Dirty Little Secret

Album

Move Along

Label

Interscope Records

Genre

Emo

Composer(s)

Nick WheelerTyson Ritter

Entered Chart

Aug 6, 2005

Peak Date

Jan 21, 2006

Released

Unknown

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

Doghouse Digital

B-Side

"Bite Back"

This song is about all those little secrets you keep inside. The dirty little secret for The All-American Rejects songwriters Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler at this time was that they were both in happy, long-term relationships with their girlfriends. This meant that Ritter (the lyricist), had to concoct some histrionics. In a 2012 Songfacts interview with Nick Wheeler, he said, "We come from a small town, and until now we've both had steady relationships. So, you know, sometimes there's not enough drama or turmoil to write about, so he simply writes stories. And that's where the lyrics come from." The video shows postcards sent to the website Postsecret.com. The site encourages people to mail in clever, anonymous postcards containing a secret. The best of the bunch are posted on the site, with some captivating results. The All-American Rejects made a charitable donation in exchange for use of the postcards. Nick Wheeler told Songfacts that some of The All-American Rejects' hits are songs they have been "scared of" during the writing process, since the tracks sound like they could be disastrous. The band is big on experimentation, and when they come across a sound that is not typical, they're not always sure if it's a terrible idea or a huge hit. Said Wheeler: "'Dirty Little Secret' was just an acoustic guitar and a vocal, that's all it was. We put off getting the full band in and coming up with the arrangement until the very last second. We were literally less than a week away from going into the studio, and we all four started jamming and tossing out ideas. We had the arrangement down within an hour and that was that. We ended up recording it and couldn't get the motherf--king thing out of our heads. So it turned out to be a good thing." This song was featured in a the movies John Tucker Must Die, She's The Man and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. The plot lines of all these movies revolve around a secret of some kind. >> In 2010, a Baptist minister in Waco, Texas named Matt Baker was convicted of murdering his wife in 2006. At the trial, his former mistress, Vanessa Bulls, testified against him, saying he sent her an email with some lyrics from this song: I'll keep you my dirty little secret Don't tell anyone or you'll be just a little regret According to Bulls, Baker told her of his plans to kill his wife.

Let me know that I've done wrong
When I've known this all along
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret (dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret (just another regret)
(Hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret
Who has to know?

When we live such fragile lives
It's the best way we survive
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret (dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret (just another regret)
(Hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret
Who has to know?

The way she feels inside (inside)
Those thoughts I can't deny (deny)
These sleeping dogs won't lie (won't lie)
And all I've tried to hide
It's eating me apart
Trace this line back

I'll keep you my dirty little secret (dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret (just another regret)

I'll keep you my dirty little secret (dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret (Just another regret)
(Hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret, dirty little secret
Dirty little secret
Who has to know?
Who has to know?