the singer still can't resist the person's harmful gaze.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Brendan Benson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind