I read the following on his fanpage once and this might be the most brilliant interpretation I've ever read: Listen to "Streetlights", then "Songs That She Sang in the Shower" and finally "Cover Me up". Those three songs makes an amazing trilogy, They tell a story of addiction, that probably only could be told by someone who has been through all those motions. In "Streetlights" the protagonist is living an unsatisfiyng life, Drinking is more and more the way he numbs the hurt of his existential pain. While at the bar he observes people that's further down the line than himself (Marc/Little Em). The streetlights symbolize there's a way out, but light's too faint - he hasn't got the tools/means to break out of the decline. He blames life's complications (girl gone, dad idle, life in fast-lane), but are unable to address that changing his own mindset is the only viable way out. "Songs That She Sang in the Shower" is the protagonist hitting rock bottom. He's getting into a fight, alienating those around him, losing another girl. Focusing on that he's on his own, and what has been (Yesterday's Wine), he can't see that he needs help and emphasize the possibilities of what may be ahead. "Cover Me Up" is obviously about redemption - how the protagonist now sees how his previous mindset was so damaging. Now he's gotten help, and understanding that focusing on others, not himself, has given him the incentive to change his life, and the tools to do so. He's found that there's use for him. For good...
@@Guitargate Thank you. But like I said, I didn't write or come up with this. Someone on his fan page on FB wrote it and I copied it because I loved it so much. I unfortunately don't have the original post, but I can't take credit for it. Just an amazing interpretation though.
In addition to "Songs That She Sang in the Shower", I would add "Alabama Pines" into that as well. It deals with addiction, the feelings of loneliness, and the longing to get to a simpler place. One free of the strains of heartache, self-doubt, and coping with alcohol.
I sobered up i swore ofc that cup forever this time. Forever us a very strong word for addicts. Not from tgis song but cover me up. Matt you hit it dude. Well put and wzplained
so much brilliance that "I blocked just a park away" gets overlooked often. This guy with a guitar and a pencil is what Monet was with a brush and tube of paint.
God that line about moments that don’t seem like much being your only crutch when you’re alone. It’s crazy how true that is. The happiest moments of my life with the girl I lost - my own damn fault - were all throw away moments I didn’t know were happening when they happened. Sharing beef and broccoli at a little Chinese place and reading stupid jokes out of magazine, her giggling giddy and going home and wearing our sweats watching Iron Chef till we fell asleep curled up on the couch. That was the best day of my life somehow.
For so long I thought I was drunk reading these lyrics (and I had just gotten sober). It took so long to realize it was intentional to make the POV character hammered
So Jason played our brewery one night, his first show sober and we got to chat about life and growing up in Alabama with these Southern men and women who were so big and broken around us. It's a privilege to have your own personal poet communicating your experience to the world with all its pain and beauty and perfect imperfections. Watching those vignettes impact people around the world makes me swell with pride and tears and a tickle. He is our Dylan, and I'm damn proud to know him.
There’s just no one like him. Obviously an elite songwriter, but a lot of people sleep on his playing. What a gift to be able to access the part of the mind that enables you to so artistically and beautifully turn a phrase. Can’t wait to see them again in a few weeks at Red Rocks.
You are correct my friend. Check out Widespread Panic Sweetwater 420 Festival from 2019. Jason Isbell sits in the 1st set. Him and Jimmy Herring put on a clinic
What impresses me even more is that Jason Isbell is not always singing about his own life. Many songs he's singing as the character/family member of the story but I never question the authenticity!
Isbell was known for his guitar playing when he joined Drive By Truckers VERY YOUNG. He's a damn good guitar player. The best don't overplay and make it sound much easier than it is.
You can see why Isbell was such a Prine fan, and John was his fan too. What a story teller, what a great artist. Thanks again Michael for sharing your enthusiasm! 🔥🇺🇸
When he wrote “pretty soon you will remember when you could remember when you loved someone” you know he had tears his in eyes off the raw excitement of tapping into that magic we all dream of. That magic that nails down a moment in your life when you first heard that line. What it meant to you.
One of my favorite tunes from Isbell and it is great to watch a reaction from someone very knowledgeable about the craft; I just shake my head when I hear a tune like "stockholm" for the first time as well. He is on another planet
My favorite thing about Michael is that he likes to understand music. He likes to know how and why songs work. But when that’s all done, he doesn’t forget to appreciate it for what it is. Jazz, rock, country, you name it. Music is the most beautiful storytelling medium there is! Thank you for the content Michael… You get it :)
You almost got choked up there when it reminded you of your life, your Dad, your kids and playing bars and the un-shareable life. ...and that what makes Isbelle so great. I have been there, choked up, with so many of his songs, or stories set to guitar. Great reaction to a song. It starts at 9:34 you start reacting and have a mood change, he mentions "..quit the road , hes getting old he missed his wife" at 11:00, "Dad" at 11:19 and right there he got you and finally @ 12:42 the slam dunker "when your alone". Loneliness. So good.
Man I can't believe you did this version of this song. I literally listen to it like it's a secret version that nobody knows about. It's so damn good! The way he keeps bringing you back to what he's doing at the bar is great. The pickin in this song ain't half bad either.
Jason Isbell is a National Treasure🇺🇸This is not one of his greatest guitar songs, but the lyrics/melody arrangement is an awesome rumination on loneliness/depression/addiction/road-life...pure poetry...amazing...songs that just take your breath away...I luv how you listen and study songs. You remind me of me...keep on keep on brother🇺🇸🙏🗽🎸🎆🤠great pic
Please please please when you get the time, do another Isbell reaction? I keep looking for your next one. Maybe Speed Trap Town, Last of My Kind, Dreamsicle, Songs that She Sang in the Shower or Goddamn Lonely Love??
This is such a sneaky hard song. You listen to it and think "Oh, I'm going to sit down and learn this right quick." After a few days, I was playing my own version of it that sounded ok, but could not do it like Jason does. That syncopation is tricky. I'm going to come back to it one day.
It reminds me of Floyd in a way. You are not going to think you're listening to Americana Artist Jason Isbell. Probably for a lot of people it is the moment that Title's and Genre and the other things that are so limiting to our lives is shattered and the reality that the guy who wrote outfit and Alabama Pines has the same power in a Progressive Rock song he wrote. The new Tractor Rap is not Country Music. It's Country Music according to the Machine.
I just saw him in concert for the first time with The 400 Unit earlier this month. Dude absolutely SHREDS on electric with and without a glass slide! We all know how good a songwriter he is, but I was blown away to see his guitar chops. Hope to see more from him on your channel!
He's just the most amazing cat to come along in a great while. He has those things that make Mac MacNally, Lyle Lovett - and Ryan Adams - songcraft so great. It gets you and the picture and the story just hit you hard. These kind of cats just take you there and drop you in the middle of their pain (or joy and sometimes dark comedy). Now, after you practice your arse off on that picking and can really feel it, then, you realize this cat is singing beautifully and powerfully. So now you have to organize all of that and have it feel very real. That's just so tough. Sting said about The Police (songs like Roxanne): if you practice the bass part slow enough, you can figure out how to do it and sing in the right place (paraphrased indelicately). I love how it resonated with you, Michael - and I'm just right there with you. We all have to give up something great to be great at some things. I'm afraid parenting is one of those things. So it goes.
are you speaking of the one titled "Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit "Goddamn Lonely Love" live from WorkPlay August 17, 2012"? that is the best live version I have found. so. absolutely. amazing.
Which one? There are hundreds dating back to the mid-2000s, with different lineups and different feels. There's acoustic, with horns, rocking versions with Browan Lollar...
This is my favorite performance of my all time favorite song of his. I found it a few years ago, before I went full time as a musician, and this is the first time I’ve heard it since I’ve really experienced the kind of night he wrote about this. He has such a phenomenal ability to make the listener feel seen and understood, and it’s unmatched in modern music. Thanks for doing this, I needed to hear it today.
Another soul drenching experience about the gift of youth , and the profoundness of aging . Great song great stuff man . Your awesome like I said before you and Rick are incredible Thank you so much
Your enthusiasm for the artistry as well as your ability to point out the magic in each and every musician is mesmerizing. I'm not exactly sure how I found you, but thank you for being so authentic and sharing your own gifts.
I absolutely agree. I’m a music major but could never “get” the guitar, (I love it… it always alluded me) even though I play piano, trumpet, play w autoharp in my classroom. I am fascinated with your knowledge and ability to interpret the music. So I’m a “non” guitar player that LOVES what you do. Thanks for allowing me to listen.
This one of my favorite songs of all time in a very bittersweet way. It's one of those "life lessons" songs that feels valuable to have heard while young. Honestly it scares the hell out of me because I'm 19, and watching close family relate to it seems to add another layer of pressure to this whole "loving people while you've got 'em" mindset that I've realized. That line at 12:00 "think I blocked just a park away" kills me every time because it's 100% intentional. The narrator is so drunk and lost that he's mixing up his words, then the next line "but I can't really say, it's been all night" makes no effort to correct himself. Instead of fixing it, he's in such a low place that he decides to discredit his own words instead. He made a mistake but his loneliness reminds him that it's completely inconsequential, so it's easier to just move on. There's many layers to this questioning of self worth, and it's why he's untouchable as a songwriter in my opinion.
I am sure you will be bombarded with this comment, but the "blocked just a park away" line was an accident. He was performing the song at the Blue Bird really early on and messed up the lyric from being nervous, someone said how good the (messed up) line was and he kept it that way when he recorded it.
Jason is the best songwriter around right now imo. He’s coming to Harrisburg PA next month- it will be my first concert since the pandemic and I’m following it up with Sturgill with Willy and Family at Merriweather in Sept. Stoked!
@@adamjackson3496 I agree completely! He was my last concert before the pandemic shut everything down, and will be my first concert now that concerts are a thing again (hopefully they will stay a thing) at least until Aug 28
I found this while looking for a live version of Streetlights. Have seen Isbell many times, most recently at the Ryman this month. You are spot on with your commentary on the last verses of this song. Isbell is not of this world and an old soul songwriter. Really like your narrative. Thank you.
I don't know if you've managed to see him yet, but I highly recommend seeing him while he's touring weathervanes. I liked the record but it is completely another level live. I've seen him a half dozen times and the most recent show was mine blowing. I've got tickets the next time he's in town and I'm flying to Denver for his Red rocks show. Hopefully by the time I'm seeing it a third time at red rocks I won't cry through the whole thing.
This is my 3rd time watching this reaction. I love the part where Michael says “I want to hear what he has to say.” Especially now that I know how much he’s going to love it and how it’s going to resonate with him. I’m surprised every time that he doesn’t just get up and walk away from the camera and the video just ends…
*“Think I blocked just a park away”* trumps the last two lines of the song IMO. Like holy shit what a line. Possibly my favorite line of Jason’s and that’s saying A LOT.
My favorite lines are from Alabama Pines and not in the same place in the song. 1. The AC hasn't worked in twenty years Probably never made a single person cold But I can't say the same for me, I've done it many times 2. If we pass through on a Sunday Better make a stop at Wayne's It's the only open liquor store north And I can't stand the pain of being by myself Without a little help on a Sunday afternoon
Ryne - apparently, he was doing a songwriter's circle - and he actually goofed the lyric which was "I parked a block away" but thought it was cool and kept it - so that's the story I have now heard often enough to buy in, anyway.
Like how Michael says, Isbell hits you right out the gate lyrically. My daughter and I talk about that every time we listen to him.. Glad you are into Isbell, Michael, and every one!!
Michael you couldn't have picked a better song and performance from Mr. Michael Jason Isbell! Yup his firat name is Michael. This set is awesome and him performing solo like this is a thing of the past that is a national treasure.
I love your reaction video's. Even though i don't play the guitar. The way you can express your feelings and exitement about the lyrics and the story of a song keeps me coming back. Keep up the good work!
omg.. man i'm so glad you did this one! I'm a big fan of your channel and a huge fan of isbell. This version of this song is the best.. mastery in guitar playing, lyric writing, melody creation, passion, emotion, etc. Isbell is boss.
Michael, i like music, but watching you love music makes me love it. Thank you. I dont play, but i love watching you, and love watching you love your passion
As always, I appreciate your transparency about how the lyrics resonate with your life. My dad made similar career sacrifices to be more present with his kids and it was instrumental in becoming who I am today. Your presence is incredibly important to them
Love your reactions and musical input, Michael. I know your appreciation for Isbell, just like me. I’d love to see you check out a song from his most recent album that he wrote about his 3 yo daughter called “Letting You Go.” I know you’re a parent, as am I. Man, it’s one of his gems. 🤙
Super friggen tasty. The dude can craft a song, and is an incredibly effective wordsmith. For whomever you were breaking this down for: He is not keeping the alternating bass going for the other chords besides the G. That's where it could get really messy if you were mixing the alternating thumb/picked bass with the melody on the upper strings over those chords. It is doable, but it would be a lot more of those off beat treble string lines mixed in with the alternating bass. He is hitting the root only for Am and C or whatever other chords. If you can navigate the syncopation in the G section while maintaining the alternating bass, then it seems like it opens up after that if you want it to. Man Jason Isbell made that look easy. What a beautiful melody he was dancing with. Just floating it out there on the guitar while he was singing and moving the bass around. Powerful stuff. I get to play slide over this tune when doing duo gigs sometimes: "Cover Me Up" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NaUCDqWzy1k.html
I really enjoy your channel. I’m not even a guitar player. Lol! I’m a singer. But the relationship between lead guitar and lead vocals is very important on stage. We feed off of each other.
It's always a joy to watch you react to great music with such insight, and Jason is at the top of the songwriting mountain for sure. Thanks for doing this.
Well Michael, it's been a good end to the week. Had the pleasure of watching you perform (well). Now, mr. Isbell. I can't hear him without thinking about Ryan Adams.
This guy is hands down the best at understanding how to teach intermediate guitar players. BY FAR. Everyone talks to people like it’s the first week playing guitar. But he talks to those of us who are guitar players adding to our tool box.
Certain artists are so gifted at conveying emotion through their music and lyrics. Jason is a master at it. This song is yet another example of his ability to tell a story that is perfectly accentuated by his melodies simply and uncomplicated. Listening to him is like taking blood pressure meds. Thanks Michael for another brilliant video. Happy 4th to all.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thank you so much doing this! I appreciate everything you do on here and on your website. I’m gonna keep working on it and I’ll get it down eventually lol. It’s probably the hardest song I’ve ever learned though. Thanks again brother! You rock!
I just learned this song this week, so I figure I'll pass the knowledge forward; here's a simple tab I made for the intro: musescore.com/user/39252882/scores/6857989/s/68G28r?share=copy_link
What a masterclass in songwriting, as so many of Isbell's tunes are. Your thoughtful reviews and the pure appreciate for the art are appreciated as always. Also - unrelated - I dig the SpaceX tee.
Sirrr Palmisano!..man you teach me so much. You make my playing better, theory better, listening better, and my feeling inside of my own music and other’s. Tonight I was making dinner when I hit play. Wow what a song, thanks so much Heath Jude; but tonight Michael it was your listening eyes that hit me. I’m a listener, but here I am on a first listen to a song like this and not giving it my full attention. I put the food on hold went straight to my guitar and sat down and really listened. I played and sang along a bit, but toward the end, I stopped playing and fell into the song. Between Isbell’s ability with words and the truth of the song, I came to tears as I listened. For me, I’m an actor and art is a sacred thing. Whether I’m viewing ary at a museum, I’m on set somewhere, playing or listening to music, reading...whatever it is, I love it and it is sacred. Your listening eyes reminded me of that sacredness in art and because of it the song became, and I’m not being dramatic, but transcendent the way only art can be. I couldn’t be more grateful for your work...thanks so much again for what you do. I played and sang it after the video and I’m telling you, I haven’t felt, played, and sang like that since I can remember. All because you reminded me to listen with all of myself. THANK YOU.
I’ve drifted in and out playing for years and I love your style Michael. It’s a little theory heavy for me but the way you deliver this stuff is superb… and as for Jason… no words, he is unreal..
I think that was the first performance I seen from Isbell..I knew his face cos I'd seen him play some wicked guitar for JTE back in the day, fantastic performance and song. He's a fantastic performer and songwriter.
Love how you react to stuff. One of my favourite norwegian singer/songwriters died this year. He has a song that completely breaks me every time I hear it. You know how someone can write a novel in a song? This is one of the best examples of that. And in very few words. If you see trough the accent and the simplicity of the song you will find one of the most honest heartbreaking songs you'll ever hear. Please do Tommy Tokyo and the song "far between highlights". It's a live version from a norwegian show called Lindmo on the tube that is great. You'll be giving a wonderful songwriter and beautiul human being a huge honor if you do that song. I guarantee it will really move a lot of your fans and yourself. Just listen to the song at least. Peace out and be well, bro!
