#ElliottSmith – Tom MacInnes, Writer

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History…Song #123: Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve: Part #1 (KEXP)

This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song #500 and going until I reach Song #1. When you see the song title listed as something like: Song #XXX (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song #xxx (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.

KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #123: Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve.

Part #1

I am going to do something today that I have never done before in this countdown. The story of “Bittersweet Symphony” involves a legal situation that, as it played out, ended up involving some of the biggest names in the music business, stretching back to the very beginnings of Rock n’ Roll. It is a story that is “Watergate”-esque, in calibre and speaks to the very organizational structure of the Music Industry, as a whole. But, just like how ‘Watergate” started with a petty break-in but, was never just about that break-in, the story of “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve was about a four-second sample of some violin music but, in the end, it went everywhere and touched everyone. So, in order to do this story justice, I am going to tell the tale in two parts: in Part #1, I will talk about the song and the band, as I normally would in a regular music post. In Part #2, I will lay out the historical significance of what happened to the band as a result of that four-second sample. It is, truly, an amazing story. Buckle up, my beauties! It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The Verve were a British band that formed in the early 1990s. They were fronted by a charismatic frontman named Richard Ashcroft, who sang lead and who wrote and composed the majority of their songs. In the mid 90s, the band released an album called, “Urban Hymns”, which turned out to be one of the biggest selling albums of that decade. Because of their success, The Verve were included, by the UK Music Press, in that movement called BritPop, along with bands such as Oasis, Blur and Pulp. As it turned out, the manufactured BritPop Movement (which was the UK response to the Grunge Movement in the US) was, also, meant to spark some sort of competition between the bands at home. While Oasis and Blur took the bait and had many public battles in the Press, Richard Ashcroft of The Verve was actually quite chummy with most of the other bands and did not actually play much of a role in any contrived feuds. The album, “Urban Hymns” yielded several hits, including “Lucky Man”, “When the Drugs Don’t Work” (which went all the way to #1) and their most famous song, “Bittersweet Symphony” which is listed at the #3 top BritPop song, after “Love of the Common People” by Pulp and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis.

The lyrics to “Bittersweet Symphony” talk about Life and how it can be both, a blessing and a curse at the same time. The song title and the video that accompanied the song, were both inspired by Trip-Hop stars, Massive Attack and their big hit a few years earlier, “Unfinished Sympathy”. In the video for Massive Attack’s song, the lead singer walks down a publc street, oblivious to the on-lookers watching her. The video was shot all in one take and set a standard that was copied by a number of other artists such as Elliott Smith, Phoebe Bridgers and, as well, The Verve. In the video for “Bittersweet Symphony”, Richard Ashcroft really became a figure of note in the public eye because of how he managed to walk down a public street in London. Ashcroft’s demeanour in the video perfectly captured the sense of bewilderment and distain that the song was speaking of. Ashcroft is totally “in his zone”, as the song states, as he knocks into his fellow pedestrians and almost gets hit by a car. Ashcroft is a tall, boney individual so his loping gait made for a very distinctive look at he ambled off down the road while singing “Bittersweet Symphony” aloud.

In the end, “Bittersweet Symphony” was noted for its video but, also, for the use of violins throughout the song. The violins lent “Bittersweet Symphony” a sweeping sound quality that gave it an air of epicness which set it apart from much of the other music fare of the time. The song was originally written without strings but Ashcroft remained ambivalent about it while the song was in that state. But, when the studio producer suggested adding the strings, the song became the wonderful song that it is. And, that is where the trouble began. “Bittersweet Symphony” was a huge hit when it was released; making it all the way to #2 on the charts. However, when it was nominated for the Songwriting Award at The Grammys the following year, the nature of the weird trap that the band had stumbled into was revealed for all to see. Because, when the list of Songwriting nominees was read aloud, it was not Richard Ashcroft’s name that was spoken. Instead, the presenter said, “Bittersweet Symphony….songwriters, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards”. Why were The Rolling Stones getting the Grammy nomination for a song they had nothing to do for? Let’s find out in Part #2!

For now, here is the award-winning video for “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve. In the comments below, I will, also, re-post the original video by Massive Attack that inspired Ashcroft as he took his own walk through town. Enjoy.

The link to the video for the song, Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve, can be found here.

The link to the official website of The Verve, can be found here.

The link to the video for the song, “Unfinished Sympathy” by Massive Attack, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Massive Attack, can be found here.

The link to the video for the song, “Miss Misery” by Elliott Smith, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Elliott Smith, can be found here.

The link to the video for the song, “Motion Sickness: by Phoebe Bridgers, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Phoebe Bridgers, can be found here.

Thanks, as always, to KEXP, for helping to inspire the writing of this post. The link to their wonderful website can be found here.

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History…Song #92: Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith (KEXP)

KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #92: Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith.

My father passed away when I was eleven years old. That meant that I then inherited the title of “Man of the House”. But, truth be told, I could barely make my own bed in those days, let alone, assume any sort of leadership position within our household. That responsibility, fair or not, fell almost completely on my mother’s shoulders. I cannot imagine how heavy that burden must have felt. But, the grace with which she handled that situation forever coloured my life and that of my sister. Because, no matter what happened, from that dark day forward, my sister and I have always felt completely loved by our mother. She loved us, even after working a full shift as a nurse at the hospital and coming home to be our “Ma”. She loved us, even though we transformed into teenagers who felt that we possessed more of Life’s answers than she did. She loved us even when other gentlemen callers came knocking upon our door. Whether it was true or simply the perceptions of a sheltered child, it always seemed like she was our mother, first and foremost; a professional nurse, second and then, with whatever time and energy she had left over, she was a woman.

After my father died, My mother ended up getting married twice more. Part of her willingness to marry another man hinged upon his ability to care for us, as well. How my sister and I were treated by the men who carried the title of “Step-father” was everything. For the most part, we survived ok. But, if we were being honest, neither man really cared that much about us. Both guys were there because of my mother; my sister and I simply came with the scenery. But, the one thing that made it all tolerable for us, as kids, was that, even if our step-fathers never really loved us, our mother always did. No amount of romance from other men ever dimmed her love for us so, in that light, I view my childhood as being very warm and, my sister and I, very lucky.

I tell you all this because, as you know, not every family situation turns out as rosy as did ours. Whether, by way of death or divorce, once the players in any family drama start to change and move about, the potential that emotional damage may happen becomes very real. The song, “Waltz #2” by Elliott Smith tells that side of the story. Like my sister and I, Elliott Smith’s childhood memories were coloured by the absence of his biological father (for him, via divorce) and the impact of the man his mother chose next. “Waltz #2” is a richly written story of what it was like to, in essence, lose his mother, even though she was still his parent, if that makes any sense. Through Smith’s words, we watch as his mother seemingly allows herself to be absorbed into her new man’s life, leaving her own past behind; a past that included her son, Elliott. As he grew up, he did so as a captive to the new world his mother and step-father were creating; a world that he was forced to be involved in but, one in which he was never truly welcomed.

There are whole industries devoted to the creation of books and movies that chronicle the impact of broken homes on the lives of those who live within them. In “Waltz #2”, Elliott Smith uses the craftsmanship of a poet or playwright to paint a picture of the bleak world in which he grew up. The writing is brilliant. His pain is very real. As much as I admire how well written “Waltz #2” is, it is, at the same time, a devastating song to listen to when you truly listen to the words. Elliott Smith has been profiled in this countdown before. His stature in the Alt-Rock music genre is unparalleled. HIs influence is widespread. You may recall that he was even nominated for an Academy Award for his song, “Miss Misery”, from the movie, “Good Will Hunting”. However, like me, his childhood experiences coloured his adult life but, unlike me, those experiences set him off on a path to addiction and mental health challenges that, ultimately, saw him take his own life at age 34.

“Waltz #2” was a very personal song for Elliott Smith. So, it is not surprising that this beautifully-written song was very painful for him to sing live. There were many instances when he actually stopped singing the song, midway through, because of how it made him feel. There are many videos of this happening that you can find on YouTube, if you are so inclined. I am not so inclined. It gives me no pleasure to watch another human suffer. So, for the only time in this entire countdown, I am not going share a video of the artist, in question, singing their own song. Instead, I am going to share with you, a beautiful cover, sung by Christ Thile on his podcast/show, “Live From Here”. Because this song is not from his own life, Thile is able to focus on the beauty of the lyrics and the delicate construction of the music. The result is a wonderful, wonderful rendition of “Waltz #2” which is, for my money, as well written as anything produced by the pen of Springsteen or Dylan or any of The Beatles.

It never ceases to amaze me how razor-thin the margins of error are, that separate those of us who live happy lives, from those of us who suffer. “Waltz #2” shows what happens when family matters are decided in a certain way. My life, and that of my sister, show what happens when you are wrapped in a blanket of unconditional love your whole life through.

Even today, as I write these words to you, we still feel our mother’s love. I know that, even though she is 90 years old now, if I were to turn up at her door, the very first thing she would do is invite me in and make sure I was comfortable and then, she’d offer to make me a hot cup of tea. And I would let her. ❤

The link to the video for the song, “Waltz #2” by Elliott Smith, as covered by Chris Thile, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Elliott Smith, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Chris Thile, can be found here.

Thanks, as always, to KEXP, for always acknowledging all artists and genres. The link to their wonderful website can be found here.

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History: Song #480…Miss Misery by Elliott Smith (KEXP)

KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #480: Miss Misery by Elliott Smith.

Despite all of the accolades bestowed upon the artists scattered throughout this song list, few can match what Elliott Smith can say. His song, “Miss Misery” was nominated for Best Original Song at the 1997 Academy Awards. The song was part of the “Good Will Hunting” soundtrack. He lost to that juggernaut, “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion from the movie, “Titanic”. But, as they say, just to be nominated was an honour that very few others can boast.

Elliott Smith is arguably the quietest, most introverted and soft-spoken artist on this entire list. He sings barely above a whisper. His songs tended to be categorized as Alt-Folk because an acoustic guitar was his instrument of choice. At the core of his being, he was a songwriter. Elliott Smith battled the effects of child abuse, with an adulthood spent under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He was painfully shy and tended to use his songwriting as his means of expressing the thoughts he was thinking and the demons he was wrestling.

I am going to include an interview he gave on MTV to illustrate how hard it was for Smith to deal with his public persona. In the interview, you can see Smith literally twisting himself into knots as he tries to answer the questions being asked of him by Carson Daly. At one point, Daly asks him about a new tattoo he is sporting. The tattoo is of the storybook character, Ferdinand the Bull. In the story of Ferdinand the Bull, Ferdinand is a big, strong bull recruited for the bullfights in Spain. However, Ferdinand is not who he appears and, instead of fighting and snorting and pawing the ground, all he wants to do is to be left alone to sit under his favourite tree and smell the flowers. The tattoo seems an apt representation of what Smith wanted to world to know about him.

The old cliche of people who suffer for their Art has never been more true than it was with Elliott Smith. The rawness and vulnerability with which he wrote his songs and conducted his affairs, inspired a range of artists. In the comment section, I am, also, including a video by current singing sensation, Phoebe Bridgers (who recently was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live the night Dan Levy hosted). In this video, Bridgers pays homage to Smith and to his song, “Miss Misery” with an almost shot-by-shot remake of his video.

Elliott Smith is not the type of singer who will have you jumping out of your seat and dancing the night away. He is more introspective than that. But, if you give his lyrics a chance to take root in your heart and your soul, you will find yourself changed as a result. He will guide you to the parts of your being you may have been afraid to visit on your own. He was a quiet troubadour who passed away far too young in 2003 at age 34. But, like Ferdinand the Bull, he has found his peace and has earned his rest.

The video for “Miss Misery” by Elliott Smith can be found here. ***The lyrics video can be found here.

The video of Carson Daly interviewing a painfully-shy Elliott Smith can be found here.

Phoebe Bridgers, shot-by shot, ode to “Miss Misery” can be found here. The lyrics video for Phoebe Bridgers song “Motion Sickness” can be found here.

Phoebe Bridgers interview about the impact of Elliott Smith on her life and her career can be found here.

There is a website dedicated to Elliott Smith. It can be reached by clicking here.

As always, thanks be to KEXP for inspiring me to write about someone as talented as Elliott Smith. The link to their website can be found here.

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