| "Waltz #2 (XO)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elliott Smith | ||||
| from the album XO | ||||
| B-side | "Our Thing", "How to Take a Fall" | |||
| Released | September 21, 1998 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | DreamWorks | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Elliott Smith | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Elliott Smith singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Waltz #2 (XO)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was released in 1998 by record label DreamWorks as the first single from his fourth studio album, XO .
The single did not chart in the United States [1] but reached number 52 in the UK Singles Chart, his highest chart placement in the UK to date. [2]
In its article on the song, Slate called it Elliott Smith's best song. [3]
Pitchfork said, "Inside a smoky karaoke bar, a man and a woman—two people who may very well be stand-ins for Elliott Smith's mother, Bunny, and his stepfather, Charlie—select songs that thinly veil their marital strife. She blankly performs the humiliating "Cathy's Clown", he sings the pointed "You're No Good". Smith uses karaoke night to give us this meta novella about pop music and heartbreak." [4]
The song was covered by Kiki and Herb in their 2016 cabaret show Kiki & Herb: Seeking Asylum! at Joe's Pub, [5] and by Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan on his 2020 covers album Thief . [6]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Waltz #2 (XO)" | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Our Thing" | 2:57 |
| 3. | "How to Take a Fall" (CD edition only) |
Steven Paul Smith, known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. He had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies.
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a song written by Robbie Robertson and originally recorded by the Canadian-American roots rock group the Band in 1969 and released on their eponymous second album. Levon Helm provided the lead vocals. The song is a first-person narrative relating the economic and social distress experienced by the protagonist, a poor white Southerner, during the last year of the American Civil War, when George Stoneman was raiding southwest Virginia. The song appeared at number 245 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
Conor Mullen Oberst is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, the Faint, Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Monsters of Folk, and Better Oblivion Community Center. Oberst was named the Best Songwriter of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.
Either/Or is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Either/Or was recorded in several locations, mostly in Portland, Oregon – while Smith was still a member of Heatmiser – and was produced by Smith, Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. Either/Or was released on February 25, 1997, on the Kill Rock Stars record label, following Heatmiser's dissolution. Book-ended by its two singles, "Speed Trials" and "Ballad of Big Nothing", Either/Or did not chart in the US, but was acclaimed by critics.
XO is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was recorded from 1997 to 1998 and released on August 25, 1998, by record label DreamWorks; Smith's first solo album on a major record label. Two singles, "Waltz #2 (XO)" and "Baby Britain", were released.
Elliott Smith is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was recorded from late 1994 to early 1995, and released on July 21, 1995, through Kill Rock Stars, his first album on the label. It was preceded by the single "Needle in the Hay", released in early January 1995.
From a Basement on the Hill is the sixth and final studio album by the American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Recorded from 2000 to 2003, and faced with multiple delays due to Smith's personal problems that resulted in his death, it was released posthumously in the UK and Europe on Domino on October 18, 2004, and in the US the following day on October 19, 2004, through record label ANTI-, almost a year after his death.
Figure 8 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and the final studio album released during his lifetime. It was recorded from 1998 to 2000 at numerous studios and released on April 18, 2000, through DreamWorks Records. Preceded by the singles "Happiness" and "Son of Sam", Figure 8 was Smith's second release on a major label.
"Baby Britain" is a song by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was released in 1999 by record label DreamWorks as the second single from his fourth studio album, XO.
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The discography of Elliott Smith, an American singer-songwriter, consists of six studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums and eleven singles.
"Cathy's Clown" is a popular song, written by Don Everly and recorded by The Everly Brothers in 1960. The lyrics describe a man who has been wronged and publicly humiliated by his lover: "Here he comes / That's Cathy's clown". The choruses are sung by brothers Don and Phil in their trademark close harmony style, while Don sings the bridges solo.
"Happiness" is a song by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was released on February 8, 2000 by record label DreamWorks as the first single from his fifth studio album, Figure 8. It was also released on 7-inch vinyl by Cavity Search.
New Moon is a posthumous compilation album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, released on May 8, 2007 by Kill Rock Stars. It contains twenty-four previously unreleased songs, most recorded between 1994 and 1997 during the sessions for Smith's albums Elliott Smith and Either/Or.
"XO" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé from her self-titled fifth studio album in 2013. Columbia Records released the song as the lead contemporary hit radio single from the album in the US and Italy on December 16, 2013. Ryan Tedder composed and co-wrote and co-produced "XO" with Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Beyoncé, with additional production handled by Chauncey "Hit-Boy" Hollis and HazeBanga Music. A pure midtempo power pop and R&B love song with electronic influences, "XO" is complete with electronic musical instrumentation, synthesizers and drums. Musically, it was compared to Beyoncé's own song "Halo" and was noted for having several music hooks including its call and response chorus.
Jason Paul Douglas Boyd, better known by his stage name Poo Bear, is an American songwriter, singer, and music producer. He is best known for being one of Justin Bieber's main collaborators, having co-written many of Bieber's hits, and for co-writing the song "Caught Up" from Usher's diamond-certified album Confessions (2004).
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Amir Esmailian, also known as Cash and Cash XO, is an Iranian-Canadian music industry executive, talent manager, and record producer. He is the co-founder of XO Records and the co-manager of the label's primary artist, singer the Weeknd. He has executively produced albums and songs for artists such as Nav and The Carters.
"Spotlight" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware for her fourth studio album, What's Your Pleasure? (2020). A primarily house and nu-disco record singing about "longing and lust", it was written by Ware, Danny Parker, Shungudzo Kuyimba, and James Ford, while production was handled by the latter. Altogether with an accompanying music video where the singer sings and dances on Tito's Blue Train, the single version was released on 28 February 2020 as the third single from the album, with a remix by Icarus being released on 27 March 2020 later.
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