Eliza
| Originally Performed By | Phish |
| Appears On |
|
| Music | Anastasio |
| Vocals | Instrumental |
| Phish Debut | 1990-09-15 |
| Last Played | 1992-05-14 |
| Current Gap | 1492 |
| Historian | Ellis Godard |
| Last Update | 2019-07-23 |
History
When Trey wrote “Eliza,” he named it for his then girlfriend, Sue Eliza. The song combines a slow and jazzy bass line, dual voices (on piano and guitar), and drum accents to render a brief but elaborate instrumental ballad, like a prelude to a fabulous children’s story. While “kind of a quiet one,” (said Trey on 10/13/91) which doesn’t vary even from its album version, the song often precedes fiery numbers such as “Rift” (3/24/92) or “Llama” (5/8/92). The sincerity was broken on 11/1/91 by Mike’s crack that it was written by “Ringo,” but the title was returned to placidity when Trey and Sue married and named their first (of two) daughter Eliza. And while young Eliza grows and energizes, the song remains silent: Phish has not performed it since 5/14/92.
In the Fall of 1990, at least two versions (11/17/90 and 11/24/90) were played with a Bossa nova style drum beat. There are two other shows from this tour where "Eliza" was played (11/15/90 and 12/08/90) but these versions are missing from both recordings. It is unconfirmed, but most likely they were both played in the Bossa nova style.
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