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Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith

The celebrated folk-punk singer/songwriter Elliott Smith rose from indie obscurity to mainstream success in 1997 on the strength of "Miss Misery," his Academy Award-nominated song from the film Good Will Hunting. A native of ... The celebrated folk-punk singer/songwriter Elliott Smith rose from indie obscurity to mainstream success in 1997 on the strength of "Miss Misery," his Academy Award-nominated song from the film Good Will Hunting. A native of Portland, OR, Smith began writing and recording his first songs at age 14, later becoming a fixture of the city's thriving music scene. As a member of the band Heatmiser, he debuted in 1993 with the LP Dead Air, issuing his first solo effort Roman Candle on the tiny Cavity Search label a year later. For his 1995 self-titled album, Smith signed with the noted Kill Rock Stars label. Either/Or followed in 1997, around the same time that filmmaker and longtime fan Gus Van Sant requested permission to use the singer's music in his upcoming Good Will Hunting.

Smith also composed a handful of new songs for the soundtrack, among them "Miss Misery," and when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its Oscar nominations the following February, the track was a surprise entry in the Best Original Song category. Although he did not win, Smith performed the song live at the televised Oscar broadcast, appearing on-stage alongside superstars Trisha Yearwood and Celine Dion in one of the most notably surreal musical moments in recent memory. Smith's DreamWorks label debut, XO, followed later in 1998. Two years later he delivered Figure 8, which delved further into lush arrangements and orchestrations. For the next two years, Smith labored over what was to be his next album, From a Basement on a Hill. He would not live to see the album's completion, however.

To the shock of friends and fans alike, Smith's body was found on October 21, 2003, with two stab wounds in his chest. To date, the coroner has been unable to determine the cause of death, and the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open. From a Basement on a Hill was released one year later, just two days shy of the first anniversary of his death, and received warm critical nods. In 2007, the Kill Rock Stars label issued a two-disc set of Smith's unreleased work, all of which had been recorded between 1994 and 1997. Entitled New Moon, the 24-track collection contained three songs that had been previously released on hard to find compilations or soundtracks, including an early version of "Miss Misery" and a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen."

Jason Ankeny
AllMusic.com
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songs
Song Name		Comments
2:45 AM		72
A Big Decision		10
A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free (A)		0
A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free (B)		42
A Fond Farewell		136
A Living Will		21
A Passing Feeling		31
A Question Mark		22
A Silver Chain		1
Abused		21
Alameda		70
All Cleaned Out		26
All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down (Hank Williams Jr. cover)		8
Almost Over		15
Alphabet Town		47
Amanda Cecilia		26
Amity		30
Angel in the Snow		55
Angeles		109
Antonio Carlos Jobim (Heatmiser cover)		5
Baby Britain		71
Ballad of a Thin Man (Bob Dylan cover)		0
Ballad of Big Nothing		47
Because (The Beatles cover)		21
Between the Bars		260
Blackbird (The Beatles cover)		4
Blackjack Davey (Bob Dylan cover)		0
Bled White		45
Bled White (Early version)		4
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain (Willie Nelson cover)		0
Blue Mood		8
Bottle Up and Explode		41
Bottle Up and Explode (Demo version)		1
Brand New Game		8
Bye		26
Can't Make a Sound		42
Care of Cell 44 (The Zombies cover)		5
Cecilia/Amanda		7
Chelsea Girls (Nico cover)		6
Christian Brothers		49
Clementine		35
Clouds (Quasi cover)		5
Coast to Coast		58
Color Bars		27
Come to Me		5
Coming Up Roses		49
Concrete Jungle (Bob Marley cover)		3
Condor Ave.		55
Confidence Artist		11
Confusion		6
Crazy Fucker		17
Cupid's Trick		52
Cupid's Trick (Either/Or demos)		0
Dancing on the Highway		14
Division Day		30
Don't Fear the Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult cover)		15
Don't Go Down		38
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (Bob Dylan cover)		0
Drive All Over Town		12
Easy Way Out		31
Easy Way Out (Early version)		1
Either/Or (No More)		18
Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands		43
Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands (Alternative demo)		3
Everything Means Nothing to Me		48
Everything Reminds Me of Her		57
Everything's Okay		15
Fake It Through the Day (Miss Misery, early version)		37
Fear City		8
Figure 8		25
First Timer		16
Flowers for Charlie		26
For No One (The Beatles cover)		1
Friends (Led Zeppelin cover)		1
From a Poison Well		7
Georgia, Georgia		26
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) (George Harrison cover)		3
Go By		5
Going Nowhere		20
Good Intentions (Yay!)		0
Good Morning		0
Good to Go		18
Grand Mal		10
Half Right		33
Hangin Out with Me		8
Happiness (Single version)		0
Happiness/The Gondola Man		65
Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)		2
Have You Seen Her?		4
High Times		38
Holiday		2
Hooray for Tuesday (The Minders cover)		0
How to Take a Fall		6
I Better Be Quiet Now		33
I Can't Answer You Anymore		11
I Didn't Understand		50
I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out		20
I Figured You Out		24
I Me Mine (The Beatles cover)		3
I'm Doing Okay, Pretty Good		1
I'm So Tired (The Beatles cover)		0
In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)		30
Independence Day		38
Instrumental		0
Isn't It a Pity (George Harrison cover)		2
Jealous Guy (John Lennon cover)		16
Junk Bond Trader		34
Junk Bond Trader (Early version)		4
King's Crossing		180
Kings Crossing (Alternative)		11
Kiwi Maddog 20/20		14
L.A.		20
Last Call		34
Let's Get Lost		44
Let's Turn the Record Over		14
Little One		33
Living in a Cage		2
Long, Long, Long (The Beatles cover)		1
Looking Over My Shoulder		29
Lost Highway (Hank Williams cover)		0
Memory Lane		23
Memory Lane (Early version)		1
Misery Let Me Down		2
Miss Misery		73
Mr. Goodmorning		4
My New Freedom		5
My Sweet Lord (George Harrison cover)		1
Needle in the Hay		236
New Disaster		27
New Monkey		34
Nightime (Big Star cover)		3
No Confidence Man		21
No Life		4
No More		7
No Name #1		34
No Name #2		21
No Name #3		26
No Name #4		17
No Name #5		30
No Name #6		10
Not Half Right (Heatmiser cover)		0
Now You Want to Show Me How		8
Oh Well, Okay		34
Ostriches and Chirping		13
Our Thing		4
Out on the Weekend (Neil Young cover)		0
Pictures of Me		24
Pictures of Me (Either/Or demos)		4
Pitseleh		97
Place Pigalle		11
Placeholder		18
Poem #1 (Point A)		6
Poem #2		1
Pretty (Ugly Before)		64
Pretty Mary K (Dead Imagination) (Either/Or demos)		23
Pretty Mary K (The Infirmary) (Figure 8 version)		24
Punch and Judy		25
Punch and Judy (Alternate version)		0
Punch and Judy (Either/Or demos)		0
Riot Coming		11
Roman Candle		43
Rose Parade		44
Satellite		15
Say Yes		132
See You in Heaven		18
See You Later		11
See You Later (Air Check Cassette Compilation version)		6
She Won't Ever Look at Me		0
Shiva Opens Her Arms		3
Shooting Star		39
Shooting Star (Early version)		3
Single File		33
Some Song (Help Me Kill My Time)		31
Somebody That I Used to Know		76
Son of Sam		60
Sons Into Daughters		15
Sorry, My Mistake		6
Southern Belle		26
Speed Trials		32
Speed Trials (Alternate version)		0
Splitsville		3
St. Ides Heaven		45
Stained Glass Eyes		11
Stickman		24
Stickman (Alternate)		1
Still Here		6
Struck Down Again		7
Strung Out Again		28
Stupidity Tries		20
Suicide Machine		10
Supersonic (Oasis cover)		0
Sweet Adeline		41
Taking a Fall		6
Talking to Mary		26
The Assassin (Kill-Fuck)		0
The Biggest Lie		66
The Enemy Is You		15
The Last Hour		25
The White Lady Loves You More		53
The Worst Part Is Almost Over		1
These Days (Nico cover)		8
They'll Never Take Her Love from Me (Hank Williams Jr. cover)		2
Things Are Hard (Seen How Things Are Hard)		9
Thirteen (Big Star cover)		37
Tiny Time Machine		7
Tomorrow Tomorrow		41
Trouble (Cat Stevens cover)		13
Trouble (Jon Brion cover)		1
True Love		54
True Love (Early version)		2
True Love Is a Rose		0
Twilight (Somebody's Baby)		141
Two Time		0
Unlucky Charm		11
Untitled (Sticks and Stones)		17
Walk Away Renee (The Left Banke cover)		0
Waltz #1		47
Waltz #1 (Demo)		1
Waltz #2		88
Watch the Worlds Collide (I Didn't Understand, early piano version)		8
Waterloo Sunset (The Kinks cover)		16
We're All Friends Now		2
Whatever (Folk Song in C)		34
When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bob Dylan cover)		8
Where I Get It From		1
Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?		23
Yer Blues (The Beatles cover)		0
You Make It Seem Like Nothing		7

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