"Blow Up the Pokies" is the second single by The Whitlams

The Whitlams

The discography of The Whitlams consists of six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and eighteen singles.-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Videos:-Music videos:-Awards:...

 from their album, Love This City

Love This City

Love This City is the fourth studio album by Australian band The Whitlams, released by Black Yak through Warner in 1999.-Track listing:#"Make The World Safe" – 3:43#"Thank You " – 3:59#"Chunky Chunky Air Guitar" – 3:04...

. It was released in 2000 and peaked at #21 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Song Meaning

The lyrics written by lead singer Tim Freedman

Tim Freedman

Timothy "Tim" James Freedman is the mainstay lead singer and keyboardist of the Australian band The Whitlams formed in 1993...

 were a statement on the destruction he saw in original Whitlams bassist Andy Lewis

Andy Lewis

Andy Lewis was the original bassist of Australian band The Whitlams. He left The Whitlams in the late 1995, and went to Melbourne, Australia to form another band, The Gadflys...

's life due to his gambling. The original music and some lyrics were written by Greta Gertler. The song was originally called 'Dwell', before being later adapted by Freedman.
During the band's Canadian tour in April 2000 supporting Blue Rodeo, the band received word Lewis had committed suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 back in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Tim soon after wrote "The Curse Stops Here", a heart-rending piece describing being the 'last one' from the original line-up of the band, and voicing his determination to survive. "The Curse Stops Here" was included as a B-side track on the "Blow Up the Pokies" single and also appeared on the album Little Cloud

Little Cloud

Little Cloud is the sixth studio album by Australian band The Whitlams, released by Black Yak through Warner in 2006. Little Cloud is a double album....

. The song was re-recorded for its single release, with new vocals and different instrumentation. This version appeared on their best-of compilation

Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You

-Chart positions and sales:Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Top 50 Album Chart-Bonus DVD:Includes videos from The Whitlams Years DVD and footage from the Whitlams & SSO concerts....

in 2008.

Music video

A music video was made for the song and it features all four members playing in an abandoned building.

Tracklisting

1. "Blow Up the Pokies" (Ocean Way Radio Mix) - 3:25
2. "Thank You (For Loving Me At My Worst) (Single Edit) - 3:52
3. "Bring Me Back" (Full Band Version) - 4:54
4. "Putting On a Show" - 2:01
5. "The Curse Stops Here" - 3:37