AP Physics teacher Nicholas Gillies is currently listening to “King of Oklahoma” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.
“As a songwriter, he’s always done a good job of painting these stories with characters. Even though they’re fictional, they are drawn from personal experiences,” Gillies said. “The characters develop, but you’ve also got this whole illusion of what’s going on in the song.”
The song is inspired from country music, incorporating elements of blues and rock. Through the lyrics, the artist tells the story of a fictional character facing various struggles. The tone is more serious as the song deals with themes of loss, heartbreak, and a lacking sense of self-worth.
“Things never go your way, but you don’t really do anything to change that,” Gillies said.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are a Southern country rock band made up of musicians from Alabama. Singer Jason Isbell leads the band, as a former member of the group Drive-By Truckers. The band’s first album was released in 2009, and their third album, “The Nashville Sound” won them two Grammys in 2017.
“He’s got a lot of songs that are mellower in terms of acoustic guitar and instrumentation,” Gillies said. “A lot of songs focus on a character. [This song] is a different story than the other characters.”
“King of Oklahoma” is available on all streaming platforms.