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Elliott Smith
646,835 listeners (36,489,961 plays)
Listening now: stoffe_o, spark_, tvftt
indie, singer-songwriter, folk, acoustic, indie rock… see all
(1994 – 2003)
Steven Paul “Elliott” Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. His primary instrument was the guitar, but he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, bass, drums and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style characterized by his “whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery” and use of multi-tracking to create vocal harmonies.
After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994 with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars. In 1997 he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song “
Miss Misery”, included in the soundtrack for the film Good Will Hunting, was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category in 1997.
Smith battled with depression, alcoholism and drug addiction for years, and these topics often appeared in his lyrics. At age 34, he died in Los Angeles, California from two stab wounds to the chest. The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was released posthumously on October 19, 2004.
Early life
After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994 with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars. In 1997 he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song “
Miss Misery”, included in the soundtrack for the film Good Will Hunting, was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category in 1997.Smith battled with depression, alcoholism and drug addiction for years, and these topics often appeared in his lyrics. At age 34, he died in Los Angeles, California from two stab wounds to the chest. The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was released posthumously on October 19, 2004.
Early life
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Top Tracks
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Somebody that I Used to Know
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Pictures of Me
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Son of Sam
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Baby Britain
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Sweet Adeline
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Everything Reminds Me of Her
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Pitseleh
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Top Albums
Shoutbox
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tomkash wrote:
also whats with Twlight/Twilight? Which is the correct tag :( I ripped it from the actual cd and it was spelt wrong so have people just corrected it or what? Small annoyance!
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tomkash wrote:
from a basement on the hill is his best album IMO :)
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CowyChan wrote:
Figure 8 is a kick ass record. Enough said.
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jloisaho wrote:
honestly, who cares about the production. the songs are the gems, in whatever version they're listened to.
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Jenilia wrote:
<3
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palanwen wrote:
i've got a strange question, sorry. does anyone know if Elliott ever got the opportunity to meet Paul McCartney or Ringo? not sure if anyone would know that but i'm curious about it. also, don't read into too much about why i'm asking.. i could see some people being overly defensive for stupid reasons.
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Cheesyp00f wrote:
figure 8 has lame production, you are better off getting bootleg acoustic versions of every song from that album, they are much better
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jloisaho wrote:
figure 8 is one of my faves. calling it not as good as the others, now that is ridiculous
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CowyChan wrote:
PS: I LOVE YOU, ELLIOTT! ;o;
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CowyChan wrote:
I hate Elliott Smith being dead :(
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irishtim wrote:
Either/Or is definitely where to start followed by XO, But I disagree with Cheesyp00f though, Figure 8 is awesome. With songs like Son of Sam, Junk Bond Trader, L.A., Wouldn't Mama Be Proud, how can you not just love it?
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chloe_tee wrote:
thanks for the advice and i'm very sorry cheesyp00f, won't happen again i assure you
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morthvargr wrote:
I agree! Either/Or is his best and one of my favourite albums of all time.
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Cheesyp00f wrote:
well I will help you even though you misspelled his name which is a serious crime in this shoutbox. first listen to either/or or self-titled if you want more lo-fi or listen to XO if you want more polished production, but the lo-fi stuff is his best, and also avoid figure 8 cos it's just good but not as amazing as all the other albums
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chloe_tee wrote:
hey i'm a new listener to Elliot's music and i was wondering if anyone could recommend which album i should listen to first? have loved what i have heard already, thanks
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thatsneakyfox wrote:
I love that he plays so many instruments oh so well. <3
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asdf481 wrote:
nice smile
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Lord-Buckley wrote:
The best!!!
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sallyfgt wrote:
i love elliott smith, so much.
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Vikki-182 wrote:
Amazing voice.
Listeners
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stoffe_o
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tvftt
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to Baby Britain… -
swhitey
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rolyatleoj
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