XO (ALBUM)

'''XO''' is the name of the fourth album recorded by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was Smith's first release on a major label, DreamWorks Records, on 25 August 1998 in Compact Disc format. Bong Load Custom Records released it on vinyl LP (no longer in print). The album is also available as digital download.
The singles from ''XO'' were "Waltz #2 (XO)" and "Baby Britain". An early working title for the album was ''Grand Mal''. Smith recorded numerous demos during the ''XO'' sessions that did not make it to the album.

Contents

Track listing

Track information

Additional musicians

Outtakes, B-sides, and non-album tracks

Officially released

Posthumously released

Unofficially released

Unreleased

Other songs from this era

References

Track listing

All songs written by Elliott Smith.
# "Sweet Adeline" – 3:15
# "Tomorrow Tomorrow" – 3:07
# "Waltz #2 (XO)" – 4:40
# "Baby Britain" – 3:13
# "Pitseleh" – 3:22
# "Independence Day" – 3:04
# "Bled White" – 3:22
# "Waltz #1" – 3:22
# "Amity" – 2:20
# "Oh Well, Okay" – 2:33
# "Bottle Up and Explode!" – 2:58
# "A Question Mark" – 2:41
# "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands" – 4:25
# "I Didn't Understand" – 2:17

Track information

★ The title of the first track, "Sweet Adeline", was inspired by Smith's recollections of his grandmother singing in her glee club, Sweet Adelines International.^[1]

★ "Amity" was named after a friend who can be seen in photographs from Smith's 1997 tour.^[2]

★ Smith performed "Waltz #2" October 17, 1998 on ''Saturday Night Live''.

★ "Waltz #2" was inspired about a specific memory from Smith's childhood watching his mother and stepfather at a karaoke bar in Texas. The first draft of the song contained the nakedly personal lyrics "I love you, mom."

★ A sampling of the opening "Ahhhhhhh" of "I Didn't Understand," along with a sample of Smith's vocalizing from the same song, is prominently featured in RJD2's song "Ghostwriter" from the album ''Deadringer''.

★ "Pitseleh" means "little one" in Yiddish.

★ "Miss Misery," written by Smith for the soundtrack to fellow Portlander Gus Van Sant's film ''Good Will Hunting'', appears as track 15 on Japanese pressings.

Additional musicians

★ Jon Brion – chamberlin and vibraphone on "Waltz #1", "Bottle Up and Explode!", and "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands".

★ Tom Rothrock – drum loop on "Independence Day"

★ Rob Schnapf – guitar on "Baby Britain"

★ Joey Waronker – drummer on "Bled White" and "Bottle Up and Explode!"

★ Bruce Eskovitz – Bass saxophone, Baritone saxophone, and flute

★ Ray Poper – Trumpet

★ R. James Atkinson – French Horn

Outtakes, B-sides, and non-album tracks

The following tracks were recorded during the ''XO'' sessions but ultimately did not make the album:

Officially released

★ "Division Day" (featured on the "Division Day" single)

★ "The Enemy is You" (featured on the "Baby Britain" single)

★ "How to Take a Fall" (featured on the "Waltz #2 (XO)" single)

★ "Miss Misery" (featured on the ''Good Will Hunting'' soundtrack)

★ "No Name #6" (featured on the "Division Day" single)

★ "Our Thing" (featured on the "Waltz #2 (XO)" single)

★ "Waltz #1" (Demo)

Posthumously released

★ "First Timer" (featured on ''New Moon'') (later renamed and re-recorded as "From a Poison Well")

★ "Miss Misery" (early version) (featured on ''New Moon'')

Unofficially released

★ "A Silver Chain" (instrumental, unknown if vocals were finished)

★ "A Question Mark" (instrumental demo)

★ "Bled White" (demo version)

★ "Cecilia/Amanda" (demo version)

★ "Division Day" (alternate version)

★ "I Didn't Understand" (demo version)

★ "Taking a Fall"

★ An instrumental, title unknown.

Unreleased

★ "Brand New Game"

★ "Cecilia/Amanda" (Final version)

Other songs from this era

The following songs were played live, mentioned in interviews, or may have been worked on during this era:

★ "Have You Seen Her?"

★ "Tom's Start" (later renamed and rerecorded as "Happiness", which was included on Smith's next album, Figure 8)

★ "Unlucky Charm"

References

1. Biography S. R. Shutt
2. Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, , Benjamin, Nugent, Da Capo Press, 2004, ISBN 0-306-81393-9