Indoor Fireworks

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We play these parlour games
We play at make believe
When we get to the part where I say that I'm going to leave
Everybody loves a happy ending but we don't even try
We go straight past pretending
To the part where everybody loves to cry

Chorus:
Indoor fireworks
Can still burn your fingers
Indoor fireworks
We swore we were safe as houses
They're not so spectacular
They don't burn up in the sky
But they can dazzle or delight
Or bring a tear
When the smoke gets in your eyes

You were the spice of life
The gin in my vermouth
And though the sparks would fly
I thought our love was fireproof
Sometimes we'd fight in public darling
With very little cause
But different kinds of sparks would fly
When we got on our own behind closed doors

(Chorus)

It's time to tell the truth
These things have to be faced
My fuse is burning out
And all that powder's gone to waste
Don't think for a moment dear that we'll ever be through
I'll build a bonfire of my dreams
And burn a broken effigy of me and you

(Chorus)

Indoor Fireworks
Written byDeclan MacManus
Performed byThe Costello Show
Produced byJ. Henry (T-Bone) Burnett & Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus with Larry Kalman Hirsch
MusiciansThe Little Hands Of Concrete - vocals, acoustic guitar
James Burton - acoustic guitar
Jerry Scheff - string bass
Mitchell Froom - Hammond organ
RecordedJuly-August 1985, Ocean Way and/or Sunset Sound and/or Sound Factory, Los Angeles
ReleasedFebruary 21, 1986
AlbumsKing Of America, 1986
CollectionsGirls Girls Girls, 1989 (CD/vinyl)
The Very Best Of Elvis Costello & The Attractions, 1994
The Very Best Of Elvis Costello, 1999
The Best Of Elvis Costello The First 10 Years, 2007
Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album, 2015
PromosSelections From King Of America, 1995
Length4:06

First known performance:
April 25, 1985, London, England
Last known performance:
September 15, 2023, Randers, Denmark
     (310 known performances)


Alternate versions

Indoor Fireworks (Solo Demo)
Performed byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal, guitar
RecordedFebruary 14, 1985, Sunset Sound, Los Angeles
ReleasedApril 25, 2005
AlbumsKing Of America (Rhino/Edsel reissue), 2005
Length3:46

King Of America1986 King Of America Album.jpg

Girls Girls GirlsGGG album cover 300.jpg

The Very Best Of Elvis Costello & The Attractions, 1994The Very Best Of Elvis Costello And The Attractions album cover.jpg

The Very Best Of Elvis Costello, 1999The Very Best Of Elvis Costello (2CD) album cover.jpg

The Best Of Elvis Costello The First 10 YearsThe Best Of Elvis Costello The First 10 Years album cover.jpg

Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack AlbumUnfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album album cover.jpg

Covers

The Big Delicious performed live, 2003 2003 info needed
Dan Bourdeaux performed live, 2016-09-29, Music Cafe, Damascus, Maryland 2016 YouTube
Borderline Angelic For The Folks Back Home 2005 info
Laura Cantrell performed live, 2003, World Café, Sirius Studios, New York. 2003 websitedownload
Laura Cantrell performed live, 2003-05-08, John Peel radio program, BBC 2003 BBC
Laura Cantrell Live At Schubas 2004 AllMusicAmazonYouTube
Cold War Kids Benefit At The District   [EP] 2007 link
Lou Dalgleish Calmer 1999 AllMusicAmazon
Mitch Elrod performed live, 2002-08-10, Brilliant Mistakes tribute, Albany, NY 2002 review
Everything But The Girl performed live info needed
Murray Foster (Moxy Früvous) performed live 1998 info
J Goodin Live Eleven Five 2008 websitecdbaby
Grand Archives performed live, 2009, Stockholm and Seattle 2009 infoYouTube
Jørn Hoel Pictures In A Locket 1994 website
Nick Lowe The Rose Of England 1985 AllMusicAmazon
Nick Lowe Bespoke Songs, Lost Dogs, Detours & RendezvousVarious artists 1998 AllmusicAmazonAmazon.uk
Misen Walk Up Wind 1999 AllMusicemusic
Katy Moffatt Indoor Fireworks 1992 AllMusicwebsite
My Darling Clementine performed live, 2020-03-06, Acapela Studios, Cardiff, Wales 2020 YouTubeAllMusic
My Darling Clementine & Steve Nieve My Darling Clementine: Country Darkness Vol. 3 2020 Website
Steve Nieve performed live, 2020-03-19, The Daily Improvisation, France 2020 FaceBook 12:15
Kev Russell's Junker Almost You: The Songs Of Elvis CostelloVarious artists 2003 AllmusicAmazonAmazon.uk
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2019 YouTube
Shinyribs  (Kev Russell) performed live, 2008-02-16, Eugene, OR 2003 archive.org
Syd Straw performed live info needed
Kelly Willis performed live, 1997-06-10 1997 info needed

Chords

Chords:

       E A D G B e

E7:    0 2 0 1 3 0

Esus:  0 2 2 2 0 0

B7:    0 2 1 2 0 2

C#m:   4 4 6 6 5 4

F#m:   2 4 4 2 2 2



             E
We play these parlour games

We play at make believe
            E7                A
When we get to the part where I say that I'm going to leave
          A/G#    A/F#  A/E        B7            E
Everybody loves a happy ending but we don't even try
A     A/G#     A/F#    A/E
We go straight past pretending
B7                          C#m
To the part where everybody loves to cry

C#m // B7

Chorus
E                   Esus E
Indoor fireworks

Can still burn your fingers
B7
Indoor fireworks
E
We swore we were safe as houses

They're not so spectacular
          E7              A
They don't burn up in the sky
    A    A/G# A/F#  A/E B7
But they can  daz - zle or delight
F#m           B7
   Or bring a tear
                           E
When the smoke gets in your eyes

You were the spice of life
The gin in my vermouth
And though the sparks would fly
I thought our love was fireproof
Sometimes we'd fight in public darling
With very little cause
But different kinds of sparks would fly
When we got on our own behind closed doors

Chorus

It's time to tell the truth
These things have to be faced
My fuse is burning out
And all that powder's gone to waste
Don't think for a moment dear that we'll ever be through
I'll build a bonfire of my dreams
And burn a broken effigy of me and you

Chorus

Internal links

External links