Elliott Smith – Waltz #2 (Song of the Week)
Several months ago a friend of mine introduced me to the wonderful music of Elliott Smith. I had heard of him before, but never really sat down and absorbed his work. Immediately there were a handful of songs that I feel in love with and one of them was “Waltz #2 (xo)” from 1998’s XO.
For the last week I’ve been hooked on this song. It’s a marvelous piece of work. As the title the implies, the music follows the typical waltz pattern. It’s a great backdrop for the amazing guitar and vocals that Elliott Smith adds.
Initially, I thought that the song was about about an ex-girlfriend who moved on, but Elliott Smith did not. After reading some info though, the song is actually about his mother getting remarried to a guy that didn’t sound so great. In fact, there is speculation that he did some real bad things to a young Elliott. Anyways, the opening lines “First a mic, then half a cigarette, Singing ‘Cathy’s Clown” is a memory that Elliott had of his mom at a karaoke bar. What a strong and personal song, that should strum anyone’s heartstrings.
I saw some live performances of “Waltz #2″ online and Elliott Smith sounds amazing live as well. Seemed liked he could put on a great show.
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