"Playing things too safe is the most popular way to fail."
About Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith — Life and Legacy
Elliott Smith was a singer-songwriter whose poignant lyrics and unique sound made a significant impact on the indie music scene. His work, particularly the album 'Either/Or', showcases his ability to articulate the complexities of love, heartbreak, and personal struggle. Smith's lyrics often reflect a deep emotional vulnerability, as seen in his haunting line, 'I can't be your friend', which captures the pain of unreciprocated feelings and the difficulty of maintaining relationships. His exploration of themes like isolation and longing resonates with many, as he masterfully conveys the tension between desire and despair. In songs like 'Between the Bars', Smith's storytelling reveals the inner conflicts of love, making listeners feel the weight of his experiences. He challenged conventional notions of songwriting by blending raw emotion with intricate melodies, creating a sound that was both accessible and deeply personal. Today, Elliott Smith's quotes and lyrics continue to resonate, offering insight into the human condition and the struggles we face in relationships. His ability to express complex emotions in a relatable way ensures that his work remains relevant, touching the hearts of new generations of listeners.
Quote collection
Elliott Smith quotes (page 1 of 4)
67 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"I don't really like New York better than Portland. It's just a different place."
"But I was also doing odd jobs around Portland, like spreading gravel and transplanting bamboo trees."
"Theres a bunch of Elvis Costello records that made all the difference between feeling like a total freak and feeling like ... only a freak. A freak among other freaks"
"I got tired of doing battle with people thinking I was a little weird because I wasn't in a band making happy, stilted music. The only people who really seem weird to me are people who think they're normal. People who think it's possible to be normal just by doing the same things that most people do. Is there a most people? I don't know. Television makes it seem like there is, but I think that might just be television."
"I didn't have a hard time making it. I had a hard time letting it go."
"Everything means nothing to me"
"I truly hope the future will bring me something to feel nostalgic about, because there's really nothing much so far I can remember fondly."
"I liked the idea of a self-contained, endless pursuit of perfection. But I have a problem with perfection. I don't think perfection is very artful. But there's something I liked about the image of a skater going in this endless twisted circle that doesn't have any real endpoint. So the object is not to stop or arrive anywhere; it's just to make this thing as beautiful as they can."
"Everybody gets a tag. If you listen to a Velvet Underground record, you don't think, 'Godfathers of Punk.' You just think, 'This sounds great.' The tags are there in order to help try to sell something by giving it a name that's going to stick in somebody's memory. But it doesn't describe it. So 'depressing' isn't a word I would use to describe my music. But there is some sadness in it -- there has to be, so that the happiness in it will matter."
"Somewhere where people aren't so mad would be nice, but I don't know if there is anywhere like that."
"Haven't laughed this hard in a long time. I better stop now before I start crying. Go off to sleep in the sunshine...I don't want to see the day when its dying."
"Music is worth doing just because. It doesn’t have to be justified by some political point of view, and it’s kind of insulting to the music to make it a tool for something else."
"There's always that argument to make - that you're in better company historically if people don't understand what you're doing."
"I'm happy some of the time, and some of the time I'm not. But like when I see a movie, for example, that I really like, that moves me or whatever, it's usually happy and sad at the same time."
"A lot of people are kind of depressed. I'm happy some of the time, and some of the time I'm not."
"I mean people just have a way of - y'know they'll review your record in two sentences and put you in this little stupid box that you don't want to be in"
"I think the suggestion that all my songs are personal is insulting because that assumes that I have a bunch of issues that I feel the need to unload on strangers. That is not the case. It also assumes that I just talk about myself the whole time which, again, is not true."
"You can't get better at things you never play."
"If you play acoustic guitar you're the depressed, sensitive guy."