![]() I can’t explain the state that I’m in, The state of my heart, he was my best friend / Into the car, from the back seat, Oh, admiration in falling asleep / All of my powers, day after day, I can tell you, we swaggered and swayed / Deep in the tower, the prairies below / I can tell you- the telling gets old Oh how I meant to tease him, Oh how I meant no harm / Touching his back with my hand I kiss him, I see the wasp on the length of my arm. “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!”įalling in love with your best friend at summer camp? It definitely happened to me. When the world looks back, when the face looks after that / I can see a lot of life in you, Yes, I can see a lot of life in you. For me, this is an act of solidarity for those that want to wear dresses regardless of gender. ![]() This song pairs well with another from the album, “The Dress Looks Nice on You,” in which he sings about a person wearing a dress. But, when Sufjan croons, “You gave up your wife and family … to be alone with me … I’ve never met a man who loved me,” it adds layers. It’s for me 5 years ago.Īt first listen, “To Be Alone With You” is about god. This list is for the queer kids who need an artist to tell them it will all be okay. It isn’t meant to be proof for people that post “this song isn’t gay, it’s about Jesus” comments on Sufjan’s Youtube videos. Here’s a list of songs that help me daily. He doesn’t use queerness as exploitation, attempting to sell more records (see Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl”), but rather as a way to work through love and loss. The vagueness of his “love” songs allow them to be for us. If he came out tomorrow saying he was straight, that wouldn’t change how his songs speak to my experiences navigating the messiness of coming to terms with being queer. They want an interview where he points to lyrics about boys loving boys, where he comes out. This is where people stop validating my feelings - how can a singer-songwriter who dresses like a frat boy à la folk have gay songs? Too often straight pe ople want proof. But, there’s even more moments when Sufjan has reaffirmed my identity, his songs encoded with queerness. People understand why the sincerity and wonder in his lyrics are comforting. When I tell someone about that Christmas that changed how I think about music, or that Sufjan soothed me when I grew apart from my best friend’s as we went off to college, I’m met with validation. I’m not close with those friends anymore, but, hey, Sufjan taught me “The past is still the past, a bridge to nowhere.” ![]() For him, for my friends, for god-forsaken Indiana, and for me. ![]() In a gas station somewhere in Indiana, while the newly released Carrie & Lowell tune blared, I cried. “Should Have Known Better” was released when I was on a road trip to Wisconsin with my four best friends from high school. There’s a few small moments in time when an artist changes your life. Greetings from Michigan, The Great Lakes State. The CD had three different Bright Eyes songs, back-to-back. I made the album artwork myself, two badly drawn cats cuddling, their tails forming a heart. Toward the end of the month, we exchanged Christmas gifts - I gave her a mixtape, DIY-style. “There’s an artist writing an album for all 50 states. We were on our way to a movie, my sister home from college for winter break. The first time I heard of Sufjan Steven’s was in my dad’s car, going 90 down the freeway. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |