Bottle Up and Explode!

Status

Elliott Smith Song

Alternative Title/Version

No One Needs to Know

Written By

Elliott Smith

Recording Sessions

March 25-26, 1996 (Waterfront Studios, Hoboken, NJ - Chocodog Sessions) - unofficially circulating
March-July 1996 (The Shop, Humboldt County, CA - Primary Either/Or Sessions)
1996 (Smith Residence, Portland, OR - Either/Or 8-Track Recordings) - recorded as “No One Needs to Know”
1997 (Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, CA - Soul Coughing) - unofficially circulating
March-April 1998 (Sunset Sound Studios; Sound Factory Studios - Brion XO Sessions)
April 1998 (Sunset Sound Studios; Sound Factory Studios - XO Strings Sessions) - additional tracking
July 8, 1998 (KBOO Community Radio Studios, Portland, OR - Drinking from Puddles) - unofficially circulating
November 29, 1998 (NOB Audiostation 1, Hilversum, Netherlands - 2 Meter Sessies) - uncirculating

Availability of Official Release

Either/Or: Expanded Edition
XO
Baby Britain
Strange Parallel (not a studio recording, clips of a professionally shot video recording of Elliott performing live on July 21, 1998 at Luna Lounge in New York, NY)

Lyrics

March 25-26, 1996 Demo lyrics:
bottle up and explode over and over keep the troublemaker below
put it away and check out for the day
and in for a round of overexposure
the thing mother nature provides to get up and go
bottle up and explode seeing the stars surrounding you
red white and blue
she looks at him like he’s never known her
but it’s only been a year and a half
thinking that that was a matter of fact
thinking that he was about to come over
i’ve been standing up waiting for you
you never show
bottle up and explode, all the outside signs of you
red white and blue
bottle up and explode, all the outside signs of you
red white and blue
red white and blue
red white and blue

Baby Britain B-Side (Either/Or Sessions version) lyrics:

bottle up and explode over and over
cos you react slower than slow
put it away,check out for the day
in for a round of over exposure
the things mother nature provides
to get up and go
bottle up and explode
seeing stars surrounding you
red white and blue
she looks at him like hes never known her
its only been a year and half
thinking that that was a matter of fact
thinking that he was about to come over
i’ve been standing up waiting for you
you never showed
bottle up and explode all the outside signs of you
red white and blue
bottle up and explode all the outside signs of you
red white and blue
8-Track Alternate Lyrics Version
The record that plays over and over,
There’s a kid in the story below,
Trying to stay up and awake,
It’s burning love “Crimson and Clover”
And the needle’s sure to have worn it away a long time ago.
Everything around here happens so slow.
‘Cause no one needs to know.
I’m looking out my window now,
And the snow is falling deep around a man asleep.
He doesn’t know he’s dying now from the cruelty and the cold,
Any way that the damage doesn’t show,
So, no one needs to know.
Everything around here happens so slow,
No one needs to know.
So, no one needs to know.
XO version lyrics:
bottle up and explode over and over keep the troublemaker below
put it away and check out for the day
and in for a round of overexposure
the thing mother nature provides to get up and go
bottle up and explode seeing the stars surrounding you
red white and blue
you look and him like you’ve never known him
but i know for a fact that you have
the last time you cried who’d you think was inside?
thinking that you were about to come over
but i’m tired now of waiting for you
you never show
bottle up and go, if you’re gonna hide it’s up to you
i’m coming through
bottle up and go, i can make it outside
i’ll get though becoming you
becoming you
becoming you

Soul Coughing Acapella demo lyrics (1997):
the record that plays over and over
there’s a kid in a story below
trying to stay up and awake
it’s burning love, crimson and clover,
the needle’s sure to have worn it away a long time ago
better kill it now before it gets too late
don’t hesitate
Note
In the album version of the song, Joey Waronker plays drums and Jon Brion contributes Vibraphone and Chamberlin keyboard.
In 1997, shortly after he had contributed an orchestral version of “Between the Bars” for the Good Will Hunting soundtrack, Elliott recorded an acapella version of “Bottle Up and Explode” in the studio collaborating with Soul Coughing along with two other songs. These recordings were ultimately not released on the album they were recorded for, El Oso. In 2014, the band’s former frontman Mike Doughty culled from these recordings and posted a song entitled “The Record” using this recording of “Bottle Up and Explode.“ The rendition is notable for having alternate lyrics and a completely different melody for the chorus. A full-length solo version of this “alternate” version was eventually released on Either/Or: Expanded Edition in 2017.
Audio
Early version/Baby Britain B-Side/Either/Or Sessions:

 

XO version:

 

View comments on the original page

Not Quite by Peter Vidani