The late, and very great, Elliott Smith committed suicide in 2003. He didn't jump of a bridge or overdose. He, almost unbelievably, stabbed himself through the heart. Can you imagine? I can only assume that the local bridges and pharmacies weren't all shut and this, I think, speaks volumes about the depths of despair that depression and addictions had reduced this tortured genius (yes, genius) to.
It's a little known fact that Elliott Smith wrote the most beautiful and uplifting pop song ever. It comes under the unlikely title of Waltz #2 (XO). Even the title of this song tells you something about how little Smith thought of himself. You can find it here.
I can't help thinking that if he'd listened to this song right before he stabbed himself through the heart he might have had a change of heart. Grabbed some breakfast, a latte, went for a walk in the park, got clean and not stabbed himself through the heart.
3 comments:
Fantastic song, but uplifting? Hmmm... depends how low down you bare to start with I guess.
Shamefully, I know little of the rest of his oeuvre, though I own that album. For whatever reason I've always assumed Waltz #2 was all the Elliott Smith you really needed and it was most unlikely anyway that anything else would match up. Prove me misguided - give me a mini-playlist that I should listen to...
In pasing, greatest pop song ever written is Todd's 'I Saw The Light'. Any fule kno this.
I find it uplifting virtually no matter what my start point is. Generally, I don't get that high anyway.
There's the line 'She appears composed, so she is, I suppose' and the brilliant hook that accompanies it. I love how that line is both unusually conversational and deeply profound.
You might check out Either/Or. The early albums are too lo-fi and sweary for an ageing_hipster such as your good slef.
Waltz #2 - defintely not the drummer choice - he always seems to be struggling with the non-4/4 timing.
Pretty Mark K (not the song on figure 8 but another with the same name name) prolly my fave Elliott Smith:
spotify:track:2bGVhXOOiUyxr9W85z7s9s
And Angeles of course
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