Should Have Known Better
{{Short description|2015 single by Sufjan Stevens}}
{{For|other songs|Should've Known Better (disambiguation){{!}}Should've Known Better}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Should Have Known Better
| cover = Should Have Known Better (Front Cover).png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Sufjan Stevens
| album = Carrie & Lowell
| released = March 11, 2015
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{flatlist|
- Folk{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/sufjan-stevens-shares-somber-should-have-known-better-20150311 |title=Sufjan Stevens Shares Somber 'Should Have Known Better' |magazine=Rolling Stone |accessdate=August 6, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.punknews.org/review/13389/sufjan-stevens-carrie-and-lowell |title=Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell (2015) |website=Punknews |date=24 March 2015 |accessdate=August 6, 2016}}
- electronic{{cite web|url=http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/sufjan-stevens-carrie-lowell |title=Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell |website=PopMatters |date=25 March 2015 |accessdate=August 6, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/carrie-lowell |title=SUFJAN STEVENS - CARRIE & LOWELL |website=Record Collector |accessdate=August 6, 2016}}
}}
| length = 5:07
| label = Asthmatic Kitty
| writer = Sufjan Stevens
| producer =
| prev_title = No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross
| prev_year = 2015
| next_title = Carrie & Lowell
| next_year = 2015
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|lJJT00wqlOo|"Should Have Known Better"}}}}
}}
"Should Have Known Better" is a song by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens. It is the second track and second single from his seventh studio album, Carrie & Lowell, and was released digitally on March 11, 2015 on Asthmatic Kitty. A one-track promotional CD was later released on Asthmatic Kitty but was not available for sale.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/58811-sufjan-stevens-shares-should-have-known-better/ |title=Sufjan Stevens Shares "Should Have Known Better" |publisher=Pitchfork Media |first=Molly |last=Beauchemin |date=March 11, 2015 |accessdate=March 17, 2016}}
Critical reception
"Should Have Known Better" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. The song was chosen upon release as Pitchfork Media's "Best New Track". Jeremy Gordon stated that, " 'Should Have Known Better' takes us back to the beginning he remembers, where Carrie leaves him in a video store at the age of 'three, maybe four.' In a hushed voice, he sings like he's clinging onto a blanket for warmth as he fixates on the black shroud that enveloped him in the wake of her absence, muting his ability to transparently express himself." Gordon continues, "But halfway through, an uplifting electric keyboard line kicks in; a subtle percussive note steadily taps out a reminder to keep going; his voice shakes off the ice and forms a chorus with itself, flowering into something hopeful. Sufjan flips the melody from the black shroud into a tender lyric about shoving aside his fear, discovering an oasis of perspective when he looks to his brother's newborn daughter and sees his mother in her face. When he sings 'nothing can be changed,' he doesn't sound resigned, but ready to look forward. It's the dawn at the end of a long night, a prayer that past traumas might be healed by a beautiful present."{{cite web |last=Gordon |first=Jeremy |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/17370-sufjan-stevens-should-have-known-better/ |title=Sufjan Stevens: "Should Have Known Better" |work=Pitchfork Media |date=March 11, 2015 |accessdate=March 17, 2016}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Should Have Known Better"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Should Have Known Better|artist=Sufjan Stevens|type=single|award=Gold|access-date=24 October 2023|relyear=2015|certyear=2023}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|lJJT00wqlOo|"Should Have Known Better" official music video}}
{{Sufjan Stevens}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Asthmatic Kitty singles