Chicago (Sufjan Stevens song)
"Chicago" | |
---|---|
Song by Sufjan Stevens | |
from the album Illinois | |
Language | English |
Released | July 5, 2005 |
Genre | |
Length | 6:04 |
YouTube |
"Chicago" ("Go! CHICAGO! Go! Yeah!" on the vinyl edition) is a track from
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.[3] However this track is one of the most autobiographical on the album. Sufjan Stevens stated the following in an interview around the release: "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 Peoria,"[1] and also added that he had seen his first rock show there.[3] However, he qualified 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 Carl Sandburg as an influence on the track, and had intended to include a track about Saul Bellow on Illinois, but could not find a way to adequately cover the writer.[4]
Alternate versions
The year after the track was released on Illinois, three further versions were included on the outtakes album,
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
In other media
The track was sampled by Chiddy Bang on their single "All Things Go" as well as featuring a shortened version as the opening theme for the Netflix show The Politician.
The demo version of the song is featured in The Bear episode "Review". In the episode, the song is introduced by WXRT DJ Lin Brehmer and is played over the opening credits.[7]
"Chicago" was also featured in the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine and 2014 film Veronica Mars.
The annual All Things Go Music Festival takes its name from the song.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Illinois:
- Julianne Carney – violin
- Tom Eaton, Jeniffer Hoover, Katrina Kerns, Beccy Lock, Tara McDonnell – choir
- Maria Beller Jeffers – cello
- James McAlister – drums
- Craig Montoro – trumpet
- Rob Moose – violin
- Sufjan Stevens – vocals, wurlitzer, bass guitar, vibraphone, piano, sleigh bells, tambourine, shaker, arrangement, production
- Alan Douches – mastering[8]
References
- ^ a b c Matthew L. Peck (July 4, 2005). ""Illinois seems like a dream to me now": An Interview with Sufjan Stevens". Gapers Block.
- ^ a b Asthmatic Kitty (February 25, 2016). "Chicago (Demo) Sufjan Stevens". Asthmatic Kitty.
- ^ a b c Jason Crock (May 15, 2006). "Sufjan Stevens, The Avalanche interview". Pitchfork Media.
- ^ Michael Cramer (2005). "National Anthems". Dusted Magazine. Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2011-04-26.
- ^ Asthmatic Kitty (February 25, 2016). "Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (Special 10th Anniversary Blue Marvel Edition)". Asthmatic Kitty. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ^ "The Pitchfork 500". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27.
- ^ Gallucci, Nicole (July 13, 2022). "'The Bear' Episode 7 Delivers 'Uncut Gems' Levels of Anxiety". Decider.com.
- ^ "Illinois Credits on Allmusic.com". Allmusic.