Casmir Pulaski Day is a holiday observed in Illinois on the first Monday of every March to commemorate the Revolutionary War cavalry officer born in Poland and best known for his contributions to the U.S. military in the American Revolution. In a song with the same name, Stevens sings about a teenager that loses her life to cancer "in the morning, in the winter shade, on the first of March, on the holiday . . . ."
Stevens' graceful song, paced with a gentle guitar line and contemplative horns, is a heartbreaking, moving, and intimate portrait of middle-American faith, belief, and loss. Like many of his songs, Stevens' narrative approaches the poetic sublime in an age when true lyrics are largely banished to the nightstands of enlightened readers. Most contemporary songs that tell stories are trite, manipulative, and unoriginal. Think country radio. Stevens' story, on the other hand, derives its power from the unexpected--the unfolding description of touching scenes are told with whimsy, empathy, and honesty.
Even more affecting, the song's protagonist wrestles with the loss of his friend and what Paul calls the "deep things of God." This internal dialogue between Self and Divine descends into searching introspection. Initially, Stevens sings "Oh the glory that the Lord has made / and the complications you could do without / when I kissed you on the mouth," struggling to accept mortality in the face of a beautiful Creation (hers and ours). Later, grief-stricken, he sings "Oh the glory that the Lord has made / and the complications when I see his face / in the morning in the window." Finally, in a breathtaking paradox, our young believer contemplates the ultimate deep thing: seeking atonement in the wake of great loss.
Oh the glory when he took our place
But he took my shoulders and he shook my face
And he takes and he takes and he takes
Not unintentional, Stevens allows listeners musical space to consider this, with a small choral suite extending the song to its final bar. Not even the saddest song in his catalog (hear the devastating "Romulus" from Michigan), Stevens' characters inhabit realms so real, empathetic, and world-weary. Yet consistent with his best work, Stevens allows his listeners to emerge with a sense of wonder at the paradox of divine faith in the midst of Creation's complexities.
Why listen? An exquisite narrative of poetry-as-music seemingly lifted from a Flannery O'Connor short story. Told with quiet majesty.
2 comments:
Interesting choice. I knew you were going to include more than one Sufjan, but this one caught me off guard. You're obviously more of a lyrics guy than myself. I may have put John Wayne Gacy in this spot or Concerning the UFO's. Still, an excellent choice.
I bought the album on July 5 when I lived in Phoenix. The opening piano lines in "Concerning the UFOs" floored me. I had never heard anything like it before. I couldn't go to sleep that night because the piano was playing in my head. Seriously, I'll never forget it. When was the last time music in your head kept you awake at night?
"John Wayne Gacy, Jr." is the most jarring juxtaposition of music and lyrics this decade--maybe of all time. Simultaneously beautiful and horrifying. A stunning song with similar Christian themes as O'Connor's timeless short-story "A Good Man is Hard to Find." (Also the name of another excellent Sufjan song). Perhaps this song didn't get enough listens to enter the Top Thirty due to it's difficult subject matter. But its merits are self-evident.
Post a Comment