This is one of those rare covers that was actually better than the original. Everything Elliott touched turned to gold. This cover is simply beautiful. RIP, Elliott Smith
One of the greatest captions of early teenage life to be immortalized by music, and one of the greatest cover's of a song in the history of recorded music? Man, what a great song.
Like it's just so bare, and soft and sweet, the big star version has more of the meaning, but when elliott sings it, it's like adorable :P and he never does songs that sound adorable :P
Elliot just got melody, he got the harmony of life. He is a tender beautiful breeze that will ease through time forever gracefully. He was masterly, melenacholy and the most poetic, beatiful thing ive ever had in my life. .
this is a fantastic cover of a great song... it suits him, and he does it justice. time and time again I am amazed at Elliott's excellent taste in songs to cover... this forgotten classic from Big Star, to "care of cell 44" by the Zombies, to Zeppelin, to the Beatles, to John Lennon, to Dylan solo... I'm really impressed. and I'm not even going into his originals. that man and all his talent is sorely missed.
when i first heard of elliott smith, i knew my life changed forever. nothing was the same in the light of his voice. Even though this is a cover, elliott makes it his own with his unique style. his ghostly voice, which has some sort of telepathy, gives me a heart warming feeling which is ineffable. i miss him.
he makes the song completely different. i dont think its comparable. they are both not the same. both great in theyre own way. me of course. Im in love with elliot smith.
it's about the simplistic nature of love when you're 13, there's no crap and games like when you're older, it's simply two people that want to be together, just walk eachother home, or go to dances. But that's just my take on it
People who like Elliot along with other idiosyncratic superstars I want to say thank you. We make good music good. If you dislike this beautiful cover you clearly don't have a soul.
This song got me into Big Star. Love Elliott, love Big Star. It was artists like Elliott who showed me how to respect rock past genre or time period. He blew my mind way open, and I've been in love with music ever since. Check Big Star out. They're not ballads soft and Elliottish, but they're an amazing, historic band. Elliott had taste, you could tell in his cover choices. And he was an even better artist for taking someone else's song and making it his own.
@Stucifer Elliott Smith was a very key figure in the world of independent music. My friends and I found him in High School. He and Built to Spill were my gateway into the world of Indie music, which sadly now is running dryer these days. I'm glad you found him, but with all due respect sir, he is not just some kid. Wikipedia is great for these kinds of things.
Elliott Smith may have just been an "artist" in his brief time here, but his lyrics speak beyond purely art, granted that he adopted rather that wrote this particular tune, they transcend the realm of creativity and strike listeners where it truly hurts: reality.
To melfaery, check out Elliott's other little jewels: Pitseleh, Angel In The Snow, Waltz #2, Son of Sam (especially the acoustic version), Between the Bars, Waltz #1, Don't go Down (any version is awesome...), Miss Misery...or just about anything he performed or wrote you should likely enjoy...happy listening. This music is good for your soul...RIP Elliott
I've heard Big Star's original version and I liked it,but I loved Elliot's cover because his voice.it's full of sorrow and it emphasizes the meaning of the words..
I dunno how you can say it's better than the original, sure it's a great cover, but more than that, it's a perfectly faithful cover.... a note-perfect copy/tribute to the original.
Sad they are both gone, but interesting they are connected by this song: Including end dates: 3/17/10 - 10/21/03 = 2340 days = (13cubed - 13) + (13squared - 13)
ah The Wedge.....i miss the time when music stations like Much Music and MTV OCCASIONALLY played good music.....now we're in the era of CRIBS and Pimp My Fucking Ride.........Well at least we have youtube and good posts like this!!!!
@seanchristian1971 i agree, we shouldn't give in to corporate mindset, always trying to determine who is number 1, or who's on the top charts, or whatever. every artist is unique and no list can capture the individual differences of good, awesome singers.
