Warning: This article contains a discussion of topics related to abuse, drugs, alcohol, suicide, and murder.
From Phoebe Bridgers’ hauntingly soothing melodies to Taylor Swift’s newfound folk sound, backed by layers of moody acoustic guitar and swelling orchestrations, Elliott Smith’s legacy can be heard from some of the biggest names in music today. Although his name may be unknown to most, his influence has proved to be everlasting, even 19 years after his untimely death.
Life
Elliott Smith, born Steven Paul Smith, was a Portland-based indie-alternative musician with a troubling life, questionable death, and an undeniable legacy and impact on the music industry. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, and primarily raised in Texas, Smith moved to Portland at age 14, escaping his abusive stepfather to move in with his father. Smith’s drug and alcohol use started following his move to Portland, but this move also sparked his beginnings in recording music. Self-taught on guitar and piano, Smith began recording music with a borrowed four-track recorder in high school.
Smith attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where his recorded discography began with his melancholic rock band, Heatmiser. Heatmiser went on to release three studio albums and an EP. Prior to the release of their final and most culturally prominent album, Mic City Sons, Smith began recording and releasing solo music. Due to the success of his solo work and his dissatisfaction with making rock music, he detached himself from the band.
In the early 1990s, Smith’s girlfriend at the time convinced him to send a tape of his recently recorded songs to Cavity Search Records, where he believed the most he would get was an offer for a seven-inch record. To Smith’s surprise, Cavity Search Records owner Christopher Cooper asked to release an entire album of his music. Roman Candle, Smith’s 1994 debut album, was a huge risk following the success of the heavy rock sound of Heatmiser, with Smith believing that “…going out to play an acoustic show was like crawling out on a limb and begging for it to be sawed off.” Despite his fears, Smith’s stray away from the grunge sound that dominated the mainstream turned out to be successful. He released his self-titled album a year later, following a similar feel to Roman Candle; an acoustic sound led primarily by melodious fingerpicking guitar parts behind soft and sometimes gritty vocals and increasingly darker, more intimate lyrics.
1997 marked the release of Smith’s most critically acclaimed (and perhaps his most well-known) album, Either/Or, titled after the existentialist philosophy book by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Smith’s signature inimitable fingerpicking on acoustic guitar is a highlight of his third album, filled with heart-wrenching lyrics, hushed, double-tracked vocals, and yet another display of his refusal to conform to the grungy mainstream of the late 90s. Despite the similarities between Either/Or and its predecessors, Smith triumphs in showing that his classic acoustic approach is not a default, but a crafted choice within the album. “Big Ballad of Nothing,” the third track on the album, showcases Smith’s songwriting skills in terms of arrangements, with a punchy bassline and harmonic backing vocals that almost sound like a symphony of string arrangements. Subsequent to the release of this album, Smith was asked by film director Gus Van Sant to be a part of the soundtrack for his upcoming film, Good Will Hunting. His participation in the soundtrack scored him his two most popular songs, “Between the Bars,” the fourth track of Either/Or, and “Miss Misery,” an original song he wrote for the film, which earned him an Oscar nomination and an invitation to perform the song at the 1998 Oscars Ceremony.
At this point in his career, Smith was riddled with alcoholism paired with the use of antidepressants. His close friends staged an intervention, but to no avail, causing Smith to distance himself and relocate from Portland to Brooklyn, New York. Either/Or was the last independent record Smith released before signing to a major record label, DreamWorks Records. His spiral into addiction led to a deep state of depression following his signing on to DreamWorks, to which he spoke many times about contemplating suicide, and once attempting it. Smith’s fourth record and first majorly promoted release, titled XO, stood as a testament to his farewell from his indie-folk acoustic act and a welcoming to a fuller one-man-band sound. Much more polished than his previous works and more heavily produced, XO held onto Smith’s brilliantly melancholic lyricism but added a baroque-pop feel, featuring drum loops, horn sections, string arrangements, and Chamberlins. XO was Smith’s most commercially successful album, making the Billboard 200 charts and selling 400,000 units.
Smith would only complete one more album before his death. After relocating to Los Angeles, California, Figure 8, Smith’s fifth and final studio album, was released in 2000. Figure 8, which was partially recorded at the infamous Abbey Road Studios in England, features lush instrumentals and a more sonically detailed sound, pulling musical inspiration from The Beatles. However, Smith’s lyricism, as some critics saw it, crossed the line from subtle intimacy and symbolism to explicitly dark, self-pitying venting.
During the recording of Figure 8, Smith began to show signs of paranoia, from believing he was being followed by a white van to openly telling his friends that his record label was out to get him. Although he appeared to clean up throughout the record’s promotional tour, his appearance quickly deteriorated once the tour ended. Smith spiraled into an exceedingly concerning heroin addiction in a period of lost friendships, broken promises, and scrapped music. His addiction caused multiple projects to fall through, and although he continued playing shows, he reportedly would forget lyrics and could barely get through half of the songs on his setlist. Disagreements with his record label ended in Smith swearing to executives that if they did not break his contract with them, he would take his own life. In 2002, Smith successfully got clean from hard drugs, and on his 34th birthday on Aug. 6, 2003, he gave up alcohol. He continued to write and record music during this period of sobriety and up until his death.
Death
On Oct. 21, 2003, Elliott Smith, aged 34, died of two stab wounds to the chest. At the time of his death, Smith was living with his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, in Echo Park, California. According to Chiba’s report, she and Smith were arguing, and she locked herself in the bathroom of their home when she heard Smith scream. She ran out of the bathroom and saw Smith standing with a knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out of his chest, causing him to collapse, and she then called 911. Smith died in the hospital an hour later. A supposed suicide note written on a sticky note found at the scene read, “I’m so sorry–love, Elliot. God forgive me.”
Speculations about Smith’s death arose surrounding the fact that his name was spelled incorrectly in the suicide note, as the second ‘t’ was left out, but this was quickly debunked as a mistake in the coroner’s notes. Even with the spelling of Smith’s name as evidence being debunked, there was still evidence that his death was not a suicide. The coroner found no hesitation wounds (which are found in the majority of self-inflicted stabbings) and many believe it is unlikely that Smith could apply the force required to stab himself in the chest even once, much less twice.
Chiba was questioned at the scene but was not investigated after. Smith’s friends have spoken publicly about the relationship between him and Chiba being toxic; the couple frequently argued, and some speculate that Chiba, a musician herself, was jealous of Smith’s success. Record producer Larry Crane stated that Chiba called him hoping to reconnect him with Smith, and he had spoken to Smith a week before his death, agreeing to produce his next album in November 2003. It may not seem unlikely that Smith, who had both threatened and attempted suicide multiple times, would end his own life. However, the timing and circumstances of his death are subject to speculation by friends and fans alike.
Smith’s death was reported as a suicide, yet when the official autopsy report was released in December 2003, the apparent mode of death was listed as “Suicide/Homicide,” and Deputy Medical Examiner Doctor Lisa Scheinin wrote that his manner of death “could not be determined.” 19 years later, the investigation of Smith’s death remains open, and the debate of murder versus suicide is ongoing.
Legacy
Following Smith’s death, tribute concerts were held across the United States and the United Kingdom. From a Basement on the Hill, the album Smith had been working on prior to his death, was produced and mixed by Rob Schnapf, (co-producer of Either/Or, XO, and Figure 8,) and was released on Oct. 19, 2004. New Moon, a compilation album of unreleased songs and demos recorded between 1994 and 1997, was released in 2007. Since then, countless artists and bands, including Pearl Jam, Frank Ocean, and Phoebe Bridgers, have paid tribute to Smith through covers, samples, and original songs commemorating his life and impact on music.
Phoebe Bridgers, who rose to popularity in recent years, has cited Elliott Smith as her biggest inspiration in music and his influence can be heard not only in the sound of her music but in the references to him and his songs in her lyrics. “Punisher,” the title track of her sophomore album, was written about Smith and her adoration of his music.
Younger and prominent artists like Bridgers continue to keep Smith’s legacy alive in music and conversation, yet one doesn’t need to hear his name to hear his influence. Bands such as Bright Eyes and The National embrace the gritty and hushed vocals Smith used in his music. Billie Eilish and Bon Iver use double-tracked vocals in almost all of their music. Indie-alternative, as a genre, has been defined by the signature sounds and methods Smith introduced nearly 30 years ago and even his short-lived transition to a fuller sound has had an everlasting effect on modern music production. Some might argue that every artists’ work is simply a culmination of their inspirations – no sound is truly original – but even with Smith taking inspiration from mainstream artists like The Beatles, in a genre that rejects mainstream influence, his music has yet to be imitated or his sound recreated.
Not only is the influence of Smith’s sound heard in a vast span of music today, but the impact of his lyricism is at its peak. Smith brought honesty and intimacy to sensitive subjects in a way that no one before him had dared to do. His contemplative, dark lyrics displayed his humility, and though he did not write music in the hopes that others would relate, his lyrics have touched the hearts of thousands. For Smith, writing about his struggles was a means of working through them – his pain was far more than lyric fodder. This honesty is what makes his music so remarkable. Smith’s ability to put into words the feelings of depression, dependency, isolation, and anxiety, and to put those words into lyrics has provided listeners with comfort and an understanding of themselves. Maybe Smith’s wisdom couldn’t save him from himself, but the outreach of his music can not be erased. Smith didn’t glorify the troubles of his life. Instead, he taught and continues to teach us that music is a form of healing.
Even without the glow of the mainstream or a household name status, Elliott Smith’s legacy and impact perseveres.
For anyone interested in exploring Elliott Smith’s music and that of those influenced by him, a playlist has been created.