Storybook Tragedy
Son of Sam - Elliott Smith (Blast from the Past Tuesday)
This past Sunday I was back in the booth with my radio show, something I had been looking forward to ever since I went home for the summer last May. Last semester I had the Friday late night spot and loved it. The place looks really nice in the dark… really highlights the lava lamp on the desk! This semester I decided to try something different, hence my shiny new Sunday afternoon slot. It’s encouraging that I can still blast the music just as loud as I did before, even though it’s much busier around the booth. It’s been a little while since I’ve done so, what with basic manners towards the neighbors and such. To turn that volume dial up was like a breath of fresh air. However, out of every song I played (and I love them all), I think the one that really lingered in my head after was Elliot Smith’s “Son of Sam”.
Having come across a great live version of “Clementine”, I found myself venturing deeper into Smith’s discography the past month or so. What shocked me when I went to his Spotify profile was that I had liked quite a few of his songs back in 2017. I don’t know what I needed to listen to Elliot Smith for in 2017. No offense to him of course, but the emotions that I think his music elicits is stuff that I’m not quite sure any twelve year old can fully grasp. It was probably the chords, as it usually was back then, but I digress. “Son of Sam” is a good example of the power his music holds. To me the first thirty seconds knock you flat with this melancholic yet steady rhythm, catch you off guard and go straight to your heart. The instrumental choice is really something in this song, with Elliot’s kind of whiny, gentle voice accompanied by a piano that’s being punched to no end and a held out soul organ way low in the mix. I think “Son of Sam” is almost unassuming at the very beginning, as right around halfway this catchy yet pretty light song absolutely explodes. Every element is in perfect balance with the other, a moment you could really describe as the whole band being locked in. This explosion part is not only my favorite because of the one two punch it provides, but also because in the beautiful chaos it creates, it manages to highlight the falsetto that I adore more than anything else in this tune. The breathy “ahh ahhh”s that echo through the song are incredibly catchy, the type of little detail that I can’t escape singing or at the very least mouthing along to wherever I am! It’s got an ending that I would describe as a storybook tragedy. The chords come to a resolution but they’re still not bright, leaving you with a sense that something has really ended, for better or for worse.
“Son of Sam” is a song that winds itself up and lets loose, proving itself to be more than meets the eye. It goes through phases, taking the listener on a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, loud and soft, comfort and uneasiness. “Son of Sam” just can’t be heard once… it casts a sort of spell over the listener where they just have to repeat it over and over, otherwise it just takes over your thoughts. Although with a song as great as this, I wouldn’t mind it living in my head for a while.
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