LogFAQs > #954046230

225. Elliott Smith Waltz #2 (XO) (1998)
from the album XO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWn9ocrMhlE

Key lyrics:
Im never gonna know you now
But Im gonna love you anyhow

Elliott Smiths music tends to embody raw human emotions, largely at their lowest points. Waltz #2 in particular paints such a singular image. A feuding couple at karaoke sing pointed breakup songs at one another while Smith appears to look on, reflecting on his own troubled life. The chorus is haunting yet familiar, the urge to love someone from a distance. Smith was a lyrical genius, and this is a masterwork; that opening verse kills me every time, particularly the line she appears composed, so she is, I suppose. When not commenting on the current scene, Smith remarks upon his emotional state, absolutely failing to reassure the listener that he is doing okay. Like Joy Division, Elliott Smiths music sometimes feels a little too raw considering his fate. This is authentic turmoil.

The music captures the internal conflict, a slow waltz with a depressive guitar jangle that rises to great heights when Smith forces a positive appearance like the subject of his first verse. By the end, Smith is no longer capable of wearing a happy face. The instruments derail around him as his distant longing overwhelms everything else. Though pretty simple stylistically, Waltz #2 generates a flurry of emotion.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/