Elliott Smith was born on August 6, 1969, and through his honest, raw songwriting became the beloved patron saint of depressed hipsters. But while Smith was often reduced to his sad songs by the mainstream, his devoted fans know there was a much deeper well of talent within him. Just one aspect of many that made his death all the more tragic.
Smith initially gained attention in Portland, Oregon. He lived much of his life there after moving at 14 to live with his father. He endured a troubled childhood in Texas, and in his teens experimented with drugs and alcohol. Eventually, he turned to them to self-medicate. His trauma came up in much of his creative work, and people related to that pain. But it also took its toll.
However, before the drugs and depression took their fatal hold, Smith made some of the most heartbreaking yet comforting music of the 90s. Heartbreaking through his lyrics and the whisper-thin ache in his vocals. But those who listened felt less alone in the world knowing that Elliott Smith was in it, too.
An Acoustic Debut at the Height of 90s Grunge, a Beloved Fragility, and a Tragic End
In 1994, Smith released his debut album, Roman Candle, at the height of the Pacific Northwest grunge scene. Despite being an acoustic album, it was well received, which Smith later explained was a total shock. But his subsequent albums—Elliott Smith (1995), Either/Or (1997), XO (1998), and his final album Figure 8 (2000)—put him on what seemed like a trajectory for great success.
Either/Or could be considered his true breakout album, and it’s certainly a fan and critic favorite. Retrospectively, critics described Either/Or as the bridge between Smith’s albums. The early lo-fi acoustic work on Roman Candle and Elliott Smith, and the full instrumentation, layered harmonies, and studio polish of XO and Figure 8.
The 90s were truly the decade of Elliott Smith. Although, to hear it from his friends and collaborators, Smith didn’t quite experience it that way. Christopher Cooper of Cavity Search Records recalled numerous times when he had to “[talk] him out of thinking that he wanted to kill himself.” According to musician Pete Krebs, there are many other people who could recall “staying up with Elliott ’til five in the morning, holding his hand, telling him not to kill himself.”
In 1998, Smith signed to his first major label, but also fell into a worsening depression. While drunk in North Carolina, he “got freaked out and started running … and I ran off the edge of a cliff.” He explained in a 1999 interview that it “wasn’t like I made up my mind to throw myself off a cliff.” But he recalled thinking, “‘Ground’s coming up. Who cares, whatever.’”
Elliott Smith’s Death Shocked the Music World, as He Seemed To Have His Life Back on Track
Elliott Smith died on October 21, 2003, at 34 years old, from two stab wounds to the chest. The media reported his death as a suicide. For about a year after that, fans and the music world at large became stuck in a limbo of disbelief. People around him described his upcoming album, From a Basement on a Hill, as his comeback. He seemed excited for his next chapter.
“His last three years were his hardest struggle to stay alive; it kept getting worse and worse and worse,” friend and filmmaker Steve Hanft told MTV News in 2003. “And then in the last six months, it was like the light at the end of the tunnel. It was like, ‘He made it,’ you know? And he was going to be stronger than ever.”
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