Seven Swans
Encyclopedia
Seven Swans is a folk rock music album by Sufjan Stevens
. It includes songs about Christian
spiritual themes and figures such as Abraham
and Christ
's Transfiguration
. The album is softer and sparser than other albums by Stevens, relying more heavily on his trademark banjo
and "hushed vocals." The album was released on Compact Disc
and vinyl LP; the vinyl was released by Burnt Toast Vinyl
.
called it "a record of remarkable delicacy" and Spin magazine
said it sounded "like Elliott Smith
after ten years of Sunday school
".
:
In addition, the songs explore other spiritual elements:
Bonus 7"
of "The Dress Looks Nice on You" was released by Rough Trade
in support of the album on March 8, 2004. The single features the song "Borderline" as a B-side.
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
. It includes songs about Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
spiritual themes and figures such as Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
and Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
's Transfiguration
Transfiguration of Jesus
The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
. The album is softer and sparser than other albums by Stevens, relying more heavily on his trademark banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and "hushed vocals." The album was released on Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and vinyl LP; the vinyl was released by Burnt Toast Vinyl
Burnt Toast Vinyl
Burnt Toast Vinyl is an independent record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:Burnt Toast Vinyl was founded by a Drexel University student who had initially been involved with concert promotion at the school...
.
Critical reception
Seven Swans was received well by critics. The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called it "a record of remarkable delicacy" and Spin magazine
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
said it sounded "like Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
after ten years of Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
".
Thematic elements
Many of the songs on Seven Swans tell stories directly from the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
:
- "All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands" is a reference to IsaiahBook of IsaiahThe Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
55:12, where IsaiahIsaiahIsaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
says, "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." - "In the Devil's Territory" is probably a reference to MatthewGospel of MatthewThe Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
4:1, where Jesus spends forty days and forty nights fasting in the desert in order to face the temptation of the devil. The first line of the song references Psalm 46 and possibly the Beach Boys' song 'Be Still'. - "To Be Alone with You" discusses Christ's atonement and how it has made him intimately connected with humanity ("You gave your body to the lonely, they took your clothes. You gave up a wife and a family, you gave your ghost; to be alone with me...to be alone with me you went up on a tree.") The beginning could also be a lament of Judas IscariotJudas IscariotJudas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
; "I'd give my body to be back again, in the rest of the room [upper chamber where the Last Supper was held]," or Sufjan himself lamenting past sins, comparing himself to Judas. - "Abraham" references Genesis 22:1-19, wherein AbrahamAbrahamAbraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
is tested by God and told to sacrifice his only son IsaacIsaacIsaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
. Abraham is, at the last moment and with knife in hand, stopped by an angel and instead sacrifices a ram to God. - "We Won't Need Legs To Stand" is most likely speaking of the new, perfect bodies to be received upon entering HeavenHeavenHeaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
. ("When we are dead, and we all have wings, we won't need legs to stand.") - "He Woke Me Up Again" may reference 1 SamuelBooks of SamuelThe Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...
3, in which God keeps calling Samuel from his sleep. - "Seven Swans" references the Book of RevelationBook of RevelationThe Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
, though cloaked as a strange personal account. Though there are not seven swans in the Book of Revelation, there are seven angels (Revelations 8:2), and there is certainly a mention of seven horns, either the seven trumpets of the angels (Revelation 8:2) or the seven horns of the Lamb of God (Revelation 5:6). There is also Revelation 19:17: "...to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God". The fire in the yard may refer to the "hail and fire mixed with blood" cast upon the earth (Revelation 8:7). Also mentioned is a dragon (Satan) who tries to attack a woman who flees (Revelation 12:3-6) - "The Transfiguration" references the transfiguration of JesusTransfiguration of JesusThe Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
witnessed by the disciples PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, James, and JohnJohn the ApostleJohn the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
found in Mark 9:2-8. The song tells this story in a straightforward manner.
In addition, the songs explore other spiritual elements:
- "In the Devil's Territory" alludes to the George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
of BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song Long, Long, LongLong, Long, Long"Long, Long, Long" is a song written by George Harrison, and first released by The Beatles on their 1968 album, The Beatles, also known as The White Album....
—a song about finding God. - "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is based on Flannery O'ConnorFlannery O'ConnorMary Flannery O'Connor was an American novelist, short-story writer and essayist. An important voice in American literature, O'Connor wrote two novels and 32 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries...
's short story of the same titleA Good Man is Hard to Find (short story)"A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is a short story written by Flannery O'Connor in 1953. The story appears in the collection of short stories of the same name, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. The interpretive work of scholars often focuses on the controversial final scene.-Background:The short story was...
. It is told from the viewpoint of the Misfit. - The title of the album, the cover art, and the last two songs seem to contain an allusion to the folk story of the Seven Swans, in which seven brothers are turned to swans until their sister returns them to their human form.
Track listing
All songs written by Sufjan Stevens- "All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands" – 4:14
- "The Dress Looks Nice on You" – 2:32
- "In the Devil's Territory" – 4:57
- "To Be Alone with You" – 2:44
- "Abraham" – 2:33
- "Sister" – 6:00
- "Size Too Small" – 3:04
- "We Won't Need Legs to Stand" – 2:12
- "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" – 3:16
- "He Woke Me Up Again" – 2:43
- "Seven Swans" – 6:33
- "The Transfiguration" – 5:18
Bonus 7"
- "I Went Dancing with My Sister"
- "Waste of What Your Kids Won't Have"
Personnel
- Sufjan Stevens – composition and performance
- Laura Normandin – calligraphyCalligraphyCalligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
- Rafter Roberts – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Andrew Smith – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Daniel Smith – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
at his home studio and the New Jerusalem Rec Room in Clarksboro, New JerseyClarksboro, New JerseyClarksboro is a historic area of Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States located in the existing municipality of East Greenwich Township.-Birthplace:*Hardy Richardson, former major league baseball player... - David Smith – drums
- Megan Smith – vocals
- Marzuki StevensMarzuki StevensMarzuki Stevens is a professional long distance and marathon runner from Detroit, Michigan. Marzuki finished 5th among Americans at the Chicago Marathon on October 10, 2004, and 20th overall at the Boston Marathon, 2006. He qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials.Marzuki Stevens is the brother of...
– artwork
"The Dress Looks Nice on You"
A 7" limited edition singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
of "The Dress Looks Nice on You" was released by Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
in support of the album on March 8, 2004. The single features the song "Borderline" as a B-side.
- "The Dress Looks Nice on You" – 2:32
- "Borderline" – 3:25