UnquietDreams
Suma Cum Louder
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2023
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Day 23-A song from the 90's (with Flowers!)
I still remember the first time I saw Elliot Smith. If you only know him from his later stuff, or even just "Miss Misery," you would find his early work jarring. Heatmeiser was loud. Very loud, heh. They were opening for Dead Moon, the seminal Portland punk band, at the X-Ray Cafe, which was small, hot, and crowded. I knew their drummer, Tony Lash, from Nero's Rome. I hadn't heard or seen Elliot and Neil Guest play yet, but there was a lot of buzz around them. With both guitarists sharing the lead singer position, they reminded me a lot of Fugazi, which was apparently on purpose, as the DC band were a big influence. But the songs were more complicated, with a strong pop edge at times. They were also dark, delving into alienation in a big way, driven by Elliot's self loathing and Neil trying to come to terms with being a gay man in the age of AIDS. I saw them a lot between 93-96, after which they signed a big record deal with Virgin and celebrated by breaking up before their first major label record was released. By this time, Elliot already had one solo album out, and was working on a second.
His writing was far more pop based than Neil's, and it fit his quiet, sweet voice. The volume level dropped, and it fit him better. But the anger, the self-loathing stayed there. He was an astonishing songwriter, and most of his lyrics had multiple interpretations. Like this song, from his second solo album, the eponymous Elliot Smith.
"Everything coming up roses" generally means everything is going right for someone. And that was true in Smith's case -- everything was going great for him. Except for a heroin addict, like Smith, it has a much darker meaning. When you first inject yourself, you draw the plunger slightly back to verify you are in the vein by drawing a little blood into the syringe. It fans out at the top, like a flower. Like a rose.
"And you're coming up roses everywhere you go
Red roses follow."
Even then, it is a beautiful song. He was such a ferociously talented musician, and this is all him. The chorus, where he harmonizes with himself, is glorious. The acoustic guitar, seasoned with a touch of electric, is as good as it gets. He even plays an old air organ, lending a beautiful vibrato. It is all tragically beautiful. And so was Elliot.
"Coming up Roses," Elliot Smith
(And I miss him.)
I still remember the first time I saw Elliot Smith. If you only know him from his later stuff, or even just "Miss Misery," you would find his early work jarring. Heatmeiser was loud. Very loud, heh. They were opening for Dead Moon, the seminal Portland punk band, at the X-Ray Cafe, which was small, hot, and crowded. I knew their drummer, Tony Lash, from Nero's Rome. I hadn't heard or seen Elliot and Neil Guest play yet, but there was a lot of buzz around them. With both guitarists sharing the lead singer position, they reminded me a lot of Fugazi, which was apparently on purpose, as the DC band were a big influence. But the songs were more complicated, with a strong pop edge at times. They were also dark, delving into alienation in a big way, driven by Elliot's self loathing and Neil trying to come to terms with being a gay man in the age of AIDS. I saw them a lot between 93-96, after which they signed a big record deal with Virgin and celebrated by breaking up before their first major label record was released. By this time, Elliot already had one solo album out, and was working on a second.
His writing was far more pop based than Neil's, and it fit his quiet, sweet voice. The volume level dropped, and it fit him better. But the anger, the self-loathing stayed there. He was an astonishing songwriter, and most of his lyrics had multiple interpretations. Like this song, from his second solo album, the eponymous Elliot Smith.
"Everything coming up roses" generally means everything is going right for someone. And that was true in Smith's case -- everything was going great for him. Except for a heroin addict, like Smith, it has a much darker meaning. When you first inject yourself, you draw the plunger slightly back to verify you are in the vein by drawing a little blood into the syringe. It fans out at the top, like a flower. Like a rose.
"And you're coming up roses everywhere you go
Red roses follow."
Even then, it is a beautiful song. He was such a ferociously talented musician, and this is all him. The chorus, where he harmonizes with himself, is glorious. The acoustic guitar, seasoned with a touch of electric, is as good as it gets. He even plays an old air organ, lending a beautiful vibrato. It is all tragically beautiful. And so was Elliot.
"Coming up Roses," Elliot Smith
(And I miss him.)
