I've been too honest with myself, I should've lied like everybody else

First off, let me say, I'm glad I had a good while to make this write-up, cause evidently, trying to sum up the life, work and legacy of Elliott Smith in only a few paragraphs is a tough task. I'll start with some backgrounds. He was born Steven Paul Smith on August 6^th, 1969. Even though he was born in Nebraska and raised in Texas most of his childhood, it was the time spent in Portland when he took interest in music and began going by the name of "Elliott".

He'd written piano compositions since age 10, but started recording his compositions at age 14. He formed his first band while still in highschool, a project he named Stranger than Fiction, though his first work that gathered some sort of recognition was the band he formed with Neil Gust, who he met and befriended while they were both studying at the Hampshire College in Massachusetts, Heatmiser. They recorded three albums Dead Air (1993), Cop and Speeder (1994) and Mic City Sons (1996).

While still in Heatmiser, Elliott released two solo albums, Roman candle in 1994 and a self-titled in 1995. Both of them were an unexpected success, which created tension between Elliott and his bandmates, and that ultimately resulted in Heatmiser parting ways for good and Elliott embarking fully into a solo career.

In 1996, filmmaker Gus Van Sant asked for his permission to use some of his songs for his latest project, Good Will Hunting. He agreed, and also wrote a new song for the movie, "Miss Misery". Around that time his third solo album, Either/Or was released to great critical reviews. The next year, Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Clad in a white suit and with an orchestra behind him, he performed at the Oscars ceremony, an experience he described as "strange" and "surreal".

After his newly found success, he was signed to a bigger label, DreamWorks Records, where he released his next two albums, 1998's XO and 2000's Figure 8. One year after the release of the latter, Elliott started working on his follow up album, From a Basement on the Hill, during which time he'd been struggling with his alcohol and drug addiction before ultimately agreeing checking into rehab.

Despite his earlier attempts at recovery and to surprise of friends and fans alike, Smith died on October 21, 2003, he had allegedly committed suicide after an argument with his girlfriend. From a Basement on the Hill was released posthumously in October 19, 2004 to mostly positive reviews. Various tribute albums and compilations have been released ever since, and the wall outside of Solutions Audio where he stood for the iconic cover photo of Figure 8, was turned into a memorial to him, with fans writing messages in it and leaving flowers and candles. In addition, his songs have been played in a number of movies and TV shows such as The Royal Tenenbaums, American Beauty and Paranoid Park, which proves the undeniable influence the music he created during his lifetime continues to have in present times, and probably will have for a long time.

Songs:

Needle in the Hay

Bled White

Between the Bars