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In honor of today’s post on the Elliott Smith documentary Strange Parallel, here’s a collection of Elliot Smith playing some of his best songs. Smith died on October 21, 2003, at age 34. Read more about him at Wikipedia.
“Waltz #2 (XO)”
A beautiful performance of one of my favorite songs.
“I’m so glad that my memory’s remote
’cause I’m doing just fine hour to hour, note to note
here it is, the revenge to the tune
you’re no good
you’re no good, you’re no good, you’re no good
can’t you tell that it’s well understood?”
“Needle in the Hay”
A rare electric-guitar version of the song from 2000. Most of us know this tune from The Royal Tenenbaums.
“Bled White”
From the same concert as “Needle in the Hay,” this is just a straight-up rocker.
“Ballad of Big Nothing”
Wait through the shot of an empty chair for a killer encore. “You want to hear old songs or new songs?” I guess “old songs” won out.
Here’s a very different version from the Reading Festival in 1998.
“Say Yes”
Apparently recorded on September 19, 2003 — just a month before his death, and his last show.
“Rose Parade”
Recorded in 1999. The Rose Parade is an event held annually in Portland, Oregon (aka the “Rose City”).
“Alphabet Town”
A strange mixture of Sesame Street animation and shots of letters around town.
“Between the Bars”
From the short film Lucky Three.
“The Biggest Lie”
Video from the memorial to Smith erected in Los Angeles the day after his death.
Comments (9)
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Thanks for posting these. Man, we’ve all heard this story for a million times : “Elliott’s music got me through some hard times” or something similar. Thing is, it speaks volumes about E.S.’s music and the enormous impact he’s had on all of us. He’s truly one of the biggest talents, and humblest personalities, we’ve ever had. R.I.P.
posted by ezanee on 11-5-2009 at 1:53 am
its so strange thinking he’s been gone for 6 years. i remember exactly where i was when i found out he died.
i don’t know if i’ll ever love anyone as much as i love him.
posted by catherine on 11-5-2009 at 1:59 am
Ezanee, your post made me think of the Ben Folds tribute. “The songs you wrote / got me through a lot / just want to tell you that.”
A beautiful post indeed.
posted by Nora on 11-5-2009 at 9:19 am
yeah, I agree with catherine, I remember exactly where I was when I heard the awful news.
If anyone hasn’t heard ‘True Love,’ it’s a beautiful (but rare) Elliott song that’s worth hearing.
posted by Jim F. on 11-5-2009 at 9:50 am
I received XO as a birthday present from a dear friend (an unrequited love), two years later I remember speaking to this same friend on the phone and hearing over the radio simultaneously that Smith had died. Such a sad day.
posted by roxycape on 11-5-2009 at 11:13 am
My personal favorite is his cover of the Beatles tune “Because” which can be heard at the end of American Beauty.
posted by Ian from Baltimore on 11-5-2009 at 11:18 am
I really love \Angel in the Snow.\ I heard it at the beginning of an Ugly Betty episode (odd choice for that program) and immediately fell for it.
posted by Dominique on 11-5-2009 at 12:46 pm
No Oscars performance?
posted by Jon on 11-5-2009 at 4:03 pm
I was actually in denial when I first heard the news. My girlfriend read it online and I was sure it was some hoax or that he would still pull through. I had interned at his record label, DreamWorks, the summer before so I called my old boss to confirm. I was surprised it affected me so much.
posted by Chandler on 11-5-2009 at 7:42 pm