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Long-Lost Elliott Smith Song Resurfaces

Obscure recording made during 1997 student radio session

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 22, 2011 6:02 PM CST

(Newser) – Elliott Smith fans are in for a treat: The singer-songwriter, who died in 2003 and now has a strong cult following, has a new song available. It’s a rarely-heard tune from a 1997 session at the University of Maryland’s student radio station. Called “Misery Let Me Down,” it’s just two minutes long, the Washington Post reports. A former DJ for the station realized in May he had the recording when he found it on a MiniDisc player he was selling.

He sent it back to the station and it ended up on a Smith fan site; there, “it was confirmed that this was a legitimately never-before-heard Elliott Smith song,” writes David Malitz. It “will hardly make its way onto any best-of compilations but is a reminder of both Smith’s stunning talent and the many places where songs can go missing.” The Post has an audio link here.

A frame grab from YouTube video of Elliott Smith. (YouTube)

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Long-Lost Elliott Smith Song Resurfaces

Obscure recording made during 1997 student radio session

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