Figure 8
Studio album by Elliott Smith
Released	April 18, 2000 (2000-04-18)
Recorded	1998–1999
Studio	Sunset Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California Capitol Studios, Los Angeles Sonora Studios, Los Angeles Abbey Road Studios, London, England
Genre	Indie rock power pop chamber pop
Length	52:06
Label	DreamWorks
Producer	Elliott Smith Tom Rothrock Rob Schnapf
Elliott Smith chronology
XO (1998) Figure 8 (2000) From a Basement on the Hill (2004)
Singles from Figure 8
"Happiness" Released: February 8, 2000 "Son of Sam" Released: April 11, 2000

Figure 8 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriterElliott Smith, and the final album released during his lifetime. It was recorded from 1998 to 2000 at numerous studios and released on April 18, 2000, throughDreamWorks Records. Preceded by the singles "Happiness" and "Son of Sam",Figure 8 was Smith's second release on a major label.

Figure 8 was recorded atSunset Sound in Hollywood, Sonora Studios in Los Angeles, Capitol Studios in Hollywood andAbbey Road Studios in London.^[1] Initially titledPlace Pigalle, after thesquare in Paris, the title is thought to be taken from a song bySchoolhouse Rock!;^[2] Smith covered this song, but it did not make the final track listing. Regarding the album's title, Smith said in a May 11, 2000, article inBoston Herald:

I liked the idea of a self-contained, endless pursuit of perfection. But I have a problem with perfection. I don't think perfection is very artful. But there's something I liked about the image of a skater going in this endless twisted circle that doesn't have any real endpoint. So the object is not to stop or arrive anywhere; it's just to make this thing as beautiful as they can.^[3]

Smith described the songs on the album as "more fragmented and dreamlike".^[4] The lyrics contain references to serial killerDavid Berkowitz, theHindu deityShiva, actorBruno Schleinstein, theHawthorne Bridge in Portland, and the comic book characterSgt. Rock. In interviews Smith asserted that his reference to Berkowitz was intended to be dreamlike or impressionistic.^[5] A fan of filmmakerWerner Herzog and Schleinstein, Smith said in an interview with Revolver "How come we have no Bruno S. [in America]? How come he can be a film star in Europe, but over here everybody has to look like they were computer generated?"^[6] Smith would again reference Hindu deities at two shows in 2003 when he appeared on stage with the words "Kali - The Destroyer" written on his arm.^[7]

The mural wall in Los Angeles that Smith stands in front of inAutumn de Wilde's cover photograph for the album was a local landmark to de Wilde, who grew up in theSunset Boulevard neighborhood.^[8] Since Smith's death, it has become a de-facto memorial to him. It is located at 4334 Sunset Boulevard, just east of the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue. It has previously been covered with fan-written messages containing lyrics and personal messages to Smith, and once displayed a stenciled image of Smith to mimic his position on the album cover.^[9] It is regularly graffiti-ed over, followed by regular restorations undertaken by fans.^[10] In 2017, a section of the wall was removed to facilitate the opening of a business inside the building. Despite this, the portion of the mural shown on the album cover is still largely intact.^[11]

The album's first single, "Happiness", was released on February 8, 2000.CMJ New Music Report wrote, "While the tune's production recalls the shimmer ofXO, it possesses curiously upbeat energy atypical for Smith".^[12] This was followed by the album's second and final single, "Son of Sam", on April 11. A music video was released for "Son of Sam", directed byAutumn de Wilde.^[13]

Figure 8 was released on April 18, 2000.^[14] It debuted at number 99 on theBillboard 200, selling 19,000 copies,^[15] and stayed on the chart for 5 weeks.^[16] It was Smith's highest-charting album in the US during his lifetime.

The Japanese release of this album included Smith's cover ofthe Beatles' song "Because" from the filmAmerican Beauty and "Figure 8", an abridged cover of aSchoolhouse Rock! song.^[17]

The promotional CD forFigure 8 featured cover artwork byMike Mills, director ofThumbsucker.^[18] Smith contributed songs to theThumbsucker soundtrack.

As of 2004, it has sold 185,000 copies in United States.^[15]

The track "L.A." was included on the soundtrack for the 2009 gameGuitar Hero 5.

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100[19]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[20]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[21]
The Guardian	[22]
Los Angeles Times	[23]
Melody Maker	[24]
NME	8/10[25]
Pitchfork	6.9/10[26]
Q	[27]
Rolling Stone	[28]
Spin	7/10[29]

Figure 8 was met with "universal acclaim" from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Figure 8 has an average score of 81 based on 19 reviews.NME called it "Smith's best effort to date".^[25]Spin wrote, "The record is not a disappointment, it's a progression."^[19]The A.V. Club wrote, "Figure 8 is even better [than previous records], a strong collection of lush, densely arrangedpower-pop [...] and inimitably intimate ballads".^[30]Pitchfork described the album musically as "muscularchamber-pop".^[31]Tiny Mix Tapes stated the album "dabbled inSpiritualized-styleneo-psychedelia".^[32]

AllMusic was more critical, writing, "Even if it is a very impressive statement overall,Figure 8 isn't quite the masterpiece it wants to be".^[20]Pitchfork, too, opined, "Figure 8, ultimately, isn't as good a record asXO orEither/Or, though the man's not out of the picture yet."^[26]Trouser Press called it "a record that feels very different from its predecessors", describing its style as "brisk and busy, up front and confident, upbeat. While nothing here fails the consistent artistry of his work, neither does any of it make the direct connection to a soul and heart."^[33]

In 2009,Pitchfork placedFigure 8 at number 190 on its list of the 200 greatest albums of the 2000s, noting, "Not quite as intimate as his earliest records and not quite brash and bombastic like its immediate predecessor,Figure 8 marks a subtle refinement of Smith's songwriting skills" and calling it "one of Smith's most accessible and enjoyable records".^[34]Rolling Stone placed it at number 42 on their list of the 100 greatest albums of the decade, calling it Smith's "haunted high-water mark".^[35]Figure 8 was ranked 86th onThe Guardian's 100 Best Albums of the 21st Century list, based on a 2019 poll of music writers.^[36] The album was also included in the book1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[37]Treble ranked the album at 56th in their "Top 100Indie Rock albums of the '00s".^[38]

• Nugent, Benjamin (2004).Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing.Da Capo Press.ISBN 0-306-81447-1.

• Figure 8 atDiscogs (list of releases)

• 2000 albums
• Elliott Smith albums
• Albums produced by Tom Rothrock
• Albums produced by Rob Schnapf
• DreamWorks Records albums
• Neo-psychedelia albums

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