The celebrated folk-punk singer/songwriter Elliott Smith rose from indie obscurity to mainstream success in 1997 on the strength of "Miss Misery," his Academy Award-nominated song from the film Good Will Hunting. A native of Portland, OR, Smith began writing and recording his first songs at age 14, later becoming a fixture of the city's thriving music scene. As a member of the band Heatmiser, he debuted in 1993 with the LP Dead Air, issuing his first solo effort Roman Candle on the tiny Cavity Search label a year later. For his 1995 self-titled album, Smith signed with the noted Kill Rock Stars label. Either/Or followed in 1997, around the same time that filmmaker and longtime fan Gus Van Sant requested permission to use the singer's music in his upcoming Good Will Hunting. nSmith also composed a handful of new songs for the soundtrack, among them "Miss Misery," and when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its Oscar nominations the following February, the track was a surprise entry in the Best Original Song category. Although he did not win, Smith performed the song live at the televised Oscar broadcast, appearing on-stage alongside superstars Trisha Yearwood and Celine Dion in one of the most notably surreal musical moments in recent memory. Smith's DreamWorks label debut, XO, followed later in 1998. Two years later he delivered Figure 8, which delved further into lush arrangements and orchestrations. For the next two years, Smith labored over what was to be his next album, From a Basement on a Hill. He would not live to see the album's completion, however. nTo the shock of friends and fans alike, Smith's body was found on October 21, 2003, with two stab wounds in his chest. To date, the coroner has been unable to determine the cause of death, and the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open. From a Basement on a Hill was released one year later, just two days shy of the first anniversary of his death, and received warm critical nods. In 2007, the Kill Rock Stars label issued a two-disc set of Smith's unreleased work, all of which had been recorded between 1994 and 1997. Entitled New Moon, the 24-track collection contained three songs that had been previously released on hard to find compilations or soundtracks, including an early version of "Miss Misery" and a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
You must be 18 or older in order to participate in the following states: Florida
By clicking the button above, you acknowledge that you are the account holder for the cell phone number entered and you expressly agree to these terms as well as the Thumbplay Terms & Conditions of Use Agreement and Privacy Policy.
Thumbplay Subscription Terms: Not all carriers support the Thumbplay service and you must be a customer of a supported carrier to subscribe. A phone with an Internet-enabled and SMS-enabled (short message service) account is required. Your password will be sent to your phone when you click the button above. After entering your password, you will be subscribed to Thumbplay and automatically charged $9.99 each month on your mobile phone bill, or deducted from your prepaid balance for 10 credits each month until such time as you cancel your subscription. Monthly credits expire at the end of each month and may not be rolled over into the following month. New subscribers will receive 10 bonus credits for use during the first month, as well as up to 4 additional credits to cover the cost of the first download. This offer is only available to first time customers of Thumbplay and can not be combined with any other offer. Message and data rates may apply for subscriptions, promotional text messages, and account related text messages. Taxes may also apply.
You may receive your password confirmation text message multiple times until you complete the sign-up process. If you would like to stop receiving the password confirmation text messages, please email us at passwordsms@thumbplay.com.
You may cancel your Thumbplay subscription by sending the words STOP from your mobile device to 48000 or by contacting us via email. Please direct all email inquiries to support@thumbplay.com. You may also call 1-877-THUMB-99 (1-877-848-6299) for questions regarding your account.
Thumbplay One-Time Purchase Terms: In certain instances, in lieu of a subscription you may have the opportunity to make a one-time purchase. In such case, the purchase price (from $0.99 to $5.99 per content item) for the content item you select will be charged to your mobile phone bill, or deducted from your prepaid balance. All messages and Content to Verizon Wireless customers will come from 48000. For information about single item purchases, text HELP to 21453. Text STOP to 21453 to stop messaging. (Verizon Wireless customers text to 48000). Message and data rates may apply. Taxes may also apply.
Games are not currently supported for Verizon Wireless customers.
By subscribing or making a one-time purchase from Thumbplay you expressly agree to receive promotional and account related communications by SMS and email, including our weekly newsletter. You may stop receiving promotional SMS text messages by clicking here and you may stop receiving promotional emails by clicking here.
Thumbplay ringtones and Thumbplay mobile ringtones are compatible with most current Motorola, Nokia, LG, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony Ericsson mobile/cell phones. Supported carriers include AT&T, T-Mobile®, Alltel, and Verizon Wireless.
On your phone visit m.thumbplay.com