I agree strongly with the first poster. I can't believe there aren't more comments on this song, because I think it's the most important song on the album. I can't do nearly as good a job explaining the first part as some of the above posters, but what I would add is that the first half of this song is very reminiscent of the work Sufjan did on Michigan, cataloguing Flint or Detroit. And as Stupid_name put it, he does a good job of describing Chicago with the music and the lyrics. (Even if they're clearly about the World's Fair: much of Chicago still has the World's Fair feeling.)
The second-part of the song is the revelatory part, though, and not just because the switch from the initial 3-3-2 pattern to a straight 4 is the most progressive music on the album. Especially now that Sufjan has released Avalanche, it's possible to glimpse how large this project was when he was compiling it. And the second part of this song is Sufjan's reminder to himself that, in the middle of all this research and all these melodies, it's the personal touches that make the music powerful. On a broader level, it's a call out to the poet in all of us to follow our intuition, and expose our inner selves to truly create great art. And given that the songs that follow clearly embrace this vision ("Casimir Pulaski", "Chicago", "Pittsfield", "McClure", "Predatory Wasp" to name only a few stellar examples) the second part of "Come on Feel the Illinoise" is Sufjan Stevens laying his songwriting method bare for the listener. It's the closest we get on the album to a glimpse into his creative process.
I'm certainly not the first to say this, but many have observed that Stevens' albums aren't quite emo and aren't quite historic. You don't get the sense that Stevens is going to come to your house and lay up sobbing with you, and the history is at best pointillistic and often simply name-dropping. Ultimately, though, Stevens technique is to reflect on his own personal history through the history of the states he is describing. In this song, he as much as admits to the technique, and far from being a drawback I think this technique is what makes his albums so compelling. The history allows him to approach difficult and emotional issues without the navel-gazing that has ruined many an indie emo band. The honest personal emotion makes his music powerful. The two together are much more than the sum of the parts, and in the second section of this song, Sufjan clearly recognizes and celebrates this.
I agree strongly with the first poster. I can't believe there aren't more comments on this song, because I think it's the most important song on the album. I can't do nearly as good a job explaining the first part as some of the above posters, but what I would add is that the first half of this song is very reminiscent of the work Sufjan did on Michigan, cataloguing Flint or Detroit. And as Stupid_name put it, he does a good job of describing Chicago with the music and the lyrics. (Even if they're clearly about the World's Fair: much of Chicago still has the World's Fair feeling.)
The second-part of the song is the revelatory part, though, and not just because the switch from the initial 3-3-2 pattern to a straight 4 is the most progressive music on the album. Especially now that Sufjan has released Avalanche, it's possible to glimpse how large this project was when he was compiling it. And the second part of this song is Sufjan's reminder to himself that, in the middle of all this research and all these melodies, it's the personal touches that make the music powerful. On a broader level, it's a call out to the poet in all of us to follow our intuition, and expose our inner selves to truly create great art. And given that the songs that follow clearly embrace this vision ("Casimir Pulaski", "Chicago", "Pittsfield", "McClure", "Predatory Wasp" to name only a few stellar examples) the second part of "Come on Feel the Illinoise" is Sufjan Stevens laying his songwriting method bare for the listener. It's the closest we get on the album to a glimpse into his creative process.
I'm certainly not the first to say this, but many have observed that Stevens' albums aren't quite emo and aren't quite historic. You don't get the sense that Stevens is going to come to your house and lay up sobbing with you, and the history is at best pointillistic and often simply name-dropping. Ultimately, though, Stevens technique is to reflect on his own personal history through the history of the states he is describing. In this song, he as much as admits to the technique, and far from being a drawback I think this technique is what makes his albums so compelling. The history allows him to approach difficult and emotional issues without the navel-gazing that has ruined many an indie emo band. The honest personal emotion makes his music powerful. The two together are much more than the sum of the parts, and in the second section of this song, Sufjan clearly recognizes and celebrates this.