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).
On the Fence
Brendan Benson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm leaving you
But rest assured, tomorrow I'll be home
Cuz you know I never could, I never was no good
Lord knows at bein' on my own
Never been the type to want to settle down
But never had the never to ramble on So I'm leaving here tonight, but I'll be back before dawn
So leave a light on and keep my supper warm
Never been a fighter or a lover
Never thought that either made much sense
And I can't decide on this way or the other
So I live my life just sittin on the fence
And today I feel restless, but tomorrow I won't fret this
There's no tellin' what this boy may do
But baby guarantee the movement that I'm free
That's when I'll come crawlin' back to you
Never been a fighter or a lover
Never thought that either made much sense
And I can't decide on this way or the other
So I live my life just sittin on the fence
And I don't know you can stand it, I don't know why you stay
But you know I never planned it to turn out this way
And I would understand it, if you coudn't take any more
Of my always keeping one foot out the door
And I want to get married, I want to raise a family
Do the things that normal people do
But what self-respecting woman, would ever have me and not stab me When I wanna have my cake and it too
Never been a fighter or a lover
Never thought that either made much sense
And I can't decide on this way or the other
So I live my life just sittin on the fence
Brendan Benson's "On the Fence" is a song about the struggle between the desire for freedom and the need for stability. It's a song about a man who can't make up his mind about what he wants in life, someone who is afraid of commitment but also yearning for it. The lyrics speak to the deep sense of uncertainty that people can feel about their place in the world, their relationships, and their own identity.
The opening lines, "Well I'm afraid that's true, I'm leaving you. But rest assured, tomorrow I'll be home," show the central conflict of the song. The singer is leaving, but he's promising to come back. He's torn between the desire to be free and the need for comfort and stability. He acknowledges that he's not good at being on his own, but he's also afraid of settling down.
Throughout the song, Benson explores the tension between these two desires. He sings of his "restless" feelings and his inability to choose between fighting and loving. He wants to get married and have a family, but he's afraid of losing his independence. The song ends with the singer admitting that he's "just sittin' on the fence," unable to make a decision one way or the other. It's a bittersweet ending, suggesting that the struggle between freedom and stability is something that never truly goes away.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm afraid that's true
I acknowledge that what you're saying is correct
I'm leaving you
I am ending our relationship
But rest assured, tomorrow I'll be home
However, I will return to you tomorrow
Cuz you know I never could, I never was no good
Because you know that I have always struggled and never been good at relationships
Lord knows at bein' on my own
It is difficult for me to be independent
Never been the type to want to settle down
I have never wanted to commit to one person or place
But never had the never to ramble on
But I have also never had the courage to leave and explore
So I'm leaving here tonight, but I'll be back before dawn
So I'm leaving now, but I promise to return soon
So leave a light on and keep my supper warm
Please keep a light on for me and save some food for when I come back
Never been a fighter or a lover
I have never been one to fight or to love deeply
Never thought that either made much sense
I have never understood the point of either
And I can't decide on this way or the other
I struggle to choose between different paths in life
So I live my life just sittin on the fence
So I remain in a state of indecision and do not take action
And today I feel restless, but tomorrow I won't fret this
I feel anxious today, but I know that tomorrow I will not worry about it
There's no tellin' what this boy may do
I am unpredictable and may do anything
But baby guarantee the movement that I'm free
But I promise that I will come back to you when I am independent
That's when I'll come crawlin' back to you
That is when I will return to you, perhaps humbly
And I don't know you can stand it, I don't know why you stay
I do not understand how you tolerate my behavior and continue to be with me
But you know I never planned it to turn out this way
I did not intend for our relationship to end up like this
And I would understand it, if you coudn't take any more
I would understand if you could not handle this anymore
Of my always keeping one foot out the door
Of me always being hesitant and not fully committing to our relationship
And I want to get married, I want to raise a family
I do want to commit and have a family
Do the things that normal people do
I want to have a normal life and do what most people do
But what self-respecting woman, would ever have me and not stab me
However, because of my past behavior, I may not be able to find a partner who respects themselves enough to be with me
When I wanna have my cake and it too
Because I want to have the benefits of both a free and committed lifestyle
Contributed by Harper V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.