“Bottoms Up!” is the forth track on Van Halen II.
Cut straight after the band finished their first world tour, after nine months on the road. The recording has the vérité feel of capturing something that seems like it might fall to pieces, as David Lee Roth snickers through a vocal breakdown where they collectively don’t seem to be holding it together too well. Neil Zlozower’s photos of the band in Sunset Sound Recorders during the sessions show them set up together, as if onstage—as an ensemble, not in isolation booths or separated by studio baffles—and with empty beer cans, and whisky and brandy bottles littering the floors and sitting on top of speakers. It could have been a set-up to convey the requisite sense of rock’n’roll abandon – but it wouldn’t matter. It looks like it sounds, and that’s what matters. As Eddie said of Van Halen’s approach to studio work at this time: ‘it’s like winding something up and just waiting to see when it’s gonna break.’
Eddie: “‘Bottoms Up’ is a proven song because in the ten months that we toured [the 1978 tour supporting their debut album], at least six of the months we played it every night for our encore. And everywhere from Japan to Texas they loved it. That’s a boogie and I did a good solo in that, which I like. Personally, I hate soloing to boogies because it doesn’t really fit my style. I like to noodle out of the rhythm, as opposed to playing in the beat. So I was pretty happy with it because it did have feeling to it.”
Lyrics:
I’ve been sitting here ’bout half the night.
Oh, mama, fill my cup up.
Said I came to waste some time.
I think I’m gonna jump up.
I’m singin’, I’m dancin’ most every night.
And I want to do that with you babe.
Let’s do this bottle right.
Oh, oh, baby, bottoms up.
Pretty maids, all in a row, go on, set ’em up, up.
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up.
I’m singin’, I’m dancin’ most every night.
And I want to do that with you, babe.
Let’s do this bottle right.
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up.
Come um um um um um, baby, bottoms up.