LogFAQs > #957203043

36. Sufjan Stevens Chicago (2005)
from the album Illinois

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_-cUdmdWgU

Key lyrics:
I made a lot of mistakes

On Illinois, Sufjan Stevens fuses a religious journey with stark portraits of my home state. On the central track titled after the biggest city, he makes the striking decision to cut back from solid descriptions and instead take on a metaphysical state. After all, what can be said about such an enormous place in one song? Sufjan has to play on a higher level to capture the spirit of the city.

In the religious context of the album, Chicago acts as the pilgrimage song of course Chicago would be the metaphorical Mecca of Illinois. The track begins with chimes like an elevator one can imagine stepping out on the top floor of the former and forever Sears Tower and standing in awe of the sprawl below as the other instruments lift off. Sufjan Stevens is a maximalist, and his wall of sound is out in full force over this track. The horns, the strings, the backing vocals; if Sufjan was trying to capture a personal confrontation with God, he very well achieved it with this arrangement.

At the same time, a contradictory sense of motion pervades this track. Sufjan appears restless, repeating I made a lot of mistakes over and over even as the choir reassures him. These moments of doubt are what make Sufjan such an effective Christian in the popular sphere. He explores the rough side of faith, and even his moments of self-discovery are tinted with regret. Yet he chooses to let us get lost in the epic grandeur, his voice fading into the background of the final chorus before an extended outro. Even as he questions himself, Sufjan wants us to feel a sense of wonder.

---

My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/