Song · Elliott Smith
“Son Of Sam” by Elliott Smith
From the album Figure 8 (2000)
“Son Of Sam” by Elliott Smith appears on 11 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2000 and 2025. It was first released in 2000 on the album Figure 8. Its best result is #36 on the WEQX Top 102.7 of 2000. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #240 alternative song of 2000 and #3,958 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (ElliottSmithVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Son of Sam" was the second and last single from Figure 8, Elliott Smith's fifth album, issued by DreamWorks on April 11, 2000, and it's Smith at his most power-pop, all bright hooks around a knotty center. Don't go looking for the serial killer in it. Smith insisted it wasn't about David Berkowitz at all; he compared it to describing last night's dream to a friend, a song with a few destructive figures wandering through it, Shiva among them, who happens to stand for creation too. Destruction and creativity, he shrugged, if it was about anything.
It missed the charts at home but reached 55 in the UK. Autumn de Wilde directed the video, cutting in flickering black-and-white stop frames, and an acoustic take had already surfaced as a B-side to "Happiness".
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 36 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2000 | 102 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1677 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 1699 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 1716 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 1642 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 1705 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 1720 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 1690 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2022 | 347 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2024 | 522 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2025 | 473 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) | 714 |
Also listed as: Son of Sam.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Son Of Sam" by Elliott Smith.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.