A Day Spent With Sufjan (by Renée)

I often find myself spending a whole day listening to nothing but Sufjan Stevens' music. His music is truly diverse; he takes listeners from full, orchestral works that fill every corner of a room to slow, thoughtful melodies that make one simply feel the need to stop whatever they are doing and contemplate the song's meaning. This variety translates well into a typical day, and makes it easy to find a Sufjan Stevens song for any setting.

1. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL (Come On, Feel The Illinoise!): This feels like a waking up song to me. It has this sense of the heavens being opened and life is just rushing out to fill the earth. (Does anyone else hear a door opening before the start of the song?) That feeling of life just makes me want to get out of bed; who knows what great things await my day?

2. Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, and I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run (Come On, Feel The Illinoise!): Though this song has no words, I can get completely lost it in. Drinking coffee is almost a form of meditation for me, and it's a song I can listen to as I sip my coffee and clear my mind. (Also, I think there's a door closing at the end of the song. I love the continuity of all Sufjan's albums, and Come On, Feel The Illinoise does the best job of it.)

3. For The Widowers In Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti (Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State): I always find myself listening to this song while walking. It so simple and beautiful, and also one that can be contemplated quite a bit. Sufjan's songs often have a religious undertone, and I feel like this is one that could be both religious or secular. I really love that about his music. A lot of typical Christian music doesn't appeal to me because of it being overly obvious and pushy, while his Christian music leaves room to think about religion, rather than making Christianity sound like the only right choice.

4. Chicago (Come On, Feel The Illinoise!): I've always thought of this as a great driving song. Earlier this year, I was driving down South for a vacation, and I found myself driving through Chicago at around 4:30 a.m. There were almost no cars on the widest highway I've ever seen, and the Chicago skyline sparkled and shone as the sun just peeked over the horizion behind it. The city felt as big as the full melody of the song, and I will think of how beautiful it was every time I listen to it.

5. The Dress Looks Nice On You (Seven Swans): This is a perfect song for a coffee date. There's not much to elaborate on. It's just so simple, romantic, and sweet.

6. Casimir Pulaski Day (Come On, Feel The Illinoise!): This song makes me so incredibly sad. I'm also absolutely in love with it because of how simply it expresses a big issue of religion: if there is someone up there controlling things, how did he/she let my loved ones die? I feel like that's one of the major questions of the grieving process, and even though it depicts a specific story, almost everyone can relate to it. It's the kind of song I would put on repeat while laying on my porch swing.

7. Holland (Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State): This is great song to listen to while writing. It's only two verses, but I feel like it tells the whole story of a relationship. It reminds me how much can be said with so little.

8. Romulus (Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State): I always stop and think of those less fortunate than me when hearing this song. I picture children sitting in a dark, dirty house while the mother is off somewhere ignoring them It really sparks my interest in volunteerism, personally. It's sad to think that children could grow up without a loving mother, and I want to help those children any way I can.

9. SuperSexyWoman (A Sun Came): This is a song I would listen to while hanging out and being ridiculous with my friends. It's so different from many of his other songs; rather than being quietly romantic, thoughtful, or uplifting, it's just kind of ridiculous. I could see it being the background for a crazy, moonlit, rooftop party. Nobody would care how silly the whole thing was, everybody would just dance and talk all night.

10. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts (Come On, Feel the Illinoise!): This is a great song for laying in bed and dreaming of travel for me (before I actually want to fall asleep). Metropolis is a tiny city in Southern Illinois that is home to the world's largest Superman statue. It's one of those cute places one comes across while on a road trip and just can't help taking the two mile detour for. I always daydream of the interesting places I'll come across on future road trips when I hear this song.

11. Redford (For Yia-Yia And Pappou): I could easily fall asleep while listening to this song. Many of Sufjan's songs are great when one wants to lay in bed and think. Redford, on the other hand, features only piano and wordless vocals, which makes it a great song. It sounds like it could have been written to represent his grandparents ascending into heaven, but it also could be interpreted as ascending into dreams. Beautiful.

Also, you can visit my blog, The Girl With The Cup Of Coffee, at http://coffeecupgirl.blogspot.com for more musings on life, fashion, and music. Thanks for reading!