It is well known that many of the songs on Ben Kweller’s debut album Sha Sha were written during his Radish days. What is perhaps less well known is that several songs on albums released after his debut album feature songs that originate from the Sha Sha period and prior.
In this article, I highlight some songs from Kweller’s discography that have earlier versions from 1999-2002 available. Most of these songs appeared on Kweller’s early self-released CDs prior to the release of Sha Sha. Many of these songs feature musical and lyrical changes that create substantially unique listening experiences. They are presented in order of eventual release.
For a similarly themed article, check out my writeup on the Old 97's songs written in the 90s but released on later albums here: https://www.annotatedtracks.com/2025/09/old-97s-90s-songs-released-later.html.
Different But the Same
This song
was first released on Bromeo in 2000. The song was later recorded again
and released in 2004 on On My Way. For the final release, lots of the
lyrics were changed and there is an entirely different second verse. Overall, the
original version features some politically themed lyrics. An example of this is
in the first verse:
2004 On My Way Version
“You can't compare it to
Or let it scare you through
If everything you do is not as smoothly as we planned.”
2000 Bromeo Version
“You can’t compare you to
the town mayor who knew
his campaign would go just as smoothly as he planned.”
The second
verse even discusses rigged ballot boxes and serving prison time for said
rigging. Musically, the two versions are pretty much identical.
Listen to “Different
But the Same” here:
I Gotta Move
A version of this was released on Melange in 1999. It runs at a slower tempo and features a completely different bridge that lyrically evokes another Ben Kweller song “Run.” He sings “and when you wake up and I’m not around you, my eyes will be racing into the sun, I run, yeah I run.”
The solo is different and is played over the chorus progression transposed to the key of the dominant D, whereas the final version has its solo over the verse progression and the song never modulates.
The song was later re-recorded and released in 2006 on Ben Kweller.
Listen to “I Gotta Move” here:
I Don’t Know Why
“I Don’t Know Why” was first released on Bromeo in 2000 and the same recording was released on Freak Out, It’s… Ben Kweller that same year. Here, the song feels mostly complete already and like it is destined to be a classic. It is hard to understand how this song did not make the cut for Sha Sha or On My Way.
The original version has extra guitar licks throughout the song that are missing from the final version. The song was later re-recorded and released in 2006 on Ben Kweller. The added harmonies in the 2006 version really elevate it to another level.
If it was not already apparent, this is one my favorite Ben Kweller songs.
Listen to “I Don’t Know Why” here:
Until I Die
“Until I
Die” was first released on Bromeo in 2000. The song was later re-recorded and
released in 2006 on Ben Kweller. The original version features some different
lyrics, like interjections of “never say goodbye” at the ends the choruses. The
somewhat juvenile line “You are the baseball game I don’t want to miss” from the
original was changed to the more mature emotionally resonant “You’re the one thing in this world I don’t
want to miss.” The lyrical changes for the 2006 version perhaps reflect a
matured Kweller, not only as a lyricist and poet, but in his expression of love.
Listen to “Until
I Die” here:
Somehow
This was
performed live on July 23, 2002, in Arizona. A bootleg of this show circulates
among fans. In the bootleg, it is labeled as “I Need You Right Now” but I do
not know if this was an actual early title by Kweller or if this was just a
guess by the bootlegger. It was later recorded and released in 2008 on How
Ya Lookin' Southbound? Come In... as "Somehow" where it also received the “Singlemalt
Version” subtitle.
The original
has much of the twang of the final version and actually has a steel guitar. Unlike
the final version, this early live cut has drums throughout the song. This
original version also has an instrumental passage that was replaced by a third
verse for the final version.
The verse lyrics are completely different in both. The lyrics of the final version seem more personal, but it is unknown if they are autobiographical.
Ballad of Wendy Baker
Also known
as “Wendy,” this song was first available on the possibly-never-released Commerce, TX single
that featured different b-sides from the commercial releases. I say “possibly-never-released”
because I cannot confirm whether or not this was ever actually released at the
time, but the single was in fact later released through Kweller’s online fan
club around 2020. This same “Wendy” demo was then remastered and released on
the 20th anniversary deluxe edition of Sha Sha.
When the
song was revived for Changing Horses, it received some notable changes. This
version repeats the “don’t wake up” bridge twice, effectively turning it into a
chorus. There are some lyrical changes as well, such as in the first verse:
2009 Changing Horses Version
“I'm so quiet today, I don't feel like me
Someone took your smile away
Now it's gone and I can see, no one loves 'til it's gone”
Original Version
“I'm so quiet today, I don't feel like me
Someone took your smile away
Like a fortune cookie, and no one looks ‘til it’s gone.”
In addition
to this change, there is an additional verse in the original that displays some
of Kweller’s most melancholic lyrics:
“Heard about our friend Wendy
Drunken accident
I can’t wait to be happy and go the place where she just went”
This verse
adds another layer of sadness to an already sad song and certainly invites
different interpretations to the meaning of the tune.
Listen to
the early version of “Wendy” here:
Listen to the Changing Horses version of “Ballad
of Wendy Baker” here:
Wantin’ Her Again
A version of
this was released on Melange in 1999. The early version is totally
acoustic and overall has less of a country twang than the later version. The
song was later recorded again and released in 2009 on Changing Horses. This
is a very faithful remake, as the form and lyrics all remain unchanged. The
main difference is that the Changing Horses version is a full band
arrangement.
Listen to "Wantin' Her Again" here:
Bonus track: This Is War
I saved this
one for last since it is perhaps less objective without specific clarification
from Kweller himself. At a show in New York on June 8, 2002, he played a
similar song to “This Is War” that is known as “Battle Song.” A bootleg of this
show circulates among fans.
Both war-themed,
the songs are roughly the same tempo and their main riffs consist of two chords.
The main riff in “Battle Song” ascends from G to A, whereas the main riff in “This
Is War” descends from A to E. They each have different chord changes throughout.
“Battle Song” is fully instrumental unlike “This Is War.”
Despite all
these differences, the two songs are otherwise quite similar. “Battle Song”
feels like a more progressive version of “This Is War.” This may seem like a hard
sell, and it is certainly possible that these are two entirely unrelated songs,
but I at least theorize that they stem from a similar idea.
“This Is
War” was initially released in 2005 on the Bad News Bears soundtrack
before another version was released in 2006 on Ben Kweller. The tune was immortalized in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules soundtrack in 2011.
Listen to “This
Is War” here:
That concludes my findings. Listening to these songs together can be a fun experience, like a sister album of sorts to Sha Sha. If you have any further insight, please leave a comment!
For more on Ben Kweller's early work, check out my article on the scattered official releases of Radish's Discount Fireworks.
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