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Smith writes from a perspective that implies that he allows this because he understands that the individual is entwined to their addiction. In Alphabet Town – describing a place renowned for being inhabited by drug users – he writes of taking care of another as a lover would do, holding a partners arm as they wander through temptation. When he writes of his, or others’, drug addictions it is often from the perspective of a relationship.
Elliott smith either or reddit skin#
Thus while a depressive skin may surround many of his songs, this emotional fission can often be attributed to romantic issues.įollowing from this focus on romantic subjects, there is also Smith’s romanticising of topics that aren’t strictly of a romantic nature. Although it’s often easy to see references to more bleak topics, such as Smith’s depression and his drug addictions, most of the subjects and characters found in Smith’s writing are either lovers or those buried by the misery of being single. Smith writes about a number of romantic topics, taking the role of the wounded lover, the voyeur, the repentant, the depressive, the wistful, and the unexpectedly accepted, amongst others. There is also the fact that the central theme in many of his songs has a romantic element to it. This relationship between Smith and his fans is not the only facet of his lyrical romanticism. “Sometimes I feel like only a cold still life/that fell down here to lay beside you” Smith’s power over the listener comes from turning his inability to find love in his own life to the capacity to find love with millions of broken hearted souls across the world. With Smith the listener is drawn so intensely towards him that his lyrical romanticism leads them to become romantics themselves. For often when an artist reveals their innermost turmoil, the sense of power that they have over the listener comes from the awe inspired by their lyrics, the conviction of their work or conveying a message the listener can relate to. This is an interesting twist on the listener-writer dynamic. Smith’s words make the listener fall in love with him themselves. This creates an interesting setting as the listener is not just drawn in by the beauty of the lines. There is, of course, sadness, but it’s an almost happy sadness, that type that’s comforting. The beauty within his sweetest lines is akin to that which one experiences walking through a snow- drenched field, blanketed by an early morning sun.
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Smith’s penchant for romantic imagery takes the form of a frozen romanticism. Song titles such as ‘Miss Misery’ and ‘Ballad of Big Nothing’ do little to dispel this notion, but to pigeonhole him as such, is to miss the lyrical romantic beating in Smith’s broken heart. It is, however, a sad consequence of writing such sad songs that Elliott Smith has largely been looked upon as a lyricist of morbidity and despair.
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It should come as no surprise then that Elliott Smith would be similarly afflicted. From Leonard Cohen to Tim Buckley, its songwriting has left notepads and guitar strings sodden with the outpourings of fractured hearts. Olk music has long been the medium of choice for the broken hearted.
Elliott smith either or reddit series#
After all, it’s previously unheard Smith! But we’d still stress that you should first hunker down for some lonely nights with Smith’s official recordings, which, conveniently, are discounted through the label’s online store all this month.The first in an occasional series in which Songwriting ponders the unique talents of the finest lyricists in modern music The song’s strummy folk-pop arrangement remains intact, but a few lines here and there are different: “sleeping with a plastic doll” instead of “having had enough of it all,” “urban blight and personal decay” instead of “up all night and down every day,” and a couple of less immediately decipherable changes in the first verse.Īs with previous Either/Or outtakes Kill Rock Star has shared this month in honor of what would’ve been Smith’s 43rd birthday - “Alameda,” “Punch and Judy,” and “Angeles” - this slightly darker version of “Ballad of Big Nothing” is certainly welcome. An alternate take on his 1997 album Either/Or‘s gut-punching “Ballad of Big Nothing” shows how Smith’s much-loved lyrics were ever-changing rather than static. Elliott Smith’s former label home, Kill Rock Stars, has offered up another glimpse into the late singer and songwriter’s legacy.