- Chicago (Sufjan Stevens song)
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"Chicago" Song by Sufjan Stevens from the album Illinois Released July 5, 2005 Genre Indie rock Language English Length 6:04 Label Asthmatic Kitty Writer Sufjan Stevens Composer Sufjan Stevens Illinois track listing "One Last "Whoo-Hoo!" for the Pullman"
(8)"Chicago"
(9)"Casimir Pulaski Day"
(10)Three alternate versions, featured on The Avalanche:
"Acoustic" (4:40)
"Adult Contemporary Easy Listening Version" (6:06)
"Multiple Personality Disorder Version" (4:35)"Chicago" is a track from Sufjan Stevens 2005 concept album Illinois, released on Asthmatic Kitty. The song tells the semi-autobiographical[1] story of a young man on a road trip, and his youthful idealism. The track is Stevens' signature song, and he usually ends his live shows with a version of this song. The song has been recorded in four different versions by Stevens himself, the versions not on Illinois being included on the collection The Avalanche. The track has also been sampled by Chiddy Bang on their single "All Things Go".
Contents
Production
In the process of making the second album in his ambitious Fifty States Project, which involved recording an album for each of the states of America, Stevens had committed a large amount of time to researching the people and history of Illinois.[2] However this track is one of the most autobiographical on the album. Sufjan Stevens states in interviews around the release, that, "I've had quite a few exceptional and traumatic experiences in Illinois, a few times when visiting Chicago at a particularly difficult time in my life or driving cross country and being pulled over by the cops just outside of Peoria,"[1] and that he saw his first rock show there[2]. However, he self deprecatingly qualifies the story of the song as only being partly true, stating, "The writer is the inventor, the designer, the creative force behind a body of work. The author is the actual man or woman, in reality, in society, in person. I like Woody Allen the director/writer, circa 1975, but I doubt I would like Woody Allen the person, circa 1975."[1] Stevens also cited the poem "Chicago" by Saul Bellow as an influence on the track, and had intended to include a track about Bellow on Illinois, but could not find a way to adequately cover the writer.[3]
Alternate versions
The year after the track was released on Illinois, three further versions were included on the outtakes album, The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album, these being an acoustic version, the "Adult Contemporary Easy Listening Version", which is a lounge version of the original track, and the particularly strange "Multiple Personality Disorder Version", of which Stevens stated, "James, my drummer was in town, and we decided it would be kind of fun to deconstruct the song".[2]
Reception
The track was well received as the centerpiece of the acclaimed album, Illinois. Allmusic described the track as having "An expansiveness that radiates with the ballast of history and the promise of new beginnings.", and the track was included as one of the Pitchfork 500 most important tracks since punk broke.[4]
Personnel
For original version:
- Julianne Carney – violin
- Tom Eaton – choir
- Jeniffer Hoover – choir
- Maria Beller Jeffers – cello
- Katrina Kerns – choir
- Beccy Lock – choir
- James McAlister – drums
- Tara McDonnell – choir
- Craig Montoro – trumpet
- Rob Moose – violin
- Sufjan Stevens – arrangement, production, banjo, bass guitar, composition, engineering, glockenspiel, guitar, organ, shaker, tambourine, vocals
- Alan Douches – mastering[5]
In other media
- The track was featured in the Oscar-winning film Little Miss Sunshine and its soundtrack album.[6]
- The vibraphone line from the start of the song and the chorus were sampled in Chiddy Bang's 2009 single "All Things Go".[7]
References
- ^ a b c Matthew L. Peck (July 4th, 2005). ""Illinois seems like a dream to me now": An Interview with Sufjan Stevens". Gapers Block. http://www.gapersblock.com/detour/illinois_seems_like_a_dream_to_me_now_an_interview_with_sufjan_stevens/.
- ^ a b c Jason Crock (May 15th, 2006). "Sufjan Stevens, The Avalanche interview". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6335-sufjan-stevens/.
- ^ Michael Cramer (2005). "National Anthems". Dusted Magazine. http://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/383.
- ^ "The Pitchfork 500". Pitchfork Media. http://thepitchfork500.com/about/.
- ^ "Illinois Credits on Allmusic.com". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/illinoise-r780697/credits.
- ^ "Little Miss Sunshine Original Soundtrack". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r843988. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ "Chiddy Bang samples". http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/30007/Chiddy%20Bang-All%20Things%20Go_Sufjan%20Stevens-Chicago/.
Sufjan Stevens Albums A Sun Came (2000) · Enjoy Your Rabbit (2001) · Michigan (2003) · Seven Swans (2004) · Illinois (2005) · The Avalanche (2006) · Songs for Christmas (2006) · The BQE (2009) · The Age of Adz (2010)EPs All Delighted People (2010)Singles "The Dress Looks Nice on You" (2004) · "I Walked" (2010) · "Too Much" (2010)Related articles Discography · "Chicago" · Marzuki (band) · Marzuki Stevens · My Brightest Diamond · Danielson Famile · St. Vincent · Rosie Thomas and Denison Witmer · Asthmatic Kitty · Rough Trade Records · The Welcome Wagon · Run Rabbit Run (by Osso)Media Categories:- 2005 songs
- English-language songs
- Songs about Chicago, Illinois
- Sufjan Stevens songs
- Songs based on actual events
- Songs produced by Sufjan Stevens
- Songs written by Sufjan Stevens
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