Former Treepeople frontman Doug Martsch formed Built to Spill in 1992 with Brett Netson and Ralf Youtz as the band's original members. In an interview with Spin magazine, Martsch stated that he intended to change the band's lineup for every album, with Martsch being the only permanent member. After the band's first album, Ultimate Alternative Wavers (1993), the lineup changing idea held true, as both Netson and Youtz were replaced by Brett Nelson (not Netson) and Andy Capps for 1994's There's Nothing Wrong With Love. A compilation album called The Normal Years, consisting of recordings by both the first and second trios, was released in 1996. Between recording albums in 1995, the band gained notoriety by playing on the Lollapalooza tour.
Martsch signed Built To Spill to the Warner Brothers label in 1995. Unlike many artists signed to major labels, however, the deal the band brokered with Warner allowed it to retain a large degree of creative control over future albums. Built to Spill produced its first major label release in 1997 with Perfect From Now On. By this time, the band consisted of Martsch, Nelson, Netson, and Scott Plouf. Perfect From Now On met with critical success and caused Built To Spill to become one of the United States' most recognizable indie rock bands. Before releasing another album, Martsch made Nelson and Plouf permanent members of the band. In 1999, the band released Keep It Like a Secret to continued critical success, and for the first time, significant commercial success. In response to fan requests, the Live album was released in 2000. The band's fifth studio album, Ancient Melodies of the Future, was released in 2001. Martsch also released Now You Know, a solo album with both blues and folk elements, in 2002. After 2002, Warner Bros. records signed the band to another album.
Built To Spill did not tour as a band in 2002 although Doug Martsch performed numerous solo concerts in support of his solo album. From 2003 to 2005, Built To Spill toured extensively with over 150 live performances, playing new songs live as early as 2004. In 2004, the band confirmed rumors that they had recorded another studio album in Portland, OR, titled You In Reverse. The album was not released in 2005 due to difficulties associated with the use of a new recording facility, inefficiencies associated with self-producing the album and time constraints. You In Reverse, the first studio album in five years, was released on April 11, 2006. The band's official lineup for the album featured Martsch, Nelson, Plouf, and Jim Roth, who was formerly a touring guitarist only. Former band member Brett Netson provided guitar work on several songs, Quasi's Sam Coomes provided keyboard work and Steve Lobdell, the owner of the Portland studio, plays on almost every song for the album including guitar, piano, vibes and percussion. Netson rejoined Built To Spill as an official member in 2006 after touring with the band in 2005.
The band announced an April/May 2006 tour in February 2006 in support of the new album. In late March 2006, however, frontman Doug Martsch suffered a detached retina that required surgery, causing the band to cancel its appearance at the South by Southwest music festival and postpone several of their tour dates. The band rescheduled the April and May tour dates in the fall, but most June dates on the West were not postponed. At their June 3, 2006 show, their first of the 2006 tour, Built to Spill played four unreleased songs that were not included on You In Reverse. This show also included the dedication of the song "Car" to former band member Andy Capps who had passed away a few weeks earlier that would continue throughout the tour.
In July 2007, Built To Spill released a new 12" vinyl single with two reggae-esque tracks, "They Got Away" and "Re-Arrange". According to Doug Martsch, BTS is not becoming a reggae band, they just "love to play it".
In 2009 Nelson replayed and recorded one song off of each full length Built To Spill album in ""New Wave circa 1982" style with analogue synthesizers and a drum machine having Martsch resing all of the songs and released it July 2010 through CDBABY,Itunes and Junketboy as The Electronic Anthology Project.Nelson's son (Nicholas) did the art/layout with the titles reworked as anagrams by his wife (Stephanie) he plans on future projects under the same moniker redoing other bands music.
Doug Martsch and original BTS drummer Ralf Youtz are also founding members of the much-loved, but short-lived, band the Halo Benders, with Calvin Johnson.
Youtz and Martsch are also brothers-in-law. (Martsch is married to Youtz's sister).
Ralf Youtz was leader of the Portland, Oregon band Ape Shape. He went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematics.
Bret Netson is leader of the influential art/metal Boise band Caustic Resin, which put out a split 10" with BTS in 1995. That album has two different cover photos because a found photo was used without permission for the original version, but the photographer later found out and objected.
One Thing
Built to Spill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
there's two kinds of people in this world
there's three words you should never say
there's one thing you should never do
there's two good reasons to live
there's only three ways to get things done
four, counting 'do it yourself'
(and they're...)
The lyrics to Built to Spill's song "One Thing" are deceptively simple. The song begins with the line "there's one thing you've gotta remember," which sets the stage for a song full of advice and wisdom. The following lines all begin with a number, which suggests a list of things to keep in mind. The first two lines introduce the idea that there are two kinds of people in the world, likely suggesting a dichotomy between those who have something and those who do not. The next line warns against the use of three specific words, though it is unclear what these words might be, leaving the interpretation open-ended. The fourth line counsels against a "one thing" action that is also never fully explained, allowing listeners to infer their own meaning or context. The fifth line provides two reasons to live, which again are open-ended, but could suggest the value of love, or friendship, or family, among other possibilities. Finally, the last two lines suggest that there are only three ways to get things done, with a fourth method counting as a "do it yourself" approach, an interesting play on the idea of self-reliance or self-sufficiency.
Overall, "One Thing" offers a kaleidoscope of perspectives on how to live your life, with the numbers serving as a guide or measure. By structuring the song in this way, Built to Spill invites their listeners to engage with the lyrics, to think about their own choices, and to consider the larger picture of human existence. The song is both personal and universal, with its themes and advice applicable to anyone who has ever asked themselves what matters most in life.
Line by Line Meaning
there's one thing you've gotta remember
It's important to keep something in mind
there's two kinds of people in this world
People can be divided into two groups
there's three words you should never say
Some words should be avoided at all times
there's one thing you should never do
There is something that should never be done
there's two good reasons to live
There are two things that make life worth living for
there's only three ways to get things done
There are limited options to achieve a particular task
four, counting 'do it yourself'
One additional option is to do it yourself
Contributed by Levi I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.