Bottom Of A Bottle

Album: Smile Empty Soul (2003)
Charted: 107
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Songfacts®:

  • This song has an attention-grabbing chorus that seems to be coming from an unrepentant drug user and alcoholic:

    I do it for the drugs
    I do it just to feel alive
    I do it for the love
    That I get from the bottom of a bottle


    But according to Smile Empty Soul frontman Sean Danielsen, who wrote the lyric, it has a very different meaning. "The word 'drug' is a metaphor for whatever you live for," he told MTV. "It could be anything — religion, drugs, alcohol, relationships. For me, it's music."
  • "Bottom Of A Bottle" was the first single from Smile Empty Soul, a Santa Clarita, California, trio signed to Lava Records, home of Simple Plan and O.A.R. The band name is a dig on people who put on a veneer, never revealing their genuine selves.

    The song got some airplay on alternative rock stations and the video earned some spins on MTV, but Smile Empty Soul had a hard time expanding their audience. Danielsen kept the band together with various lineups, but they never landed another song this popular.
  • All three band members - Danielsen, bass player Ryan Martin, and drummer Derek Gledhill - are credited as writers on this track.

Comments: 9

  • Mark from CaWas this song on any movie soundtrack?
  • Anian from No ImportantThe song is about drugs and alcohol. And addiction in general.
  • K from Baton Rouge, LaThis is DEFINITELY about Alcohol.
  • Erik from Brownwood , Txit dosent matter if it is alcohol or drugs. as Ryan said "drugs" is a metaphor for whatever fits for you. it can be anything that consumes your life, drugs money etc. so if you are arguing about weather it is drugs or alcohol it is a pointless argument. just listen to the song and be happy knowing that it is about what ever gives you that feeling that you are needed to be alive. (the bottom of the bottle)
  • Ian from Sodus, NyThe bottle could easily be a bottle of pills too. possibly pain killers?
  • Corb from Yagborough, MeThe proverbial "bottle" spoken in the song would most likely refer to Alcohol. There is a mention of drugs but it's mostly about alcohol.
  • Doug from New York, NyWhat ever it is, its a kick a** song
  • Ryan from Mobile, AlI read somewhere that Sean said that "drugs" is a metaphor for whatever fits for you. It can be anything that consumes your life, whether it be drugs or money etc. He also said he did not want people to judge them based on the band's first single, which is "Bottom of the Bottle."
  • Erik from Somewhere, Pai think the bottle is supposed to be alcohol.
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