Sam Recommends: “What Goes On” by Sufjan Stevens

As a high school senior back in 2005, I was excited to buy This Bird Has Flown — a 40th anniversary tribute to The Beatle’s Rubber Soul — with money from one of my first paychecks ever. Despite boasting contributions from some of the indie-world darlings of the time, I found the album largely disappointing, with a few exceptions, of course.

One of those exceptions is Sufjan Steven’s brilliant cover of “What Goes On.”

If I had to list all of The Beatles’ songs from my most favorite to least favorite, the original version of “What Goes On” would fall somewhere towards the bottom of the list. I just find it kind of…hokey.

Sufjan’s version, however, would be at the top of my list of favorite covers of all time. I wouldn’t call myself a true synesthete, but the colorful explosions this song brings to life in my brain give me a taste of that magic. Maybe you’ll see/taste/feel it too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwBqlI1xNac(Song recommendation by Samantha Lamph/Len)