Stream Sufjan Stevens’ “Tonya Harding,” Which Was Turned Down By ‘I, Tonya’ Music Team

Sufjan Stevens already has two, gorgeous songs — “Visions Of Gideon” and “Mystery Of Love” — in one of the best movies of the year, “Call Me By Your Name.” Had things gone differently, the prolific singer/songwriting would have had another tune in an awards season film.

Stevens has released the simply named “Tonya Harding,” which as you guessed, is about the disgraced figure skater, who is getting a sympathetic portrayal in the excellent “I, Tonya” starring Margot Robbie. In fact, the musician reveals, “It’s not at all related to the new biopic (I sent it to the music supervisors but they couldn’t find a way to use it),” but it’s going hard to listen to it without imagining how it would’ve unfolded over the credits (though, the edgy nature of Craig Gillespie‘s film, would make for a jarring match).

In a thoughtful, extended mini-essay, Stevens further elaborates on his fascination with Harding, and how he pulled the easy jokes that could be made at her expense, to write something more earnest:

I admit, early drafts of this song contained more than a few puns, punch lines and light-hearted jabs—sex tapes and celebrity boxing make for an entertaining narrative arc. But the more I edited, and the more I meditated, and the more I considered the wholeness of the person of Tonya Harding, I began to feel a conviction to write something with dignity and grace, to pull back the ridiculous tabloid fodder and take stock of the real story of this strange and magnificent America hero. At the end of the day, Tonya Harding was just an ordinary woman with extraordinary talent and a tireless work ethic who set out to do her very best. She did that and more. I hope the same can be said of us all.

“I, Tonya” opens this weekend, and you can buy “Tonya Harding” in a variety of formats, right now.