Shawn grew up in a rural area on the outskirts of Wichita, Kansas. His mother is half Lebanese, half American Indian, his father Irish-American. While his peers got off on cheesy corporate rock and the kind of line-dancing tunes recently fashionable in Gap ads, Shawn was groovin to the blaxploitation funk Sly and the Isleys. Later, his local Baptist Church widened his appreciation of black music, but when he sang and played drums in its gospel choir, he discovered some of his white friends were racists who disapproved. F**k this, he thought, time to leave the Mid-West but not before playing in local band Lotus with future country superstar Martina Mcbride.
Next stop Los Angeles. Already an able multi-instrumentalist (guitar, drums, perc,bass, etc) Shawn now set about developing his songwriting. There were bands, publishing deals, relationships,tours and day jobs: more notches on the bedpost of experience. Shawn was introduced to producers the Dust Brothers( post Paul's Boutique) and spent much time hanging out,drinking cappuccino's and making mix tapes from their dusted record collection. .This period also saw Shawn befriend the late Jeff Buckley, and somebody, somewhere has a tape of them jamming Honky Tonk Woman. "Keith your fired"!!!!!
In 1995, Shawn moved to London, where he recorded his solo debut for DJ Gilles Peterson's Talkin Loud label. For all the wrong reasons, the album was never released. It was soul destroying; a bit like somebody erasing 3 years of your life. Resolving to write and record on his own terms, Shawn kept working. He created the infamous "Planet of the breaks" series aswell as 5 volumes of "Ape Breaks" becoming the most sampled drummer of his generation in the process. He passed CDs of songs to friends with no agenda other than hope you enjoy it. As Shawn continued to do it his way, airplay garnered by a self-financed EP prompted several major labels to phone him. He had no intention of reboarding the corporate merry-go-round. Instead, he opted to sign a deal with Mark Jones at Wall of Sound. "The labels got real credibility" he says, "Mark was happy to put out a record which sounds exactly like I wanted it to". Subsequently Shawn became the flagship artist for the new Wall of Sound imprint, We Love You with his album Monkey Boy which features the cult song Happiness. The song was later covered by million selling english artist Will Young on his Keep On album. Say what?!
2004 saw the release of two Shawn Lee albums. Soul Visa (in Japan only, on Rush!) and the debut release of Shawn's instrumental side project Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra. The first of which is entitled Music and Rhythm on Ubiquity Records. 2005 also saw two more records from Mr. Lee; Harmonium (in Japan only, on Rush!) and the second Ping Pong album Moods and Grooves. As the success of the Ping Pong series grew Shawn was offered his first full movie soundtrack. The movie is entitled "Save Angel Hope" and will be released in 2007. The Industry has been quick to embrace the Ping Pong sound. PPO tracks have been featured in the TV series: Malcom In The Middle, Lost, Desperate Housewives, CSI: Miami, Ugly Betty, Boston Legal, Rodney,Damages, Good Morning America etc., Movies: Oceans 13, The Break Up,The Bank Job, Pool Hall Prophets. Ads for BMW, Cinemax, Jaguar, Barclays, Exxon, Head & Shoulders and numerous Skate,snowboarding & Surf films. Shawn also has composed a video game soundtrack for Rockstar (Grand Theft Auto etc.). The game is entitled "Bully" and was released in october 2006. The selected soundtrack album for Bully/Canem canis edit is available on itunes,emusic and was released in stores december 2006 on Ultra.
2006 an American and European release for Soul Visa and the release of volume three Strings and Things by the Ping Pong Orchestra. Also look out for Mr. Lee doing "No Surprises " on an a Radiohead covers album called "Exit Music". Plus vocal collaborations with Muallem, Silent Poets, Sparo and Blackjoy. Remixes for The Thievery Corporation, Nino Moschella, Dust Galaxy, Jack Arel, Tony Joe White, Elmer Bernstein and Lord Large. November 2006 saw Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra vs Nino Moschella EP hit the streets featuring "Kiss The Sky".
January 2007, the fourth Ping Pong Orchestra album "Voices and Choices" was released and features guest vocals from: Ohmega Watts, Nino Moschella and Pierre D. Shawn chips in with textural vocals and takes the PPO sound onto some next level shit! Kiss The Sky (from the 4th Ping Pong album "Voices and choices"), becomes itunes "single of the week" and is downloaded a quarter of a million times in one week! Not one to rest, Mr. Lee has been beavering away in his London studio "Trans-Yank" on a number of new albums including a Ping Pong POP covers album entitled "Hit's The Hits" which was released on October 9, 2007, followed swiftly by a Ping Pong Christmas album called "A Very Ping Pong Xmas".
2008: Feb. 5th see's the release of the enigmatic Clutchy Hopkins album "Walking Backwards". Look out for this supremely dope album featuring a collaboration track with yours truly called "Song For Wolfy"! April will see the release of the 7th Ping Pong Orchestra album entitled "Miles Of Styles". It features some new musical maneuvers and the first lead vocal from Shawn on a PPO record! The Funky Tiger is also putting the finishing touches on the "Under The Sun" surf film soundtrack as we speak. The original soundtrack album will be released on Ubiquity later in the year. So move over, Shawn Lee is now "the new hardest working (tiger) man in show business!!!"
Can't Get You Out Of My Head
Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Boy your loving is all I think about
I just can't get you out of my head
Boy it's more than I dare to think about
I just can't get you out of my head
Boy your loving is all I think about
I just can't get you out of my head
Every night, every day
Just to be there in your arms
Won't you stay
Won't you lay
Stay forever and ever
And ever and ever
I just can't get you out of my head
Boy your loving is all I think about
I just can't get you out of my head
Boy it's more than I dare to think about
There's a dark secret in me
Don't leave me locked in your heart
Set me free
Feel the need in me
Set me free
Stay forever and ever
And ever and ever
I just can't get you out of my head
I just can't get you out of my head
I just can't get you out of my head
The lyrics to Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra's song "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" are about the singer's obsession with a lover. The repeated line "I just can't get you out of my head" emphasizes this fixation and the constant presence of the person in the singer's thoughts. The singer is consumed by the love they feel, to the point where it's all they can think about day and night. The lyrics also suggest a desire for permanence, with lines like "Stay forever and ever" and "Don't leave me locked in your heart."
There is a sense of vulnerability in the song as well, with the line "Boy it's more than I dare to think about" indicating that the singer is aware of the potential harm that this intense love could cause. The final lines, "There's a dark secret in me/Don't leave me locked in your heart/Set me free," suggest that the singer may be struggling with their own personal demons but is also seeking acceptance and freedom in the context of the relationship.
Overall, this song explores the complexities of love and the overpowering nature of romantic obsession.
Line by Line Meaning
I just can't get you out of my head
The person cannot stop thinking about their love interest.
Boy your loving is all I think about
The person's love interest is the only thing they think about.
Boy it's more than I dare to think about
The person's feelings for their love interest are so strong, they are afraid to acknowledge them.
Every night, every day
The person constantly thinks about their love interest day and night.
Just to be there in your arms
The person longs to be held by their love interest.
Won't you stay
The person wants their love interest to stay with them.
Won't you lay
The person wants to be close to their love interest.
Stay forever and ever
The person wants their love interest to be with them forever.
There's a dark secret in me
The person has a secret that they are scared to reveal to their love interest.
Don't leave me locked in your heart
The person is afraid of being rejected by their love interest and being stuck with those feelings.
Set me free
The person wants to be released from the emotional burden they carry for their love interest.
Feel the need in me
The person desires their love interest to feel the same way they do.
Stay forever and ever
The person wants their love interest to be with them forever.
I just can't get you out of my head
The person cannot stop thinking about their love interest.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert Berkeley Davis, Cathy Dennis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind