Elliott Smith - Needle In The Hay (Rock Version)

[MrJohnCassady]

The thing with Elliott Smith is: when you see him for the first time you indeed think he doesn't look very good, but then he starts singing and everybody just shuts the fuck up: he's beautiful

[cordfluidnevoie]

after tis i'll have to hang out tonight for a drink fuck this give me da chills

[factorysealed4u]

hands down best version of this song have been coming back to it over the years seriously the best

[thesoftsquid]

wow dont rip on kurt. that guy was equally defined as a musician with elliott.

[LuvKing87]

I love this version of the song, just downloaded it. Great song.

[thatTsen]

If only a studio version of this song was made!

[onegreenday]

I really love the electric version. It rocks like no tomorrow....

I get the drug image of a needle in the hay

but does it mean more than that? thanks

Elliott.......

[djrealfancy]

Why are so many peeps in this thread inclined to compare Elliott & Kurt? Because they both liked Smack & killed themselves? They both are beautiful -"gifts" to music lovers. Nirvana fans -Youtube search "Nirvana Negative Creep Blind Pig". Thank me later. I love you Elliott!! RIP

[joebstarsurfer]

Eliot Smith would hopefully say "read a paper".

[michaellimbert]

So fucking solid.

[inputmodule]

i love elliott smith so much.

[jenzeppelin]

One of my favourite performances of all time. This is one of the rare, precious gems of YouTube. Please never take this treasure down.

[mattd00d82]

What sucks is he died right before I was supposed to see him play at All Tomorrow's Party :(

[wirsindhelden0]

@mattd00d82 that's really sad. i started listening to him just a few months before he died. i had grand dreams to find him on my 18th birthday and propose to him ;) his plans for that day, however, were quite different :(....the fact that i never got to see him play/meet him is by far one of my biggest let downs.

[samorrissey]

Incredible. Never got to see him live. Became a fan when I heard of his death and listened to his music. I wish I could have seen him

[KoalaBearStudios]

Hey please come check out our videos! comment and subscribe =)

-Dustin Titus

[jaguarbassist9]

not a cover...thats elliott smith

[jaguarbassist9]

you said its one of the best covers youve ever heard. its not a cover, its his original song, and him playing it

[EMinorRant]

Why are you guys calling him ugly ;_;

[SheiVah]

very intelligent you are .. anyother one word comments you'd like to waste *our* tyme with ? ...

[azrial4421]

ok so the chorus has to be performed by two guitars? cause I cant get it on one, even tho the tabs seem to think you can make the sound with one guitar.... Good musicians help me out plz

[Havokz3]

i found it quite humorous that an ad for Dave Matthews band loaded onto the page when i put this on. But really though, Elliot Smith was amazing.

[apackofgum]

I really love the accents the drummer uses from "now on the bus..." on.

[Thanatos420]

I saw one show he did in PDX shortly before he died. Great performer he was! Also saw one of Stabbing Westward's last shows somewhere around that time, too.

[radiofreeek]

i was 9 when he died. and discovered him just last year.

but, i would've never known him anyway, when i was 9 i was into slayer, metallica, guns n' roses megadeth etc.. (yea weird little kid, sadly continued like that 'till i was 13 and started listening to real music)

[apackofgum]

Nothing wrong with SLAYER at all!

[radiofreeek]

well yeah, you're right, but i was one of those poser kids you know that only know raining blood and all. sorry for making that claim.

[apackofgum]

If you're listening to slayer at 9 it doesn't matter how much about it you know. That is fucking metal.

[TheHazyGungan]

true that.

[darucon]

same, now i'm going back and relearning good music

[bigcherry99]

i don't intend this in a mean way, but eliot smith was pretty ugly.

i mean, he was no oil painting.

maybe thats why people think his music was credible?

.

[stellarlove21]

You may think he's ugly, but listen to enough of his music and learn enough about the kind and gentle person he was, and he will suddenly appear beautiful.

[carniebeater]

People think Howie Day's music is credible because he's not ugly.

[gophergun]

Credible? I'm not really sure what you mean by that :/ I certainly believe his music exists, though....?

[slowhandxi]

that's what years of heroin abuse does to you

you age FAST

[purpledrohaze777]

The crack has more to do with appearance than heroin.

[thot4]

Actually, heroin slows down aging. Momentarily you may look older, but when you get off it, you're physically much younger than your companions who did not take it.

Lesser known, and often misinterpreted fact.

[lysergicdeez]

@thot4 have you done smack? i mean, actually done smack.... i looked 27 when i was 18.

[thot4]

@lysergigdeez

I'm a morphine addict. Been on the juice for two years now. I'm 18 and I look 16. If you get clean smack, you're fine. It's the black tar and the shit they cut it with that does you in.

[badmuddy]

as someone who started using when he was 15, i can unequivocally attest to THAT being a myth. for one, your teeth will tell you a VASTLY diff story, & as far as the rest, MOST age horribly over a lifetime of abuse. me? i was lucky; i've got great genes.

[riveredpho3nix]

Not that great cos you got addicted to heroin my friend ;-)

[badmuddy]

touche :-)

[lysergicdeez]

@riveredpho3nix try it and get back to me in a year. aint all in the genes. its in the brain.

[lysergicdeez]

@badmuddy dude me and my buddies always got the 'YOURE 19?!' line all the fucking time. i have never met a dopehead that looked his age. i bought beer when i was 17, started using at 15 with OC and dilaudid. also, cuttng agents arent what ages you. its not the diacetylmorphine either, it may be effected by those but what really does it is the lifestyle, the sickness, the stress. it isnt simple. i actually know how to purify my score, and who fucking shoots tar? smoke that shit on reynolds wrap.

[distancerunner]

An amazing and powerful song. The audience in this clip clearly loves it, and I would too if I was there (wish I was).

[audiorage092]

I wish they recorded this in the studio

[Nobodie92]

I love both versions. There almost two different songs with Elliot's falsetto and the accompanied bass and drums. Great song regardless.

[lilysound]

good

[Somethingpower]

what year??

[markkickmark]

This song is on his self-titled album, but it is not a rock version, it is the version from The Royal Tenenbaums.

[igyunkkubut]

I was 11 when he died. Discovered his music when I was 15. I couldn't possibly see him live. I'm fucking disappointed. End of comment.

[FierceUnicorn]

Wow me too! Except everything for me was a year earlier. I was 10 when he died and discovered him when I was 14.

You know what makes it harder for me? His LAST show was less than 45 minutes away from me. Gahhh. :(

[ElWeasle]

Died when I was 10, discovered him when I was 16 (very recently.

Breaks my heart.

[audiorage092]

Same here...discovered him when I was 11

[jagtem]

Did they ever record this version in studio?

[createanomaly]

I have a casino that looks exactly like that, just natural wood. i feel like he's playing a gibson but i didn't think they made totally hollow-body's.

[rm206productions]

It's a Gibson 330 with the pick guard removed. You're right though, looks a lot like a Casino.

[jlaw666]

i want that guitar, not that exact one just that model

[jenzeppelin]

great version wow!

[teenwithforce4]

WOW. when and where was this?

[alamedaxo]

if i was at this concert..i would be going ABSOLUTELY nuts...but it'll never happen =[

[SuperBenyamin]

This sounds great doesn't it? I love looking at him getting to rock like this.

[droptheanchor]

As long as if HE'S playing the song, and not some cover band. Haha, that would be awful.

[HuffyGuitarist]

I think its complete bullshit that people are arguing which way this song should be played.

It was obviously intended to be both electric and unplugged, otherwise Elliott Smith WOULDN'T HAVE FUCKING PLAYED IT THAT WAY.

[thirrdeyevision]

please don't ever take this video off youtube!

[skubz]

i don't see why people are arguing if this song was intended this way or only acoustic or both...

it works, obviously. just listen to it.

[bltzdbby07]

love love love this version..can you download it anywhere?

[videoapparatus]

yes here, like you did

[bltzdbby07]

i got that lol..i meant for itunes

[DeSmetownescbc]

listen to youtube (dot) com

that should work

[DeSmetownescbc]

this is better then the acoustic. he took a great song and made it better.

<3

thanks elliott

[poduchawsdgahadfhsdf]

yeah,this is cool

[graceslickiscool]

not a bad version at all. good job

[potentialcarnie]

who are you talking to?

[niedec]

You know that that's still Elliott Smith singing, right? It isn't a cover, just a different version.

[samsta2]

wow that's awesome, a great version of a great song.

[dannnn98]

i like this version alot i wish he was around to try an whole album like this rip elliot

[Manush123]

I miss you elliott, may wherever you are hold as much happiness as you deserve.

[slaughterxsandii]

i LOVE this version.

Elliot Smith is god.<3

[audiorage092]

anybody know if there's a recording of this performance..or another performance where they play it with drums? I'd rip the audio..but i don't think I can.

[theonekeyblade]

"I'm not gonna know you know but i'm gonna love you anyhow" R.I.P dude.

[nijwmzen29]

love both cobain and elliott smith. RIP both

[amadlook]

what a legend

[Treesguitarist]

nirvana sucks. sorry, but elliott smith was a billion times the songwriter cobain was. . .

[Drratburn]

You can't compare the two. Both Cobain and Smith had unique attributes which different kinds of people bond to. Elliot was less mainstream, and less known of, so he has less followers, but many are more loyal. Cobain and Elliot were both superb musicians and now have the luxury of being legends, and it's simply unnecessary to argue over who is "better", because there is no winner, only two men with more passion than they could handle.

[mrsalmon1984]

Only thing in common is that their perception of reality became too much to live with. IMHO. Well. I guess the fact many think both were murdered instead of suicide.

[red3chilli]

But you cant deny that both Cobains music and Smiths music have a similar feel and sound, they are quite alike in many places, im not saying one is better than the other or anything, i just heard elliott for the first time today and the first thing i thought of was cobain, maybe thats why im falling in love with elliott being a big cobain fan aswell?

[Kejnao]

@Drratburn: the last sentence makes that the most brilliant youtube comment i've read so far!

[wirsindhelden0]

@Drratburn very well said.

[misfitsg17]

@Drratburn Elliott was a good musician.

Cobain was untalented

[apolitikmusic]

@misfitsg17 McCartney was good, but Gene Simmons had a better tongue.

[bjballsack]

i think kurt cobain and elliot smith were two of the greatest song writers. and nirvana did not suck you have to be an idiot to say that. they were the best thing that came out of the 90s. i respect both musicians but i am more of a cobain fan. they were both amazing though and its sad that there not here anymore because music sucks now. RIP to both of them

[TheClique86]

Dont feed thr troll, please

[audiorage092]

Nirvana used to be my favorite band. believe me when I say I know their material well. The big difference between Cobain and Elliott's writing is that Cobain developed his own style by using the most odd chord choices, like shit that you think a kid who just learned guitar would play. But it worked for the music..it was interesting. Smith was more of a great guitarist who wrote really original and complicated parts. In terms of lyrics, Cobain was way more artsy, but Smith had great lines 2.

[h1ckfil]

I think Smith had more of a basis in education. Cobain, he's just a dropout who made good music.

[scarekat]

the thing that amazes me about cobain, is that he constantly used the same chords, just in different progressions, and yet it rarely ever got repetitive

elliott smith does have a better education in guitar, therefore all of his songs are unique, although his lyrics occasionally get repetitive

[jlaw666]

i bet his education is just learning a shit ton of beatles songs

[KiraXIV]

This is an amazing song and version but I prefer the original version, how it was intended.

[BlackieHugeHands]

Elliott intended it both ways.

[SqueakCKY]

Amazing version.

[AFpilotJJ]

I agree, nirvana would own this song

[dannehFREAK]

i wouldn't say that nirvana would own the song.

reckon they'd do it justice though. :)

[dazedcola]

didn't think this song would work electric but it came out really well.

[sstrunks8000]

if nirvana was still around to do a cover of this it would sound insane. think about it

[cursedtwo]

Add Nick Drake to that list.

[patdlover1916]

Right on.

[giannireb68]

Miss you Elliot. Long live Elliot, Jeff Buckley and Kurt. Jeff Tweedy you better fuckin stick around.

[genaphir]

RIP Elliott 10.21.03 - We love you:)

[hellosweetheart666]

he died eaxactly 5 years ago today.

[thenscream]

LOVE HIM

[Manush123]

wow, that was so well composed. I love elliott, it's such a great shame that he's forever gone...

[1kentrich1]

Fucking rad version. Elliot was bad-ass.

[Vamphaery]

When I come across arguments re: covers of Elliot's music (this isn't a cover) or different arrangements of his music (which is what this is,) I always feel compelled to remind people what he said in the "songwriting lesson" video you can also find on YouTube. He said that if something interests you and you like it, that there must be something interesting and good about it because you liked it, and that people shouldn't get caught up in what other people want to hear.

[XxCrazyxxFuckerxX]

i love this so much

both versions are epic

[any13lse]

good sound quality for such sucky footage. i still like it!

[streetsiswatchin]

This sounds fucking awesome. I prefer this version.

[todoublem]

Awesome version. It reminds me of the song 3am by matchbox 20. The song is meant to be soft and slow, but when you speed it up it still sounds great.

[Condiggs]

wicked

[alamedaxo]

it's HIS song..he can do whatever he wants with it and it's still genius...plus this style is closer to his roots...with that said, i prefer the original but this still kicks ass

[skivs]

The rock version certainly adds an interesting element to an already great song.

[thelucky1s]

Who cares which version is better? We should be glad we have both.

Always good to see Elliott crank it up, aswell.

[chrisb121]

thats a great outlook... "we should be glad we have both."

people fall in love with songs and then pretend they are sole owners of them and cant discuss shit with others with an open mind.  these songs are for everybody and when there are two versions everybody is gonna benefit.

[mintstorm]

well said =D

[ilikethevines]

less intimate, i totally like this version too but not as much,

the crowd are loud, i thought i'd never hear that reaction to this song which is strange, he should have gone all thom yorke and shut them up-joke

[illgiveumorality]

Listen to the Live at Largo tracks.

[ilikethevines]

thanks for that they've just finished downloading, wow!

thankyouthankyouthankyou

[MagicMushroom33]

sounds really good

[courage4]

havn't they lost the point a bit of what this song is all about?

[theyarealive]

No.

[bennywyer]

yes

[AintNoEasyWay]

The meaning is not the mellowness in the real version you retard. Covering it does not change the meaning. It's in the lyrics.

[courage4]

i disagree, the delivery of a song is also important to how it is received. the original was far more emotional for me. if this was the only version of the song i wouldn't care about it. the original is one of my all time favourite songs. this is not

[bob704293]

I hear where you are coming from. Maybe it just gets boring playing the same version all the time though.

[MaekTrollPoast]

"Lost the point" or not, it's his song to do with what he wants.

You can't "cover" your own song.

[courage4]

how am i retarded for having an opinion? surely the reason we have so many genres of music, from heavy metal to folk, shows that people respond differently to how music is played. the delivery of a song is soooo important. music is not like poetry, you don't read a song, you listen. you can't really believe its entirely the lyrics? and covering it does change the meaning when it is covered by a buunch of talentless guitar strumming c*nts

[Ryondarkfire]

well it isn't actually a cover since thats elliot smith...he just decided to fiddle with it some, I think it sounds great.

[hooraysweden]

I'm not going to get into which one is "better." Both are great... this one is easier to listen to. When you're just hearing Elliott and his guitar alone, the song is much, much more pained, and I feel like it has more gravity in a sense because of that.

But this version is a lot easier to listen to. I can't always listen to the acoustic version under all circumstances because it can be painful to listen to.

[Caffinatedjebus]

I agree. There's just something so lonely about the acoustic guitar.

[101889]

when and where was this?

[djrealfancy]

so F'ng good! ty for the video. one vote for the rocker version over acoustic here

[bennywyer]

Are you for real? There is something about elliot and his guitar alone that has so much more meaning and pain to his songs.

Dont get me wrong, this sounds good but there is no way it is any where as heart felt as the original tune!

[djrealfancy]

i just enjoy the uptempo, rocker feel too this version. elliot alone w/ a guitar suits me just fine (or a produced track with crickets -i like them all)...heartfelt, for sure.

[campilkey007]

Not bad... but this is not nearly as good as the original version.

[pissedpecanpie]

amazing... <3

[slightlymentholated]

wow

this song is one of the best of all time

[TheFederation4]

this guy is great. his music is fantastic. no one writes music like this guy. booyah

[TheFederation4]

i love thiks guy, its unfortunate that he had to take his own life is wat i meant

[TheFederation4]

2 bad he killed himself

[yousarrian]

they don't know for sure he killed himself

[noodlegrannybill]

amazing..rest in peace elliot... rest in peace.

[ddi9]

ahhhsome :]

[LeaLeaLeaLeaLea]

..This is amazing.

[joeydaclown]

I don't think that I can live without this video.

[amydob135]

y ??????????????????

[glenmar666]

Because it's so great.

[TheOpeningDeparture]

its fan-fucking-tastic :D

[crankthetoto]

take a biology class andy..

[ddi9]

hellz yeah it is! =D

[dresdnedolls888]

wow you soung like Marya Hornbacher! and this sure is fanfuckingtastic!

[kieran514]

superb.

[jason230marusic]

he kinda sounds like Ben Gibbard here....I like it a lot.

[LuvKing87]

For the people who wanted a copy, you need to tell me your e-mails so I can send you this version.

For those who have, hope you enjoy.

[ZtrawDog]

Thanx a lot. I do want one.

[mikeyfatstrings]

man i love that bad astronaut cover ... infact the better majority of acrophobe is good

but you still cant beat E.Smith

[anawate2]

the bad astronaut version is much better than this one! in fact its better than the original one.

[gshellen]

I heartily disagree. Nothing personal, I just find the Bad Astronaut cover to be very sludgy and calculated, and devoid of the emotion and subtlety of either this version or the recorded one.

[threeaaas]

this version highlights exactly why needle in the hay isnt a 'nice' song... fractured, brittle and tense as hell

[corduroyboi]

you are so RIGHT ON! man, smith was first and foremost a brilliant composer.