"Video Game" by Sufjan Stevens, Monday, March 15, 2021

March 15th is the Ides of March, the day when Julius Cesar was stabbed. I realized that I didn't celebrate Casimir Pulaski Day (March 1st, also a Sufjan Stevens song), nor did I celebrate Pi Day with a song about circles yesterday, but I thought that it would be fun to analyze Stevens's most ironic song of all, in which he states to his fans that he doesn't want to be their "Julius Caesar... [nor their] personal Jesus." The pairing of the two figures I found fascinating because in Dante's Inferno we meet Judas (betrayer of Christ), and Brutus and Cassius (betrayers of Caesar) in the deepest layer of hell, tortured by Satan himself. Beware indeed the Ides of March.

I DON'T WANT TO BE THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. Just when we thought we firmly established Sufjan Stevens as a folk singer, perhaps an heir to Woody Guthrie or Gordan Lightfoot, he goes and makes an electronic album. While the singer-songwriter had incorporating synths into his folk sound prior to 2010's Age of Ads, the album was polarizing to his fans. He did it again for his 2017 Planetarium album, but because the album was largely instrumental, I mostly wrote off the album. But 2020's The Ascension was what happens when a folk musician record an album in the middle of a move, while all the instruments are in storage. The song "Video Game" uses the metaphor of something popular controlling the masses, yet the singer doesn't want to partake; however, in the end, he realizes the necessity as a "procedure." Is it the rules of society? The music industry? social media? 

I DON’T CARE IF EVERYBODY ELSE IS INTO IT. Every year we gain a few new social media platforms. In the early '00s, MySpace was so instrumental in building the modern music industry because it was the first time that people could not just follow, but friend their favorite bands and musicians. MySpace wasn't the first social networking site that musicians used, but it became a preferred medium because band members could share status updates, inform followers of upcoming tours, and even preview their upcoming albums, all between your status updates and photos of your high school friends. MySpace virtually replaced its band predecessors like MP3.com and PureVolume. And although the bands' MySpace hay-day didn't last long at all, music's relationship with social media was just beginning. I remember hearing an interview on a podcast talking about how social media is not optional for musicians today. The example given was that a band could be cryptic and insular between rare insights from interviews gleaned from Rolling Stone articles, but now, fans would feel neglected if they are ignored. Sufjan Stevens has maintained his privacy in this digital age. The rumors of his song meanings have listeners guessing what he really thinks. Yet, while refraining from social media, the star of "Video Game" is viral TikToker Jalaiah, dancing throughout the entire video. "Video Game" is Sufjan's most pop song in his discography. He's using pop music to scrutinize the dangers of pop culture. And he's using a TikToker to help spread his message of non-conformity. Beware the Ides of March, ya'll.