Tag: Jason Isbell

The Inspiration for Jason Isbell’s “Elephant” (Song of the Day)

Jason Isbell’s song “Elephant” is a rare heartbreaking song capturing the realities of dying and relationships.

Like many others, when I first listened to Jason Isbell’s wonderful 2013 album Southeastern I was blown away from the first listen to the song “Elephant.” As you listen to the song, it slowly dawns upon you what the “elephant” in the room is and it is heartbreaking. If you have never heard the song before, watch the video below before reading further.

In the song, the singer tells about his close relationship with a woman dying of cancer. The singer recounts their interactions while trying to “ignore the elephant.”

But I’d sing her classic country songs,
And she’d get high and sing along;
She don’t have a voice to sing with now;
We burn these joints in effigy,
And cry about what we used to be;
Try to ignore the elephant somehow;
Somehow.

The song seems so personal, detailed, and truthful, that for a long time I had assumed Isbell wrote it about a friend who had died. But that is not the case.

The source for “Elephant,” however comes from real people. Isbell has said “Elephant” was generally inspired by watching regulars at an Alabama bar and over time seeing some of them disappear from the scene due to cancer. He explained to NPR, “I imagined a couple of folks who were drinking buddies, nothing more than that, and how their relationship changed when one of them got sick. I’ve known a lot of people who have gotten cancer and died. I think everybody has at this point in time, but those two folks aren’t necessarily people who exist in reality.”

Although the characters are not “real,” the descriptions are genuine and the conversations seem to exist in reality. It is one of the greatest songs about dying, loss, and friendship.

Below, Isbell performs the song in 2013 for SiriusXM Outlaw Country. Check it out, but only if you have tissues handy.

What is your favorite song about death? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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John Prine New Single: “Summer’s End”

Tree of ForgivenessJohn Prine is releasing a new album The Tree of Forgiveness, which features the first single, “Summer’s End.”  Any John Prine album is cause for celebration, but The Tree of Forgiveness is extra special because it will be the singer-songwriter’s first album of new material in thirteen years.

The new album  contains ten songs written or co-written by Prine.  The co-writers include Pat McLaughlin, Roger Cook, Dan Auerbach, Keith Sykes and Phil Spector.   Also, the album features special guests Brandi Carlile (harmony vocals on some songs), Jason Isbell (guitar), and Amanda Shires (fiddle and background vocals).

Prine released the first single, “Summer’s End,” with an accompanying video.  Joshua Britt and Nielson Hubbard edited and directed the video, which highlights the lyrics.

In the song, which may allude to death as much as the ending of summer, Prine beckons the listener to “come on home.” So, check out “Summer’s End,” which was written by Prine and Pat McLaughlin.

Prine, who has survived bouts with cancer, also announced a world tour starting in April 2018.  And Prine’s label Oh Boy Records will release The Tree of Forgiveness, which is one of Rolling Stone’s most anticipated albums of the year, on April 13.

What is your favorite John Prine Song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Jason Isbell Is Thankful For Work

    Something More Than Free Chimesfreedom‘s song of the day is Jason Isbell‘s new song, “Something More Than Free,” the title track off his new album released July 17, 2015. It is a rare song that is somewhat of an ode to work: “And I don’t think on why I’m here where it hurts / I’m just lucky to have the work.”

    But the song is about more. “Something More Than Free” meditates on how we give meaning to our lives (“Guess I’m doin’ what I’m on this earth to do”). While the singer is thankful for the work, he also looks for something more.

    And the day will come when I’ll find a reason,
    And somebody proud to love a man like me;
    My back is numb, my hands are freezing;
    What I’m working for is something more than free.

    So, check out the title track from Something More Than Free by the Alabama-born and former Drive-By Trucker Isbell. Here, Isbell performs an acoustic version of the song at KUTX Studio 1A.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Alt-Country Tribute to Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”

    Producers Logan Rogers and Evan Schlansky have gathered some artists to put an alt-country spin on Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 album, Born in the U.S.A. The result, Dead Man’s Town: A Tribute to Born in U.S.A. (2014), features artists such as North Mississippi Allstars, Holly Williams, Joe Pug, Apache Relay, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Justin Townes Earle, and Blitzen Trapper.

    For now, you can listen to a stream of the full album below. Each of the artists puts a new spin on the one of the twelve tracks on the album. Check it out.

    Standout tracks includes Holly Williams mining the sadness underlying “No Surrender,” Justin Townes Earle reworking and slowing down “Glory Days,” and Quaker City Nighthawks finding the country heart of “Darlington County.” Dead Man’s Town will be available September 16.

    What is your favorite song on the album? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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