Top 10 of 2015: #2 Should Have Know Better - Sufjan Stevens 

Should Have Know Better - Sufjan Stevens

After the shiny pop of Carly Rae Jepsen, we move to probably one of the quietest, most heartbreaking songs. Sufjan Stevens song about his mother’s death after their estrangement, and his inability to deal with it, is sparse and beautiful.

I mean …

When I was three, three maybe four,
She left us at that video store

But, it’s not all dark. The song turns a bit in the middle, as it moves into moving on and dealing with the past. Ending with the wonder that comes from a new life, a new generation.

Sufjan Stevens makes gorgeous music, and it’s all the more powerful when it’s clearly coming from somewhere personal. Carrie & Lowell is a really great album, and I think this is the best track on it.