Elliott Smith’s anniversary of his death comes around, and with a new release on the way, things are looking hopeful.
Artwork by Mia Nogueira
Seven years ago October 21st marks the day the late great Elliott Smith was proclaimed to be in a better place.
Smith was a singer/songwriter with much more fame about to come his way, as he was going to release his sixth full-length studio album by early 2004. He gained his fame originally from his song Miss Misery which was featured in the movie Good Will Hunting in 1998. His song was nominated for an Academy Award in 1998, where he played a condensed version of the song live, and was runner up to Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On from Titanic.
But enough about the Oscars and his fame, let us look at his story, his life, his beautiful yet tragic life. Elliott Smith was known for his harmonious chord progressions and mix of perfectly pitched vocals.
Looking back at the day when I heard his song originally from Good Will Hunting, I never really knew anything else about him. A good friend of mine, Robert McMacken, bought his song Say Yes on my iTunes account, and I immediately fell in love with his music. So in love, I showed Smith to my dad, and as the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, he liked it just as much as I did. My dad and I would sit down and talk about Elliott’s life together, and it is quite a story.
Steven Paul Smith was his original name, and he was born in Nebraska. Son of an abusive step-dad, he eventually found himself in Texas. Not enjoying Texas, he moved to Portland, where his home would be for much of his life. He changed his name to Elliott because he thought Steve was too jock-like, as well as sounding too book smart.
His music life started young, but his first solo album was produced in 1994. He recorded all his songs into a four-track system with a borrowed acoustic guitar; the album was Roman Candle. Still healthy, he created a self-titled album, which was known for its depressing lyrics and dark sound. He came out with Either/Or in 1997, which was a great success, producing his most well known song, Say Yes.
Yes, it is the first song I ever really fell in love with.
Roman Candle, Elliott Smith, and Either/Or all featured Elliott’s beautiful voice with harmonious acoustic guitars and, in some songs, a full band. These three albums all had songs dealing with depression, anxiety, the things that would come to haunt Smith for the rest of his life. The next album coming was XO, released in 1999, which featured more poppy songs, and by far the best vocal performance I have ever heard, on I Didn’t Understand. Figure 8 was released a year later in 2000, taking the genre of pop further, and adding a good deal of Beatles influence to the songs. These two albums were marked as more upbeat than the previous three.
Near the end of Elliott’s Figure 8 tour, his drug habits skyrocketed. He took years off of music, and fell into a bad cycle that started the downward spiral of his life. Reading a biography about this moment in his life is depressingly melancholy, bringing about tears because his music was beautiful and meaningful to so many people. It is hard for me to think of this man in so much pain, misery, and anguish without shedding a tear or two. He developed deep psychological problems in paranoia, always thinking someone was following him. He thought his own record label, Dreamworks, was after him to steal his songs and steal his soul, making him just a music creator, not having anything else to dream for. Funny thing was, his songs were stolen.
He began trying to come back into the music scene, promoting a healthy man who can still produce and sing songs. His performances were beginning to grow boring and hard to watch. When I watch a live performance from Elliott Smith from 2002-2003, he is seen constantly angered by his forgetfulness. He forgets lyrics to songs, and forgets chords progressions, often having the crowd shout out the next chord or lyrical line to him while he is playing. You can see his frustration on his face. At a Flaming Lips concert in 2002, a friend of his said he looked unhealthy, and would not be surprised if he died in a year. The sad thing was, he was dead within the next year.
Elliott Smith, you are missed deeply.
After his death, a fan memory wall was created in L.A. to remember him forever. I personally want to visit this wall, and if I could meet someone who is deceased, it would be Elliott. Although he lived a depressing life, his philosophies in life help me everyday. My senior quote is something that he said: “There’s always that argument to make~ that you’re in better company historically if people don’t understand what you’re doing.”
I’m positive many other fans will be mourning the death of a loved soul, who created such beautiful music. Take this day to remember a tragedy-filled man, one who should be in the place of everyone’s hearts. On November 2nd, 2010 a third posthumous album will be released. This will be entitled, An Introduction to… Elliott Smith. This album will feature his greatest songs ever recorded, and boy I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I can already tell it will be a highly loved album, and an album that will show the true beauty that is Elliott Smith. This article will hopefully get out enough to show the great Elliott Smith to a new generation – the generation of TJ – just like the record label intends. The press release for the album is as follows: “An Introduction to… is, as the title suggests, intended as an introduction to one of the greatest songwriters of our era. We hope this will enable new generations to learn about Elliott’s music by providing a pathway for people to delve more deeply into his immensely satisfying catalog.”
