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).
Pleasure Seeker
Brendan Benson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A head full of zip sleeps on my pillow
And it must be a phase that I'm in
Cause I can't explain to begin
Could be a permanent thing
But it feels like a meaningless fling
The man in the pink such a mild-mannered fellow
Lately I'm tired all the time
Guilty of the worst kind of crime
A game I can't possibly win
When I keep getting kicked in the shin
I'm just so far gone
I don't know what planet I'm on
I want to come down
Taken it hard for so long
I don't now what's right or what's wrong with me
I'm coming down
(Such a funny creature)
When I drink I feel mellow
And if I think I'm Saul Bellow
And lately I do as I please
Don't much care who disagrees
Could be a permanent thing
Feels like a meaningless fling
And they say that I'm just a pleasure seeker
In Brendan Benson's song "Pleasure Seeker," the singer seems to be struggling to find his place in life. The opening lines suggest a feeling of detachment from the world around him as he listens to the sound of raindrops falling outside his window. This sense of isolation is reinforced by the imagery of the "head full of zip" sleeping on his pillow - a reminder of the energy and vitality he once possessed, but feels he has lost.
As the song unfolds, the singer reveals that he is feeling tired and guilty - perhaps because he has been pursuing pleasure at the expense of other things in his life. He seems to be caught in a cycle of seeking out temporary pleasures, but never finding lasting satisfaction. The man in the pink is described as "mild-mannered," which could be seen as a contrast with the singer's own restless and dissatisfied nature.
Ultimately, the singer seems to be searching for a way to come down from this cycle of pleasure-seeking and find some kind of stability. He recognizes that his behavior may be seen as frivolous or selfish, but also seems to suggest that he is struggling with deeper issues that he can't quite articulate. The repetition of the phrase "could be a permanent thing/feels like a meaningless fling" suggests a sense of ambiguity - the singer isn't sure if he's going through a passing phase or if this is a more deep-seated problem.
Overall, "Pleasure Seeker" is a song that explores the complexities of modern life and the struggle to find a sense of purpose and meaning in a world that seems to offer only temporary pleasures.
Line by Line Meaning
Drip drip drip drip outside my window
Rain is falling outside and I am inside, waking up to a new day
A head full of zip sleeps on my pillow
Despite the rain, I feel energized and enthusiastic; someone who is full of life is sleeping on my pillow
And it must be a phase that I'm in
Cause I can't explain to begin
Could be a permanent thing
But it feels like a meaningless fling
I'm experiencing something new but I can't quite put my finger on it; it could be something that lasts a long time or it could be something that's just temporary and doesn't hold much significance
The man in the pink such a mild-mannered fellow
He gave me a wink and a good-natured hello
I encountered a man wearing pink and he seemed like a nice and friendly person
Lately I'm tired all the time
Guilty of the worst kind of crime
A game I can't possibly win
When I keep getting kicked in the shin
I've been feeling exhausted lately and I feel like I'm doing something wrong; I'm stuck in a situation where I can't win and I feel like I'm being targeted and hurt
I'm just so far gone
I don't know what planet I'm on
I want to come down
Taken it hard for so long
I don't now what's right or what's wrong with me
I'm coming down
I feel like I've lost touch with reality and I want to get back to feeling normal; I've been struggling for a long time and I'm not sure what's causing me to feel this way, but I'm starting to feel better
(Such a funny creature)
When I drink I feel mellow
And if I think I'm Saul Bellow
And lately I do as I please
Don't much care who disagrees
Could be a permanent thing
Feels like a meaningless fling
When I drink alcohol, I feel relaxed and carefree; sometimes I feel like I'm a famous author and I have the freedom to do what I want without worrying about what other people think; again, this could be something that lasts a long time or is just a short-term, unimportant fling
And they say that I'm just a pleasure seeker
Other people think that I'm only interested in seeking pleasure and don't take things seriously or care about the consequences of my actions
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRENDAN BENSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind