r/Sufjan

hi! I graduate in a few weeks and we get the opportunity to decorate our caps! I really wanna put a Sofie” but I’m having trouble finding ones so I’m asking what are your favorite lyrics or quotes from him?

I really don't like the way Impossible Soul is chopped up and I kinda wonder if the digital-ness would sound better on CD

I just got a free banjo and I’m pumped! Sufjan definitely has a lot of songs with banjo - I’ve gone thru songs on Seven Swans, Michigan, and Illinois, but he has an absurd amount of music, any other songs with banjo you can think of?

During an interview with NME, Billie Eilish praised Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell album when asked “what’s an album you always go back to?”

View Poll

My sweet baby was born this past year on the Fourth of July in the early morning. I had to have an emergency c section and when he finally came out, he wasn’t breathing (had an intense medical episode). The whole time he was being resuscitated, I kept thinking to myself “my little Versailles” and couldn’t get The Fourth of July out of my head despite being loopy and distressed. I honestly didn’t think I was going to have a baby to bring home, but he made it and is healthy and the greatest joy of my life.

I want to get a tattoo for him once I’m done breastfeeding. My first thought was to get “My little Versailles” written out somewhere or “my little loon” under a drawing of a loon (I live in Minnesota where that’s the state bird), but knowing the meaning of the song, it feels a bit strange. But at the same time, I firmly believe art is about the meaning you derive from it. But I also don’t want him someday to be confused why the song I associate with his birth is a song about an absent mother dying.

Thoughts?

I recently read about this insane study from the 1960s, where a psychiatrist did a study on three paranoid schizophrenics, who all claimed to be Jesus Christ, at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan. There is a book on it called, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti.

I read through the explanations on Genius Lyrics and there were speculations on a few of the lyrics that he may be referring to Jesus Christ, which makes sense as Sufjan often explores Christian themes, even if he won't admit it.

>I have called you preacher, I have called you son

Genius Lyric Annotation: "PROPOSED SUGGESTION (Emphasis on "proposed"):

The line about having a father or not might be talking about the immaculate conception of Jesus. Sufjan sometimes questions the stories of his beliefs even if he never show doubts in his faith. Even if the story is not completely facts he still do anything for his saviour."

Couldn't help, but think that considering the content of Sufjan Steven's song, that he may have heard/known of The Three Christs of Ypsilanti and if it had any influence on this song.

The Genius Lyric page (at the bottom) has a long quote from Sufjan Stevens explaining the story behind this song and there is no mention of the aforementioned Christs, so it's not likely, but at the very least I found it a fascinating coincidence (is "coincidence" the right word choice here? Lol.).

What do you guys think?

Title basically, it’s one of my favorite songs of all time (hence my username). I know the demo is on the Carrie & Lowell 10th anniversary vinyl, but is there a 7” out there perhaps?

hey i just watched call me by your name & I am absolutely over the moon with the style of his music. does anyone have any requests/albums i should definitely listen to if my favorite song so far is chicago acousitc version? my favorite songs are definitely acoustic guitar and piano based songs. (im also a sucker for futile devices & ofc the rest of the songs form cmbyn but i wanna know what others think) lmk!!!!