Carrie & Lowell Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Sufjan Stevens has spoken about his 2015 album "Carrie & Lowell," explaining that the names refer to his mother Carrie Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams. When Sufjan was young (just one year old), his mother left, and he lived with his father and eventual stepmother, only occasionally visiting his mother Carrie and his stepfather in Oregon when he was older.

Carrie suffered from various numerous health issues, including schizophrenia and addictions to drugs and alcohol. Looking back, Sufjan considered her absence from his life both a blessing and a curse, as he missed out on the nurturing relationship that could have (should have) been, yet also was not subjected to the harsh reality of living with her life challenges. She also faced a battle with cancer, which took her life in 2012.

The song "Carrie & Lowell" is the 8th track on the album, and is the central point around which the other songs seem to rotate. There are many references in this song (and some of the others) to Oregon, which point to his memories and even some historical intricacies (such as a reference to Opal, which was an Oregon-based literary character). Her struggles with addiction are seen with the inclusion of the word 'Thorazine' - an antipsychotic medication, and other indications of emotional and physical violence (head on the floorboards covered in blood, twists my arm, breaks my arm).

Sufjan also seamlessly includes other imagery from literature and mythology, referencing Dido (from Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" - a story about abandonment and death) and Erebus, the Greek god of darkness and the underworld. And at the end, references to 'Ephemera' and mayflies bring images of the fleeting nature of life and beauty, and the impermanence of relationships.