D, A, C, G. Four chords, placed end to end, repeated over and over again. On this episode, Kirk takes a deep dive into Sufjan Stevens's "Chicago," the centerpiece of his brilliant 2005 album Illinois. It's a towering construction supported by four chords, with building blocks of vibraphones, wurlitzers, strings, and choral harmonies. D, A, C, G. Eyes on the road; all things go. Artist: Sufjan Stevens Album: Illinois (2005) Written by: Sufjan Stevens Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ ALSO FEATURED: "The Bird Women of Golden Gate Park" by Kirk Hamilton from The Exited Door, 2009 "Supernova" by Meklit from When The People Move, The Music Moves Too (2017) "Come on! Feel the Illinoise!" by Sufjan Stevens from Illinois, 2005 "X. Section 8" by Steve Reich from Music for 18 Musicians, 1978 "Clocks" by Coldplay from A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002 OUTRO SOLOIST: Kirk Hamilton Kirk is, well, the host of Strong Songs. He decided to finally record an outro solo at the start of 2020. He's playing tenor sax, and there's actually a video of him recording the solo here: https://twitter.com/kirkhamilton/status/1214319584959877123 STRONG TWEETS You can now follow Strong Songs on Twitter at @StrongSongs. So, do that! http://twitter.com/strongsongs NOW ON SPOTIFY Strong Songs is now on Spotify! You can find the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5umVTiMQIg2bDpTZaHZqbI?si=mNYpIYq2TqaXSSeUv_JRdQ 'GRAM BY 'GRAM If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/ NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe STRONG MERCH! Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com STRONG PLAYLISTS Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on both Spotify and Apple Music. You can also find a recent playlist Kirk specifically designed for listening while staying home and not spreading viruses on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play (thanks Thomas for making that last one) SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON! Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! It has been really incredible to see people signing up to support the show. For more information on how to do that, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs MAY 2020 WHOLE NOTE PATRONS AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer andrew walters Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Jared Norris Jeanneret Manning Family Four Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Simon Cramp Steve Philpot Viki Dun MAY 2020 HALF NOTE PATRONS AJ Schuster Albukitty Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Fuller brant brantphillip Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Clint Johnston Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jaehoon Jeong Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers MH Michael Blackwell