Twenty-one years ago on Oct. 21, we lost Elliott Smith, one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters in recent memory. According to his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, the two were arguing when she went to take a shower. Shortly after, she heard Smith screaming. She opened the door and found him standing with a knife in his chest. He was rushed to the hospital but ultimately died from the two stab wounds he endured. While his death was initially ruled a suicide, autopsy results would be inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted. Regardless of the manner of Smith’s death, it was a tragic loss — he was only 34 years old. At the time of his death, he was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on a Hill, which would be finished by those close to him.
Even with his career cut short, Smith made an undeniable impact on the independent music scene and the world at large. He would first gain some popularity with the band Heatmiser, which he would perform with in the Portland, Oregon, area. While in Heatmiser, he would send a collection of demos he recorded on a four-track tape to a local record label. The songs on the tape impressed the label so much that they were all released as Smith’s first solo album, 1994’s Roman Candle. While the understated, acoustic nature of the album differed greatly from the heavier grunge that was popular at the time, it was immediately well-received for its poetic, nuanced lyricism and raw, emotive vocals.
Smith would follow up Roman Candle the following year with a self-titled album that followed in its predecessor’s low-fidelity footsteps while showing the beginnings of his experimentation with songwriting and instrumentation. The opening track, “Needle in the Hay,” is a haunting portrait of his struggles with drug addiction and one of the most enduring songs in his discography. Following the breakup of Heatmiser in 1996, Smith got his big break in 1997, when several songs from his third album Either/Or were included in the soundtrack for the movie Good Will Hunting alongside the non-album track “Miss Misery.” The film became a commercial and critical success, and “Miss Misery” earned Smith an Academy Award nomination. Either/Or would arguably go on to become the defining work of his career.
While Smith was reluctant to fully step into the spotlight, he signed with DreamWorks Records to release his next album, 1998’s XO. This album saw him adopt fuller arrangements, with songs featuring string arrangements, keyboards and other layers of instrumentation. XO would also notably feature the fan-favorite song “Waltz #2 (XO),” which deals with Smith’s fraught upbringing. 2000’s Figure 8 was the last album released by Smith during his lifetime, and it would continue in the more melodic, almost Beatlesque direction of its predecessor. The years following saw him further struggle with drug addiction and mental illness. He played his final concert on Sept. 19, 2003. His posthumous album, 2004’s From a Basement On A Hill, would enter even darker and more surreal sonic territories. Songs like “King’s Crossing” remain some of the most harrowing in his entire discography, and overall it’s clear that those who handled the completion of the album did so with extreme care and respect
Even now, more than two decades after his death, Smith’s music continues to resonate with those who feel they have no one to speak to. Countless musicians have taken influence from him, but nobody writes songs quite like he did. While his early grave was a tragedy, that shouldn’t allow us to forget all of the beautiful music he made while he was alive.
– Sky Curtright
On Oct. 23, 2006, Amy Winehouse released “Rehab,” the iconic lead single from her second studio album Back to Black. “Rehab” took the world by storm after its release. The song peaked at No. 7 on the United Kingdom Singles chart and at No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making it Amy Winehouse’s only top 10 hit in the U.S.
Written by Winehouse and produced by Grammy Award winner Mark Ronson, the song discusses Amy’s struggles with addiction and her aversion to going to rehab.
“They try to make me go to rehab, but I said no, no, no /
Yes I’ve been black, but when I come back you’ll know, know, know.”
With “Rehab” topping the charts, Amy was at the absolute top of her career and she released her sophomore album, Back to Black, shortly after on Oct. 27, 2006. Back to Black became one of the biggest albums of all time, going multi-platinum and selling over 16 million copies worldwide. Amy Winehouse went on to sweep at the 50th annual Grammy Awards, winning five awards, including Record and Song of the Year for “Rehab.”
Amy’s Grammy win for Record Of The Year remains one of the most iconic moments in pop culture, as she stands frozen in utter shock after her idol, Tony Bennett, presented her with the award.
Winehouse sadly passed away in 2011 due to alcohol poisoning at the age of 27, just five short years after her critically acclaimed album was released. Although her career and life were tragically cut short, Amy Winehouse remains one of the greatest musicians of all time and continues to inspire new generations of artists. Her legacy and talent will live on forever.
– Helena Najar
On Oct. 24, 2006, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her debut studio album in the U.S. and Canada. She later released the album elsewhere on March 18, 2008. When Swift was only 14, she moved with her family to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. At the same age, she signed with ATV/Sony to write songs for the album. At 16, she released Taylor Swift, which features not only country elements such as banjos, fiddles and acoustic guitar but also leans into pop and rock elements with a vibrant teenage touch.
As a young girl, Swift was influenced by classic country music stars such as Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. Being a teenage girl, Swift dove into themes about the high school experience, from crushing on the boy next to you in English class to the soul-crushing heartbreak that falls in that adolescent frame. Because of Taylor Swift this young generation of people in the early 2000s finally had a pop singer that they could relate to and see themselves in. Out of the eleven tracks on the album, Swift wrote three of the songs by herself, and the rest she wrote with the help of co-writers Robert Ellis Orrall, Brian Maher, Angelo Petraglia, and Liz Rose.
The debut album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards. This was quite a high accomplishment, because not only was this Swift’s first album, but she was also only 19 years old which is a unique experience in itself as an artist trying to make it in the industry. As a young girl, she was a trailblazer, in a sense, when it came to her songwriting of what some might call difficult emotions. Because of Swift’s influence, we now have musicians who were influenced by her storytelling and songwriting such as Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and many more. Her legacy lives on, and this debut album acted as a blueprint for her following albums, allowing her to grow and flourish from the success of the first album. With the song “Tim McGraw” reaching the Top 40, Taylor Swift has been noted as one of the best country albums of the decade. All in all, Swift’s debut album is one of twangy country romantic charm and is an easy and enjoyable listen.
– Sophie Sparkman
On Oct. 26, 1993, Madonna made her first appearance in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a stop on “The Girlie Show” tour, causing outrage in a predominantly Catholic territory. If there’s a feud notoriously known throughout the 1990s, it’s undoubtedly between Madonna and the Catholic Church.
Raised a Catholic and named after the Virgin Mary herself, Madonna has both embraced the religion and challenged notions regarding it, receiving quite the backlash since the start of her career. Religious audiences have condemned her for various disrespectful acts regarding religion, from desecrating the cross in her “Like a Prayer” music video to simulating sexual acts with backup dancers on stage to her hit song “Like a Virgin.” Her artistry also embraced being a free and sexually liberated woman — a taboo in both societal norms and religious spheres of the world — which was especially impactful given her namesake, a religious figure known for purity.
As a predominantly Catholic nation, catholic churches in San Juan were appalled by her behavior. In response to the visit, they opened their doors the night of the show and encouraged residents to tie black ribbons on trees in protest. Despite the resistance, the show went on and pulled in even more negative reception when Madonna passed the island’s flag beneath her lower region. If her reputation on the island wasn’t already tarnished enough, you could say the above act was the nail in the coffin.
– Mae Melaku