ISBELL: The problem with that one was I had to write it a couple different times because it's a delicate subject. It seemed like you were particularly writing about Uvalde. For context, this is a song about how a parent processes school shootings. ISBELL: We spent a lot of time on the analog synth on "Save The World." It was tough, but when we finally got it, it was super rewarding.ĭETROW: I guess I did kind of appreciate the synthesizer in "Save The World." But I'll say to you, as a parent of a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old, that's not what stuck out to me about that song. but you're in the moment of saying, OK, it's all up to me, so maybe this is the choice I need to make here? Knowing that he could say no and you'd have that back and forth. You know, I think I can actually go in the studio and not take my ego in there with me so much and not feel like I have anything to prove and just serve the song.ĭETROW: Did that lead to any moments of you making decisions, any particular moments on any particular songs where maybe if you had a producer, you'd be pushing for something else. This time, as I was writing the songs, I thought to myself, I think I can do this without screwing it up. When I got sober 11 years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to turn over some control of that part of my work so I could just do my job, you know, write the songs, bring them in and say, tell me what to do. And, you know, I loved working with Dave. ISBELL: We worked with Dave Cobb on the last four records, I think. What was different about that experience for you in the day-to-day compared to other albums? JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT: (Singing) She used to make me feel like the king of Oklahoma, but nothing makes me feel like much of nothing anymore.ĭETROW: You produced this album entirely yourself. ISBELL: I try not to have a finished product in mind when I start. It's not all that different from a crossword puzzle because you have a certain amount of space that you have to get a detail into. But you're also trying to make something that's really singable, something that works as a song. And you're trying to paint this picture that people can visualize.
ISBELL: It's sort of like you're doing three jobs at once.
#Passenger let her go lyrics full#
Doctor took a quick look, and I got out the checkbook and left with a pocket full of pills. JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT: (Singing) I was emptying my bladder on a 20-foot ladder - should have climbed down and found myself some shade. And then I'll just follow him around, you know, and see what he does. And I'll try to find the right detail, so we get sort of an overview of that character. ISBELL: For me, I will start with a character. You hear the story of this guy with a serious opioid addiction, what he's doing to feed it, how he got there. And it was really great for the songwriting process.ĭETROW: That's one of the songs I want to talk about because that's such a great example of that classic storytelling song. And I spent a lot of time either on my own or just sort of bumming around Bartlesville, Okla. ISBELL: I was exposed to a lot of people that I didn't know, people that I didn't see every day. ISBELL: I try to write with this sort of sense of place just because it's a good way to start. The kids won't even know my name.ĭETROW: Isbell did most of the writing for "Weathervanes" on the set of another movie, a Martin Scorsese film out later this year, where Isbell makes his debut as an actor. JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT: (Singing) Molly don't believe me, says she's going to leave me. ISBELL: If I was making people dance, I wouldn't sit there and waste my time on prepositions (laughter).ĭETROW: He and his band, The 400 Unit, are out with a new album filled with songs that embrace the uncertainty of life, songs like "King Of Oklahoma." (SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "RUNNING WITH OUR EYES CLOSED")
JASON ISBELL: I think, like a short story writer, sometimes you work from a more honest place when you just make people happen and then follow them around and pay attention to them.ĭETROW: An HBO documentary released earlier this year revealed just how much pressure Isbell puts on himself to write. Isbell writes vivid songs about memorable, complicated characters. There's a young man crying in a cowboy hat.ĭETROW: That's always been clear to fans of his music. JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT: (Singing) There's a warm wind blowing through the laundromat. For Jason Isbell, the lyrics are everything.
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