Wouldn't mind hearing about this now, as I was still wondering on the back catalog given I couldn't guess your track. Viagra Boys?
On that last note, I immediately thought of my nomination.
It wouldn't surprise me as I know of Jason Isbell fans who will skip over that track on his new album for the same reason.
I do like his 2023 album Weathervanes, but it isn't my favorite of his and not even as good as his last few ones of original material, IMO.
However, there wasn't a more
powerful song I heard in 2023 that moved me as much as this one did that has stayed with me weeks and months after first hearing it. Did I think it would win? No. But I did think it important to not deny its overall effect on me.
Other artists, including Drive-By Truckers, have written songs about the mass shooting epidemic in the US, but Jason's is quite different.
In “Guns of Umpqua”, the DBT address it from the point of view of someone simply going about their day and thinking about their weekend past before the unexpected. In “Thoughts and Prayers”, they specifically call out those in power that do nothing but repeat the same old sentiments with no action or resolve to listen to consider any possible change.
Here, Jason's lyrics and the music go hand in hand from the viewpoint of a parent. This anxiety is something most any parent can relate to as it pertains to the safety of their kids and their feeling of overall helplessness at times. The guitar chords on the verses have that anxiousness feeling that really sets the mood of the song. On the chorus, it is a straightforward rocker from the 400 Unit that drives the point right home in a plea to his spouse to help him when he's not strong enough. It isn't the first time he's asked for help in overcoming his past battles with alcoholism and his current years of sobriety.
The song overall is one of this relationship with his spouse and for needing the help in not being able to do it alone on such a subject. Something we all need at times if concerned we'll lose our grip.
I'll end it with this excerpt from Jason himself in this interview about his album, as well as an alternate acoustic version of the song I found very touching as well.
As the link notes:
Isbell wrote "Save the World" last year after 19 children were killed in Uvalde, Texas.
It's a dive into a modern parent's simmering mental illness, in which every busted balloon makes us jump, and we have our phones alerting us to school shootings while Elmo's on our TV singing of sunny days, and somehow we're supposed to keep hope in the space between.
- I’m still dreaming in my heart of hearts / but something's changing in my head.
- And later: Something's drowning out the light.
Isbell compares his feelings for the song to John Prine's for "Sam Stone," about a drug-addicted veteran.
"It's a catch-22 for a songwriter. You try to write songs that resonate with people. But if you're writing about things that are societal problems, you hope that those songs won't hold up."
Of course, it held up.
In March, long after he recorded "Save the World," but about two months before he would release it, three children and three staff members were killed at The Covenant School in Nashville, not far from Isbell’s home.
I asked whether the song's meaning changed for him after that. It did, he said, but …
- "Something happening in your backyard shouldn't feel any different than it happening on the other side of the world. It all sucks," he said. "I think we've gotten to a point where a lot of people in America, unless they see something with their own eyes, have a hard time empathizing with people who are directly involved in it."
My thought bubble: For the past couple of weeks I've been playing my preview copy of "Weathervanes" for my son on the way to day care. We skip that song. Sorry, Jason.
An acoustic version if interested:
One final thought from me on a positive and thankful note:
Happy New Year to all the Blue Moon Album reviewers. Much appreciated on the music you've shared in this thread this year and prior. Hoping you have safe celebrations tonight and looking forward to 2024 with some interesting albums to come in January!
