The 50 Best Elliott Smith Songs

posted by on September 6, 2012 in Features, Lists
Previous / NextShift + → 1 of 51

elliott smith lead1 The 50 Best Elliott Smith Songs

Putting together a list of the best Elliott Smith songs is difficult for a couple of reasons. First of all, Elliott is not the kind of artist with a few big hits and a bunch of throwaways and filler. Ask 50 Elliott Smith fans what their favorite Elliott song is and you won’t get much overlap in responses. The second reason this list was so hard to put together is that going through 50 Elliott Smith songs will leave even the most cheerful of people in a slump of depression.

It’s been almost nine years since Elliott committed suicide, and time has only proven what we already knew: Elliott Smith was a one-of-a-kind artist. From the lo-fi acoustic style of his early days to the lush arrangements of his later albums, his music was crafted with precision and an attention to melody that rivals (gasp) The Beatles. But there was a recklessness about Elliott that separates him from other singer/songwriters and bands with a knack for catchy tunes. Brutally honest lyrics about drug use, alcohol, and emotional issues bleed through Elliott’s work and even at his most gentle and poetic, there’s a punk rock ethos that adds a layer of complexity to his entire body of work.

Nobody has filled the void left by Elliott. Most likely, it will be avoid that exists forever when somebody entirely unique comes along and leaves. Luckily, he’s left us with plenty to remember him by. Here are The 50 Best Elliott Smith songs.

Hit “next” or click the pictures to read on…

RELATED ARTICLES

  • Sid

    Tip; for a list of 50 don’t make the user click through each individually.

  • billy

    The coroner and the police investigation said he did not commit suicide. there is still an open homicide case – please stop peddling this myth that he took his own life.

  • Joel

    I realize that this is all subjective, but this list was shit. How on Earth can Independence Day be all the way up at #46? I wouldn’t share this list with a beginner. I don’t think the person who wrote and compiled this list actually understands Elliott’s music.

  • NR

    Umm – Pictures of Me was release in 97 and his suicide was in 2003. What rumor? And, he said in an NPR interview that this song was about watching disturbing “pictures” of humanity on television.

  • Sam

    Either/Or at 17 is silly. that’s way way way too high… it wouldn’t make my top 50

  • Jamie

    Is number 32 meant to be Suicide Machine? Seeing as the description definitely isn’t for Pictures of Me.

  • http://www.junkieintheattic.wordpress.com Stu

    Ugh, you went to a great effort, but there were a few factual errors. No ‘Lost and Found’, really? It’s subjective and my top 50 would have been worlds different.

  • http://thebomberjacket.com TBJ

    This article is a bunch of throwaways and filler.

  • dara

    Any top 50 list is subjective and will have people disagree with it. Lets all just appreciated what an amazing artist he was

  • Taylor

    Although I disagree with some of the songs on the list I must say I give you major props for making this list! If I were to try to list my favourite Elliott Smith songs in order it would probably take me two weeks and I would probably forget some and totally muss it up. So good job and thanks for giving me a chance to appreciate some of his songs that I haven’t heard in a while!

  • Rob W

    True Dara, Lets kick back and listen to his amazing music and to the author speak for yourself when you say “going through 50 Elliott Smith songs will leave even the most cheerful of people in a slump of depression” it leaves me far from depression, it takes me from it.

  • kevin

    well…that was somewhere between average and below-average. i do realize it’s all subjective, but to not have the following on there is a shame: “i didn’t understand”, “stupidity tries”, “waltz #1″, “last hour”, “going nowhere”, “i better be quiet now”, “last call”, “roman candle”, “no name no.1″……ok.

  • Jake Turner

    Why is there not one song from Roman Candle?

  • Taisia

    My personal all-time favourite is “Dancing on the Highway”, but I wasn’t even expecting to find it here. I agree though that “I Better Be Quiet Now” and “I Didn’t Understand” should’ve made the list.

  • Yvette Speck

    ELLIOTT DID NOT COMMIT SUICIDE. Jennifer Chiba stabbed him. Anyway, even if you disagree, his official cause of death is “unknown”. Not suicide, not probable suicide or possible suicide, UNKNOWN.

  • Jimbruce

    Interesting list – some insights that got me thinking. Needless to say, some surprising ommissions – and having *nothing* from Roman Candle is simply bizarre. For me, Independence Day is Elliott’s most transcendent and enduring song.

  • Jimbruce

    I’ve made a Spotify playlist from this list – http://open.spotify.com/user/1237991804/playlist/10c1n6XJPo7xjkzVqvBM7G

    There are two omissions in what’s available to me here in Oztralia. the list doesn’t have Suicide Machine or Trouble, and substitutes the early version of Miss Misery for the GWH soundtrack version.

  • Antony

    This list should be re-titled:
    “The 50 most accessible Elliott Smith Songs”

  • Reginald VelJohnson

    Unlike most artists’ fans, Elliott Smith listeners have crazily diverse personal favorites. For some reason, mine is St. Ides Heaven. It didn’t even make the list. Oh well.

  • Shane

    Should have added ‘Mr. Goodmorning’ to the list. Another rare, fairly upbeat song.

  • Koleslaw

    No Stupidity Tries??

  • molly

    i love a lot of these and interesting anyalysis. very interesting to read and think about

  • Rob

    I like the fact that Elliott isn’t forgotten and there was a point in my life when I felt bad because I thought the rest of the world would never see his talent. He is one of my favoriate Artists of all time and even though this is a subjective list and I would of rated some songs higher on the list and wouldn’t have put othere songs on the list at all…I just want to tahnk you for writing and making more people aware of his awsome soul. Talent lost and missed…”I love this guy….”

  • Danielle

    2:45 AM at number one?! o…k… interesting choice. and no Condor ave? that was always one of my favorites. otherwise a pretty great list though, definitely made me want to go listen to a lot of these songs i haven’t heard in a couple years :)

  • Confusion

    “Condor Ave” is great. That almost made it. Could have easily made this a 100 list but I imagine people would be terribly angry at all the clicking. One day.

  • bryck

    50 Mountain Goats songs next?

  • raymond

    2.45 am no 1? no half right ,no pretty mary k figure 8 version,no st ives heaven,

  • raymond

    thats the trouble with elliott ..he was just too good a song writer ,the world is missing a true musical genius.

  • Viper_Lock

    Would have been better if fans could vote for the top 50. Maybe I should make this myself.

  • http://twitter.com/jusaire TheTruth

    If you’ve listened to every Elliott Smith album or even if you havent…go listen to Miss Misery. Now go through the top 20 of this list. That’s all you need to know about the quality of this list…and that’s before you factor in the impact the song had on his career.

  • Confusion

    A lot of it comes down to taste. “Miss Misery” is a great song but part of the reason that it’s one of his most popular is because it’s one of his mostly polished and accessible. I don’t think that’s what makes Elliott Smith great though, and for a lot of fans argue his more raw, less polished, less accessible stuff is more important and representative of him. But look, nobody’s ever going to agree on any Best Of list. Part of the fun is the discussion it starts.

  • LDCompressed

    like many people already said, this list has a number of flaws. but you can’t really call it flawed; a list of top songs is pretty subjective for any artist, especially elliott. major props to the author for creating this, but i think every single elliott smith fan would have a completely different list. there are just too many factors to weigh.

    someone mentioned having the fans choose the order of songs for a ‘top ___ songs’ list. that’s a sweet idea. we could get a collab doc going of every single song we’d want on the list, and choose the order, ourselves, of the songs. that would be interesting as hell.

  • GuiltyP

    Not hating on the list but no “condor ave” or anything off roman candle is a huge ugly glaring oversight

  • http://www.facebook.com/xshegoeshard Nicole Kratzer

    great list.. quite accurate (in my eyes).. although i was very sad to see “i better be quiet now” wasnt on the list.. being that its tied with about 3 others as my favorite of his.. and not to criticize too harshly.. but i feel you coulda squeezed “between the bars” into the top 10.. i feel it deserves it.. i feel its a bit of a snub to have it hanging on by a thread @ #11 haha. but all in all well done. now im off to get real sad and listen to some e.smith. =)

  • Nathan

    Great list, it’s nice to see someone (other than myself) who loves both Smith’s early and later work in equal measure.

  • James Murray

    waltz #2 should be at the top of the list. its one of the best songs ever

Advertise | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use