Imagine this: Fall 2005, and every morning a very dramatic 14-year-old stares dramatically out the window of her school bus, Sufjan Steven's dramatic ballad "Chicago" blows into her earphones and pretends to be at the end of a drama appropriately dramatic film montage. This 14 year old was me and, as I said, I was very dramatic – much like Payton Hobart, the leader of Netflix The politician. Coincidentally, Payton's teenage years are also tuned to "Chicago", which serves as the theme song for the dramedy created by Ryan Murphy.
It's the perfect, comprehensive choice for a montage that shows everything that helps build Payton's larger-than-life personality – medals, political pins, a box of matches – and ends with a statue that recreates the character (played by Dear Evan HansenBen Platt) becomes human and takes an intimidating look directly into the camera. Admittedly, you first hear Stevens' song Illinois feels a bit out of place in a snappy series The politician, with a candy-colored palette and a dialogue of one mile per minute. If you listen closely, "Chicago" is a good choice for Payton's trip.
Stevens' song has the remarkable ability of making you feel both happy and breathless while at the same time pounding the gut and ready to sink into a box of tissues. So too The politicianwho never quite decides what kind of story to tell or what tone to stick to. The lyrics in "Chicago" also refer to the search for escape and liberation – "When I cried / In the van with my friend / It was for freedom / From myself and from the country" – something Payton wants to do as soon as possible he achieved its acceptance in season one of Harvard.
If you're preparing for season two, you'll find "Chicago" here for your listening pleasure.
