Tag Archives: Elliott Smith Songs

“Thirteen” by Big Star – Chords, Tabs, and How to Play

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“Thirteen”
Big Star

(Capo III)

G               Cadd9   G              Cadd9        G
Won’t you let me  walk you home from school?
G               Cadd9  G            Cadd9    Am7
Won’t you let me meet you at the   pool?
Em        Am7      Em                   Am7
Maybe Friday I can get tickets for the dance,
Em – D           G
And I’ll take…   you.

Won’t you tell your dad, “Get off my back”?
Tell him what we said about “Paint it Black.”
Rock and roll is here to stay; come inside where it’s okay.
And I’ll shake you.

Won’t you tell me what you’re thinking of?
Would you be an outlaw for my love?
If it’s so, well, let me know.
If it’s no, well, I can go.
I won’t make you…

** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **

“Waltz #2 (XO)” (Elliott Smith Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to not only a brand-new Laptop Session, but the introduction of a new artist to our list of covers! Today, I’m playing “Waltz #2 (XO)” from Elliott Smith’s XO album. I actually just realized a couple weeks ago that he did indeed have an album between my two favorites from him — Either/Or and Figure 8 — and I had to get it. I’ve been listening to it ever since, and it feels kind of like a new album to me, considering that I thought I had heard all of his studio material.

Like I said, I’ve been listening to the album for over a week, and even though I still have several Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash “Laptop Sessions” videos, I just had to sit down and record this one (thus, the late-night, down-to-the-wire posting).

I hope you enjoy it; I certainly enjoyed learning it and playing it! Don’t forget to check out an all-new session from Jeff tomorrow, right here at https://guitarbucketlist.com !


“Thirteen” (Big Star Cover)

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For Big Star chords, CLICK HERE!

By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to my first Laptop Sessions post of the new year!

Yes, 2009 will be even better than 2008.  I hope…

Seriously, though, I’m excited for all the improvements and updates that have already taken place, even in the brief five day period since New Year’s Day.  If you’re a regular visitor to this site, you should notice some of Jim’s handiwork on the front page of the site.  Go ahead, check again.  You’ll see the new scrolling pictures of our original albums (click and take a listen!!).  You’ll see the weekly calendar of sessions: Chris Moore Mondays, Jim Fusco Tuesdays, Original Wednesdays, Jeff Copperthite Thursdays, and Guest Sessions Fridays — learn ’em, love ’em!

And my personal favorite addition is our new Fusco-Moore original (well, technically, it’s just a Fusco original… :- ) loading bar with four squares.  There are some excellent features that we’ve built up over the past year, and I hope you’ll take the time to acquaint yourself with all the great material that’s available on the site.  Go ahead, explore…

For tonight’s session, I chose a pretty obscure one.  In fact, I haven’t even found a copy of the original version.  This is Big Star’s “Thirteen.”  I first heard this song when Elliott Smith’s acoustic version was released posthumously on New Moon.  This is an amazing song and Smith’s version, as far as I’m concerned, is the quintessential version.  The combination of his fingerpicking style and voice is a beautiful thing.

Just last night, I heard the Wilco cover of this song, recorded originally in 1997.  As Jeff Tweedy began to sing the lead, I instantly remembered the song.  Only, I didn’t know where I had heard it.  Thus, I rediscovered the beauty of the iPod.  I searched “Thirteen,” found my Elliott Smith version, and set out to learn the song myself.

It’s as simple as that.

That’s what we do around here.  So don’t go too far — hurry back for the very first Jim Fusco Tuesday of 2009 and I’ll see you again soon!

“Needle in the Hay” (Elliott Smith Indie Rock Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

Trying to find great acoustic cover songs on the web is like trying to find a needle in the hay…

…and now you can find both in the same place!!  (In this case, a great acoustic cover song music blog AND a “Needle in the Hay”)

Seriously, though, it is my pleasure to bring you the Laptop Sessions’ second installment in the Elliott Smith category (see our 100+ band categories in the drop-down menu above) with his great song “Needle in the Hay.”  This is track one on his second, self-titled album.  I truly love Elliott Smith’s work, but I’m really a fan of his third (Either/Or), fourth (XO), and especially fifth (Figure 8 ) albums.  His first two releases are solid and I’ve grown more and more fond of them after multiple listens.  I think what really holds them back for me is the fact that they’re predominantly Smith and his acoustic guitar.  There is, of course, double-tracking and soloing, but it simply doesn’t stand up to the mixture of simple acoustic tracks and lively, fully-produced, upbeat tracks on the aforementioned three later albums.  I just discovered XO recently, and I was so into it that I decided to record my first Elliott Smith session based on “Waltz #2 (XO).”

So, you may be wondering why I chose this track from the early two albums.  The answer is simple — what better song to record for an acoustic cover than a song that is already based on vocals and acoustic guitar alone?  I hope you enjoy this song as much as I enjoyed learning and playing it — I’ll certainly be digging into Smith’s catalog again at a later date, after I’ve helped patch some holes in our category offerings (can anyone say, “The Rolling Stones” or “Simon and Garfunkel”?…).

For now, you’ll have to rush back for a Jeff Copperthite fix tomorrow (wasn’t his first of “Fa Fa” one of his best??) and then a Saturday dose of the man, the myth, the legend: Jim Fusco (whose version of “I Need…” reminded me how much I love his My Other Half album!); I’ll be back on Super Sunday.  Is that what we’re calling it now?

See you next session!