everybody record a cover of Elliott Smith's "Waltz #2

July 19, 2006 10:45 AM

Music collaboration fun / favor: everybody record a cover of Elliott Smith's "Waltz #2". [more inside]
posted by cortex (staff) to MetaFilter Music at 10:45 AM (30 comments total)

A good friend (and former bandmate) of mine is getting married. This is Their Song, more or less—I'm playing it on piano at the wedding, in fact—and I'd love to be able to give them a disc of covers as a wedding present.

This wouldn't be any sort of official project—I'm not looking to distribute it in any way, other than burning a copy for the friend in question, though of course putting the tracks up on the web somewhere so that we can all revel in the results and grin madly seems like a good idea as well.

Probably not a good project for Music, specifically, given the copyright question. I'm happy to provide webspace to host these, in whatever form makes sense.

I'd love to see a real variety of covers and interpretations, and prior knowledge of the track isn't a prerequisite. You can snag a copy right here.

Anybody interested? Email me for details, address is in my profile.
posted by cortex at 10:46 AM on July 19, 2006

How long have we got?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:26 AM on July 19, 2006 [1 favorite]

Good question. He's getting married in mid-September, so easily a month.
posted by cortex at 11:28 AM on July 19, 2006

Lyrics:

First the mic then a half cigarette
Singing 'Cathy's Clown'
That's the man she's married to now
That's the girl that he takes around town
She appears composed, so she is, I suppose
Who can really tell?
She shows no emotion at all
Stares into space like a dead china doll
I'm never gonna know you now
But I'm gonna love you anyhow
Now she's done and they're calling someone
Such a familiar name
I'm so glad that my memory's remote
Cause I'm doing just fine hour to hour, note to note
Here it is, the revenge to the tune
You're no good,
You're no good you're no good you're no good
Can't you tell that it's well understood
I'm never gonna know you now
But I'm gonna love you anyhow
I'm here today and expected to stay on and on and on
I'm tired
I'm tired
Looking out on the substitute scene
Still going strong
XO, Mom
It's ok, it's alright, nothing's wrong
Tell Mr. Man with impossible plans to just leave me alone
In the place where I make no mistakes
In the place where I have what it takes
I'm never gonna know you now
But I'm gonna love you anyhow
I'm never gonna know you now
But I'm gonna love you anyhow
I'm never gonna know you now
But I'm gonna love you anyhow
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:31 AM on July 19, 2006

That's one of my favorite songs, and I'd be up for recording it, but wow, what a depressing wedding song.
posted by scottreynen at 12:26 PM on July 19, 2006

what a depressing wedding song

Well, the recital at the service will just be the Pretty Pretty Piano take on it, so don't despair too much. I presume the Elliott Smith fanhood and the circumstances of affection have more to do with the song being special than anything in the lyrical theme.
posted by cortex at 12:36 PM on July 19, 2006

Nevertheless - A bit of a re-write may be in order from my corner.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:39 PM on July 19, 2006

And a sample or two from Fuck Me on the Dancefloor.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:39 PM on July 19, 2006

Ha!

Yeah, rewrites and creative interpretations are more than welcome. It should be recognizable, and I imagine many may be fairly close to home, but I'm all for stretches.
posted by cortex at 12:41 PM on July 19, 2006

When trying to snag a copy, I get a 404.
posted by bouncebounce at 1:37 PM on July 19, 2006

When trying to snag a copy, I get a 404.

Goddammit. The box that's hosted that is, this afternoon, getting some serious work done. I'll get up an alternate link this afternoon, PST.
posted by cortex at 2:01 PM on July 19, 2006

Great idea, I'm in. With a little luck I can convince my (obsessively Elliott Smith fanboy) friend to do one as well, if you want me to do that. A reminder, say, two weeks before the "deadline" would be much appreciated, by the way; I can't possibly be the only forgetful one around these parts.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 2:18 PM on July 19, 2006

Sounds like fun! For some reason I think a Metallica-style version would be really cool, so perhaps I'll give that a shot. (Possibly without the growl, though; don't know if I can do that...)
posted by equalpants at 2:38 PM on July 19, 2006

they're so emo
posted by matteo at 3:52 PM on July 19, 2006

Dude. *Getting married* is emo.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 3:53 PM on July 19, 2006

UPDATED LINK TO THE ORIGINAL SONG WOO YEAH
posted by cortex at 4:29 PM on July 19, 2006

Just a thought: "Happiness" is a really nice song that Elliott Smith did, and it has more of a positive/we're-in-this-together sort of vibe. I'm not suggesting replacement, far from it, but maybe that could be part of the repertoire too?
posted by clockzero at 4:38 PM on July 19, 2006

I love this idea, and I love this song.

I will undertake it.
posted by emelenjr at 4:51 PM on July 19, 2006

clockzero, I won't stop you, but you may be the only outlier. If you don't mind, I don't mind. :)
posted by cortex at 5:48 PM on July 19, 2006

And oh my
Nothing else
could have been done
She made her life a lie so
She
might
Never have to know anyone
Made her life the lie,
you know

I guess that's about as positive as it got for Elliott Smith, but not exactly what I'd consider a wedding song.
posted by scottreynen at 6:34 PM on July 19, 2006

Never heard this song before, but I think a piano version would make a great wedding song.
posted by muddgirl at 8:00 PM on July 19, 2006

what a cool project, cortex! If I had any musical talent, I'd help out.
posted by jonson at 8:18 PM on July 19, 2006

I suck far too much to even consider going anywhere near that lovely song, but just want to request - nay, demand - that cortex post his version to MeFiMu ASAP.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:28 PM on July 19, 2006

big big favourite of mine.
i'll give it a shot.
posted by chococat at 8:40 PM on July 19, 2006

Chococat's version ASAP too, plz.

Seriously dude, it always takes me a second to realize that 'Light On' isn't a Smith song when it comes on the MP3 player.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:48 PM on July 19, 2006

Awesome idea! I bet your friends will love having a CD of their favorite song butchered over and over!
posted by thirteenkiller at 9:16 PM on July 19, 2006

cortex post his version to MeFiMu ASAP

My version isn't recorded, or even ready for recording—I'm still working out a satisfactory piano version, and I don't own a piano so it's slow going. Got a couple months yet, though. Heh.

I'll do a recording at some point.

what a cool project, cortex! If I had any musical talent, I'd help out.

Do something talentless, send it my way. Get some friends together and get drunk and sing it acapella.

heish, you can do a rap cover
posted by cortex at 10:07 PM on July 19, 2006

If you ever need a stranger to sing at your wedding (a last minute choice) then I am your man. I know every song, you name it, by Bacharach or David. Every stupid love song that's ever touched your heart. Every power ballad that's ever climbed the charts. You think it's funny, my obsession with the holy matrimony. But I'm just so amazed to witness true love. And true love can be measured through these simple pleasures. They are waiting there for you to be discovered. I would cut of my right arm to be someones lover. Maybe I'll meet her there tonight at the wedding buffet. I walk up to her when she's caught the bouquet.
posted by ND¢ at 8:04 AM on July 20, 2006

I'm all over this. There's actually a years-old recording of this tune that I made floating around somewhere. I think my girlfriend might have it. I hope nobody else finds it, though.
posted by ludwig_van at 11:10 AM on July 20, 2006

Last post.
posted by dersins at 12:13 PM on August 18, 2006