"Cigarettes Will Kill You" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael Lee (born 11 September 1978) is an Australian musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but he focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He app ...
from his third studio album, ''
Breathing Tornados
''Breathing Tornados'' is the third studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or C ...
'' (1998). Produced by
Ed Buller
Edmund Wilbur Hudson "Ed" Buller is an English record producer and former musician. He has primarily worked with English bands including Suede, Pulp, the Raincoats and the Courteeners.
Biography
Buller first became interested in music after ...
, the song became a breakout success for Lee. It was voted number two on the 1998
Triple J Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll presented by the publicly-funded Australian youth radio station Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Music of Australia, Australian and alternative music of th ...
and reached number 46 on the
Australian Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...
in 1999.
The song was featured in the 2002 Australian comedy ''
Crackerjack''. It has also been referenced in
the Axis of Awesome
The Axis of Awesome were an Australian comedy music act with members Jordan Raskopoulos, Lee Naimo and Benny Davis, active from 2006 to 2018. The trio covered a wide variety of performance styles and performed a combination of original materia ...
's song medley "
Four Chord Song", a reference to the fact that the
chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
in "Cigarettes Will Kill You" is similar to that of
Journey's "
Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin" is a song by American rock band Journey. It was released in October 1981 as the second single from the group's seventh studio album, '' Escape'' (1981), released through Columbia Records. "Don't Stop Believin shares writi ...
" and
Toto's "
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
".
Background
During his 24 April 2006 concert at
Irving Plaza
Irving Plaza (known through sponsorship as Irving Plaza, powered by Verizon 5G and formerly known as the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza) is a ballroom-style music venue located within the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, Lee described how he came up with the title for the track, recalling that he'd been listening to
the Verve
The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Sim ...
's "
The Drugs Don't Work
"The Drugs Don't Work" is a song by English Rock music, rock band the Verve. The song was written by Richard Ashcroft and is featured on their third studio album, ''Urban Hymns''. It was released on 1 September 1997 as the second single from th ...
" and was so impressed with its title that he decided to name his own song with a similarly catchy title.
The title of "Cigarettes Will Kill You" as well as many of the lyrics refer to cigarette smoking as a metaphor for continuing to go back to a bad relationship even though one knows it will end terribly and cause pain. Lee recounted how one often badly needs short-term comfort to get through an otherwise sad, frustrating life even though everyone knows that smoking can cause health problems. The single's cover even resembles a pack of cigarettes.
In August 2021, Lee confirmed on hi
official TikTok accountthat the lyric "I want a TV embrace" was a
mondegreen
A mondegreen () is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning. "A misunderstood or misinterpreted word or phrase resulting from a mishearing, esp. of the lyrics to a song". Mondegreens are most often create ...
based on a misheard
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...
lyric. In Apple's song "
Sleep to Dream", Lee had thought Apple had sung "This mind this body and this voice cannot be stifled by your TV embrace"—the real lyric being "This mind this body and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways". It was years later Lee realised his mistake but still used the lyric anyway.
Track listings
All songs were written by Ben Lee unless otherwise stated.
Australian CD single
# "Cigarettes Will Kill You" – 3:50
# "
Girls Talk" (
Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
) – 2:35
# "
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" is a song by Bob Dylan. Recorded in September 1974, it appeared as the fifth track on Dylan's album '' Blood on the Tracks'', released in January 1975.
Background and composition
The song's lyrics hav ...
" (
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
) – 3:16
UK CD single
# "Cigarettes Will Kill You" – 3:48
# "Girls Talk" (Costello) – 2:37
# "How to Survive a Broken Heart" – 2:49
UK 7-inch single
:A. "Cigarettes Will Kill You" – 3:48
:B. "Girls Talk" (Costello) – 2:37
Charts
Release history
See also
* "
Four Chord Song"
References
{{Authority control
1998 singles
1998 songs
Ben Lee songs
Grand Royal singles
Modular Recordings singles
Music videos directed by Phil Harder
Song recordings produced by Ed Buller
Songs about tobacco