My favorite artist
Sufjan Stevens is a singer, songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He has 13 studio albums and 4 collaborative albums. His album Illinois is considered one of the best indie albums of all time. His songs touch on a wide range of topics including death, love, and spirituality. Sufjan uses Christian themes in his music, but he does not describe himself as a contemporary-Christian artist.
I have been a huge fan of Sufjan since 2017 when he was introduced to me by a fellow fan. My favorite album of his Age of Adz (2010) really caught my attention, especially the 25-minute song Impossible Soul. I loved the electronica sound of the album with the added combination of his voice and an orchestra. I have probably listened to this album more than I have any other album. In fact, the song Impossible Soul has been my number 1 listened to song on Spotify for several years now.
His album Carrie and Lowell is my second favorite, and it was released in 2015 and received critical acclaim. The album is about Sufjan’s mother, Carrie, who suffered with bipolar, schizophrenia, drug addiction, and substance abuse. Pitchfork wrote in their review of the album that, “she died of stomach cancer in 2012, but had abandoned Stevens much earlier, first when he was 1 and several times after. He also sings about his stepfather, Lowell. This album is my go-to crying album. When my uncle died in October of 2019, I had this album playing on repeating. The soft vocals and heartbreaking lyrics were just what I needed at the time and a few times since then. The lyrics from the song The Only Thing, really spoke to me in particular:
Should I tear my eyes out now? Everything I see returns to you somehow Should I tear my heart out now? Everything I feel returns to you somehow
I felt as though everything around me reminded me of my uncle. I would see the charm bracelet he made me and remember laughing as he struggled to learn how to make it. I would eat breakfast and remember how I used to wake him up super early on Saturday mornings to ask him to drive into town and get me breakfast. I have so many treasured memories of him, and I related to Sufjan’s question, “should I tear my eyes out now?”
His most famous album Come on Feel the Illinoise is my third favorite of his. This album has a bit more baroque and upbeat, with some songs talking about happy times like driving to Chicago with his friends and then diverting to songs about Chicago figures like John Wayne Gacy Jr, famous serial killer from Chicago. Every song on this album is tied to the state of Illinois in some way. In 2002, Sufjan said he would be making an album for each of the 50 states. Unfortunately, he later revealed that this was just a joke, but he did make the album Michigan about his home state. All we can do is hope he continues on! The song Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! implements a myriad of cute, quirky lyrics about prominent Illinois figures such as Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. My favorite song off the album The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us! has Sufjan talking about the love he had for his male best friend. He sings about touching his back and kissing him. This is one of numerous songs that has made many question Sufjan’s sexuality as he sings about his love for women, men, and God in many of his songs.
