Sufjan Stevens is the man who is unafraid to tackle such subject matter with "John Wayne Gacy," today's song about the notorious serial killer.
You'd think that this sounds like a terrible idea, and I agree. But Sufjan Stevens executes this song perfectly. It's a beautifully written song, both dark and sad. Between the piano, acoustic guitar and his amazing vocals, Sufjan creates a mood worthy of what he's singing about.
Below is the song. I need to make a disclaimer to anyone reading. This song is tastefully done, but doesn't sugar-coat what Gacy did. For anyone sensitive to this kind of material, I would suggest maybe not watching. Really, I love this song though, and I'm happy to be blogging about it, in spite of what the song is about. If I were the MPAA of my own blog, I'd give the song a PG-13 rating.
In less disturbing news, I'm happy to announce that 2000 people have visited my blog. This is a milestone I've never completed in my life, and I put it up there with getting married, running a marathon, or being able to sit through any romantic comedy starring Matthew McConaughey without cringing.
As promised, and by popular demand (2 people asked me to do it, one was my mom) I will perform whichever song is stuck in my head on Friday morning with my kids. Let's just hope the song isn't about a serial killer.
You make me giggle. Yay for a new video!
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to this song again, I remember why I thought Sufjan would write fabulous opera. His lyrics are so graceful and yet so poignant. Some people might wonder why they would want to listen to such sad, pretty music with disturbing subject matter, but I say why not? The media exploits any and all things horrific in our society. If the news and tv shows are going to blare it across our television screens, I'd rather hear beautiful music telling the story. Sufjan does that very thing with this song and I'm moved to tears every time I hear it. I WISH I could write music like that. What a gift.
ReplyDeleteEver heard the song, "Lotion", by The Greenskeepers? Not quite so lovely, but a shared theme. Rated R for profanity, best served rare. Enjoy!
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