Say Yes (Elliott Smith song) explained
"Say Yes" is the final track of Elliott Smith's 1997 album Either/Or, and one of three tracks from Either/Or that was used in the soundtrack of Good Will Hunting.
Background and content
"Say Yes" is one of Smith's widely recognized songs.[1] It is considered happy[2] In an interview, Smith said that the song was written about "someone particular, and I almost never do that. I was really in love with someone."[5]
Live performances
Smith performed the song often,[6]
Notes and References
- News: Musgrove . Mike . March 15, 1999 . Elliott Smith: Woe Is Him . . https://web.archive.org/web/20110516165024/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-566486.html . dead . May 16, 2011 . Smith then played solo for 'Say Yes', one of the songs that earned his fame....
- Web site: Elliott Smith, 1969–2003 – salon.com . Schmelling . Sarah . October 23, 2003 . . June 30, 2013.
- Web site: Elliott Smith: Either/Or . Jamieson . Robert . April 30, 2002 . . June 30, 2013].
- Web site: Elliott Smith: A Fond Farewell | PopMatters |last=Hogan |first=Mark |date=October 28, 2003 |website=PopMatters] |accessdate=June 30, 2013}} and optimistic[2] in both instrumentation and lyrics in comparison to the dark tone in most of his other songs.[3] .
- Dornan . Matt . 1999 . Elliott Smith . . 4 . June 30, 2013.
- News: Vandergast . Brendon . May 26, 1998 . Elliott Smith's Indie Style Delights Crowd . . June 30, 2013.
- Web site: The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s. Pitchfork. Marc Hogan.
- Web site: Eye Weekly – CMJ '03: Rooms on Fire – 10.30.03 . Berman . Stuart . October 30, 2003 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000858/http://www.eyeweekly.com/eye/issue/issue_10.30.03/music/cmj.php . September 27, 2007 . June 30, 2013.
- Web site: Ben Folds Covers Elliott Smith . May 11, 2010 . . June 30, 2013.
- Web site: Elliott Smith's Live Act Worth It | Emerald Media |last=Schumacher |first=Helen |date=October 30, 2003 |website=Daily Emerald] |accessdate=June 30, 2013}}[6] even during full band shows, in which he would play the song solo on an acoustic guitar.
Reception
Pitchfork said, "It's a straight-ahead love song, one that dares to hope. Listen closely and you'll hear just how fragile that hope is: Smith whispers most of the song. He wavers. His fingers pluck out a simple question on the acoustic."[7]
Legacy
"Say Yes" has been used in a wide variety of movies, including Hurricane Streets and , as well as being covered by Death Cab for Cutie[8] and live by Ben Folds.[9] It was also covered in an episode of One Tree Hill, when Bryan Greenberg sings to his daughter Jenny.
Cover versions
References
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