This song floors me each time I hear it.  Thank you, Elliott.

This song floors me each time I hear it.  Thank you, Elliott.

Brillian commentary. Thanks 

After a quick glance at the more recent comments, I wonder if people are more into Elliott Smith as a tragic figure than an artist.  I know I used to be when I first started listening to him, but I feel confident in saying that he was extraordinarily expressive for a pop musician.  His life difficulties no doubt informed his expression enormously, but his ability to bring out human emotion in music was unique.  From what I understand, he worked very hard at what he did.  He wrote his accompaniment first, and then, from those chord progressions, chiseled his melodies free as if from stone, creating songs that organically emerged from his harmonies.  He also played with our ears, able to make a song written in a major key sound like it was written in minor.  Talk about expressive.  He was able to take a sound that is strongly associated with happiness, joy, and triumph in our culture, and then turn it into something that sounded sad, anxious, and dark, as though it were in a minor key.  No small feat.  He then added lyrics that aptly complimented the emotions already presented perfectly in his music.  He deeply thought about what he was doing and, it seems, went at it with a strong eye for purpose and deliberation.  The man was a true artist, working in a medium he loved.  Despite his many sad songs, I often experience joy when listening to him because I find his work so beautiful.  Just wonderful stuff, in my thinking anyway.       

Pity about the production quality. 

played much too often ...

After a quick glance at the more recent comments, I wonder if people are more into Elliott Smith as a tragic figure than an artist.  I know I used to be when I first started listening to him, but I feel confident in saying that he was extraordinarily expressive for a pop musician.  His life difficulties no doubt informed his expression enormously, but his ability to bring out human emotion in music was unique.  From what I understand, he worked very hard at what he did.  He wrote his accompaniment first, and then, from those chord progressions, chiseled his melodies free as if from stone, creating songs that organically emerged from his harmonies.  He also played with our ears, able to make a song written in a major key sound like it was written in minor.  Talk about expressive.  He was able to take a sound that is strongly associated with happiness, joy, and triumph in our culture, and then turn it into something that sounded sad, anxious, and dark, as though it were in a minor key.  No small feat.  He then added lyrics that aptly complimented the emotions already presented perfectly in his music.  He deeply thought about what he was doing and, it seems, went at it with a strong eye for purpose and deliberation.  The man was a true artist, working in a medium he loved.  Despite his many sad songs, I often experience joy when listening to him because I find his work so beautiful.  Just wonderful stuff, in my thinking anyway.      

One of the best song comments I have read.  Thanks.

Pity about the production quality. 

More Elliott Smith, please.

One of the best song comments I have read.  Thanks.

One of the best song comments I have read.  Thanks.

After a quick glance at the more recent comments, I wonder if people are more into Elliott Smith as a tragic figure than an artist.  I know I used to be when I first started listening to him, but I feel confident in saying that he was extraordinarily expressive for a pop musician.  His life difficulties no doubt informed his expression enormously, but his ability to bring out human emotion in music was unique.  From what I understand, he worked very hard at what he did.  He wrote his accompaniment first, and then, from those chord progressions, chiseled his melodies free as if from stone, creating songs that organically emerged from his harmonies.  He also played with our ears, able to make a song written in a major key sound like it was written in minor.  Talk about expressive.  He was able to take a sound that is strongly associated with happiness, joy, and triumph in our culture, and then turn it into something that sounded sad, anxious, and dark, as though it were in a minor key.  No small feat.  He then added lyrics that aptly complimented the emotions already presented perfectly in his music.  He deeply thought about what he was doing and, it seems, went at it with a strong eye for purpose and deliberation.  The man was a true artist, working in a medium he loved.  Despite his many sad songs, I often experience joy when listening to him because I find his work so beautiful.  Just wonderful stuff, in my thinking anyway.       

To me, voice and style is very close to Badly Drawn Boy.

After a quick glance at the more recent comments, I wonder if people are more into Elliott Smith as a tragic figure than an artist.  I know I used to be when I first started listening to him, but I feel confident in saying that he was extraordinarily expressive for a pop musician.  His life difficulties no doubt informed his expression enormously, but his ability to bring out human emotion in music was unique.  From what I understand, he worked very hard at what he did.  He wrote his accompaniment first, and then, from those chord progressions, chiseled his melodies free as if from stone, creating songs that organically emerged from his harmonies.  He also played with our ears, able to make a song written in a major key sound like it was written in minor.  Talk about expressive.  He was able to take a sound that is strongly associated with happiness, joy, and triumph in our culture, and then turn it into something that sounded sad, anxious, and dark, as though it were in a minor key.  No small feat.  He then added lyrics that aptly complimented the emotions already presented perfectly in his music.  He deeply thought about what he was doing and, it seems, went at it with a strong eye for purpose and deliberation.  The man was a true artist, working in a medium he loved.  Despite his many sad songs, I often experience joy when listening to him because I find his work so beautiful.  Just wonderful stuff, in my thinking anyway.       

This song makes me think he must have felt so alone and without any self esteem. RIP Elliot 

Can't get into this guy's music at all.   A 3 at best

Great, great song.  What a loss.

Elliot Smith was a musical god, if troubled, and so it was. Sad that he is gone, still his music lives on and perhaps so, we are blessed to have known his essence at all.

..... VERY good stuff

Good stuff.  

This was fine the first 50 times, but now not so much.

Agree completely.  I haven't heard anything else by him that reaches this peak, but I'm still hoping that it happens.  

Elliot Smith was a musical god, if troubled, and so it was. Sad that he is gone, still his music lives on and perhaps so, we are blessed to have known his essence at all.

Normally would not post a negative comment.  But it's not about the quality but rather the quantity. 
Let's lessen the rotation please

overplayed

This song really grabs me - it's one of those magical songs where it ALL just comes together - the voice, music, words...powerful!

Such a beautiful song. I'm sad beyond words that I never really heard him until after he was already dead.

I feel like I hear this song every time I turn on RP

I feel like I hear this song every time I turn on RP

I feel like I hear this song every time I turn on RP

One of America's great national treasures, Jacques Barzun, passed away last week.   Barzun was America's greatest commentator on culture and a fierce critic.  In the 1950s he was on the cover of Time for this reason (those were the days).  He theorized on music among many other things.

In his magnum opus From Dawn to Decadence, I learned from Barzun that theory always comes after the creation of great art. 

In other words, and here is my own personal take on this, a great musician does not learn a music theory and then go out and create based on what they have learned from other musicians.  That kind of thing is for second-rate talents.  The great ones change the rules of the game entirely and do what has never been done before, then the new theories will follow after.

post grunge 90's version of an American Morrissey.  "and though he keeps his eye fixed upon Noah's great rainbow, he spends his time peeking into Desolation Row"...

Great singer-songwriter. Too bad we won't be hearing anything more of him..
(8/10)

He is missed by me.

From Wiki: "Smith suffered from depression, alcoholism, and drug addiction, and these topics often appear in his lyrics. At age 34, he died in Los Angeles, California from two stab wounds to the chest.^<2> The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted.^<3> At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was posthumously released." 

He sounds very Shins-like at times. Very nice sound. 

This is the song that first turned me onto ES. Heard it on the local college radio station and bought the album the same day. Loved it so much that I bought the rest of his albums as well.

This is one of the few songs that make me happy and sad at the same time. Thank you RP for playing it. 

Good lord, I don't think that is normal for any suicide!

Good lord, I don't think that is normal for any suicide!

Oh, didn't you see the reports?  He was a drugie and killed himself by stabbing himself twice in the chest.  That's normal for a druggie suicide... 

I love this song.  Too bad he was stabbed to death.

My roommate in college turned me on to Elliot Smith... I believe it was this song he played for me the 1st time.  Been hooked ever since.

I always get happy when I hear this song start up. 7 -> 8.

Reminds me of bit of Badly Drawn Boy who I also rate highly