Son of Sam (song)

"Son of Sam"
Single by Elliott Smith
from the album Figure 8
Released November 14, 2000
Format 7", CD
Genre Indie rock
Length 3:04
Label DreamWorks
Writer(s) Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith singles chronology
"Happiness"
(1999)		 "Son of Sam"
(2000)		 "Pretty (Ugly Before)"
(2003)
Figure 8 track listing
  1. "Son of Sam"
  2. "Somebody That I Used to Know"
  3. "Junk Bond Trader"
  4. "Everything Reminds Me of Her"
  5. "Everything Means Nothing to Me"
  6. "L.A."
  7. "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)/The Roost"
  8. "Stupidity Tries"
  9. "Easy Way Out"
  10. "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?"
  11. "Color Bars"
  12. "Happiness/The Gondola Man"
  13. "Pretty Mary K"
  14. "I Better Be Quiet Now"
  15. "Can't Make a Sound"
  16. "Bye"

"Son of Sam" is a song written by Elliott Smith. It was released on his fifth studio album Figure 8 in April 2000, and then as a single in November 2000.

The song was not about the real life "Son of Sam", serial killer David Berkowitz. Smith explained, "It's not about the serial killer, I'm not sure exactly what it's about because it's just sort of like telling someone a dream you had last night. There are some destructive figures in it, 'Son of Sam', Shiva... but Shiva's also associated with creativity... I'm not sure... it's just an impressionistic song about destruction and creativity, I guess; if it's about anything."[1]

The song is featured in the film Antitrust and an acoustic version appears as a b-side on the "Happiness" single.

Contents

Live

Elliott performed "Son of Sam" live on tour in support of Figure 8, both with an electric band and solo with an acoustic guitar. Notably, he performed it with a band on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on April 21, 2000.

Music video

A music video was directed by Autumn de Wilde for the song, featuring intermittent black and white stop frames. Smith is seen following a red balloon that moves by itself; this concept resembles that of the 1956 French film The Red Balloon, although de Wilde notes in the photo-book Elliott Smith that the video was inspired by the 1962 French film La jetée.

In an interview Smith said, "The person who did 'Son of Sam' is a friend of mine. I didn't want some hot shit Hollywood guy to make god knows what. My friend Autumn, who is a photographer, had never made a film before, but she was very interested in doing it, so she came up with an idea. It was fun because I knew her, and I liked and respected her pictures."[2]

Track listings

CD single

  1. "Son of Sam"
  2. "A Living Will"
  3. "Figure 8" (Bob Dorough)[3]

7" single

  1. "Son of Sam"
  2. "A Living Will"

References

  1. ^ Walton, Adam (2000-04-03). "Elliott Smith interview". adamwalton.co.uk. http://adamwalton.co.uk/mmt_arc/int-elliott.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-24. 
  2. ^ Steininger, Alex (Nov/December 2000). "Oscar-Nominee Speaks About Fame and Music". In Music We Trust. http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/34h03.html. Retrieved 2008-01-24. 
  3. ^ "Figure 8" is a cover of a "multiplication rock" song from Schoolhouse Rock! performed on piano, and does not appear on the American version of Figure 8.
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