"Needle in the Hay" is a song written by Elliott Smith first released as the opening track on his self-titled second release, Elliott Smith, then released on 7" vinyl. It later appeared on the soundtrack for Wes Anderson's 2001 film, The Royal Tenenbaums, and can be found on the movie's soundtrack. It is the music in a montage depicting Luke Wilson's character's suicide attempt. Trumpet and harmonica were recorded for the song but were left off of the final mix. A mix featuring the extra instrumentation has not been released in any form. During later shows with a full band, the song was given more of a "rock" arrangement and would feature drums and bass, with Smith also singing the vocals an octave higher. During some live performances Smith would alter the lyrics "...head down to toes a reaction to you..." to "...everyone knows he's a reaction to you..." The song has also been covered by punk band Bad Astronaut for their 2001 album Acrophobe and by Muppet parody Sad Kermit. (via Wikipedia)

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