Review: Goodbye Evergreen - Sufjan Stevens
- by Jordan
- in Reviews
On October 6th, Sufjan Stevens released his 9th studio album entitled, Javelin. This album is dedicated to his late partner and best friend, Evans Richardson. Though the album is filled to the brim with themes of grief and loss, the song that most directly discusses Stevens’ experience with it, is the album’s intro, “Goodbye Evergreen”.
“Goodbye Evergreen” is a brutally intense yet cathartically beautiful soundscape that both explores and personifies the journey of suffering a loss, as well as the grief that it’s tethered to. The song is organized into three sections of equal length and emotional impact, each signifying a different moment in the process that is coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, as well as one’s own death.
“Goodbye Evergreen” opens up with a breath, inviting the listener into the sullen and vulnerable balladry that follows. I highlight the inhale at the beginning of the song because it is the first thing the listener hears when they start the album. For a brief moment, there is no music, just the reminder that you’re listening to a fellow human being. One inhale of oxygen in a way that prepares both the speaker and the listener for the journey ahead, as well as expressing one’s own vulnerability and fragility. The moment the breath passes, Stevens begins telling his story with faithful piano balladry to accompany it. The two verses that follow describe the way Stevens has suffered since the loss. His vocals are soft and haunting. Every detail, every nuance, every moment of vibrato is given heavy scrutiny. His delivery is so fragile that his voice sounds like it could break at any moment. If the light piano, heart-wrenching lyrics, and vocal delivery weren’t enough, Megan Lui and Hannah Cohen provide some vocal layering and harmonies over specific words and phrases. The amount of emphasis given to the word “cancer”, for example, is simply spine-chilling. This first part closes on the line, “Deliver me from the poisoned pain” as the second section aggressively slams into the song.
Immediately following the subtle and fragile piano balladry, heavy production and loud percussion enter. This section of “Goodbye Evergreen” is the personification of the overwhelming whirlwind of emotions that are associated with loss. Where the beginning third of the song sounds regretful, depressive, and grief-stricken, this section sounds like anger and disbelief. The production itself is chaotic, a way to capture the “scattered brain” that Stevens described as his “enemy” in the opening verse. Throughout this section, Stevens and the other vocalists repeat “Goodbye Evergreen, you know I love you.” The repetition of such a thought serves as the only thing the speaker can cling to as they work through their emotions. Once a moment of acceptance is found, a quiet bridge carries us to the final section.
To bring the song to a close, joyful percussion and gleeful woodwinds offer a celebration of life. This moment of remembrance offers both the speaker and the listener a taste of closure. One of my favorite things about this album is that a song like “Goodbye Evergreen” that feels so conclusive and fulfilling is not where the album ends, in fact, it’s where the story starts.The final section of this song ushers in the next track beautifully, given that “A Running Start” is a song that takes the listener back to the early days of love and the intensity of new romance. Such a sentiment can only be explored once peace has begun to be met by the speaker. That can only happen as they work through the emotions of grief and celebrate the life of their lost loved one.
“Goodbye Evergreen” is an absolutely stellar track for many reasons, but I’ll leave you with one: the song unforgivingly shatters your heart into a thousand pieces, just to glue it back together in a way that feels fulfilling and dignified. A song like “Goodbye Evergreen” is one I hope I’ll never be able to relate to beyond a certain threshold, but one I know that at some point I will. This song hurts but reminds us to cherish the life we have, live every day as if it's our last, and love the ones with us. We can mourn the loss of friends and family but we must also celebrate their lives. We must live in the way that they would want us to: pursuing our happiness. Javelin is a masterpiece of an album that has been met with immense critical praise, for good reason. Not only do I recommend a listen, I insist on it. Offer this album the emotional attention it deserves. No matter what loss you’ve suffered in life, Stevens’ words and sounds are sure to help push you towards your next step. At the end of the day, it’s not about being fixed. It’s about being strong enough to move forward.
