I very nearly shared the video of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit playing “If We Were Vampires” live on Austin City Limits, but I changed my mind. The studio recording just can’t be beaten. Maybe if I had been in the audience during the ACL recording I’d feel differently. Or seeing them perform the song live anywhere for that matter. It’s not the band’s talent that held me back. I think it’s simply the technology. The mixing from the studio version made the song perfect and the equipment from ACL can’t compete.
If we were vampires and death was a joke
—Jason Isbell
We’d go out on the sidewalk and smoke
And laugh at all the lovers and their plans
I wouldn’t feel the need to hold your hand
In general, I’m not a fan of country music. I’m well aware that some of the songs I include in the Hangover Cafe flirt closely with that genre and this Americana ballad is as close as any have been. Hell, even the album it comes from is The Nashville Sound. Near as I can tell, “the Nashville sound” is a genre of music that means it’s nearly country except that the gatekeepers of country music won’t let you in their club. That’s fine. Regardless of genre, this album has several good songs. I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one more made it into the cafe at some point…
The thing I love most about this somber song is that the singer gets it: our most precious resource is time. “Maybe time running out is a gift,” Isbell sings. I think that’s an optimistic point of view, especially since we’ve yet to gain immortality. But that doesn’t mean it’s a naive point of view. Would we cherish holding our lovers’ hands if we had an eternity with them? Would we think twice about having a cigarette or drinking ourselves into oblivion if we knew that neither had a chance of ever killing us? Probably not. We’re fragile, humans. Consequently, we tend to place a high value on our treasures. Go easy on those hangovers!
