Sturgill Simpson Releases New Country Song “The Dead Don’t Die”
For those Sturgill Simpson fans who’ve been hoping and praying for more of that hard country sound like you heard on his debut record High Top Mountain or in large portions of his magum opus Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, you get what you wish for and then some on the just released song called “The Dead Don’t Die.” Pulled from the new Jim Jarmusch zombie movie of the same name set to hit theaters June 14th, it’s the first new song from Sturgill in over three years.
Oozing with steel guitar, fiddle, honky tonk piano, and minimalist country drums, you can’t call “The Dead Don’t Die” anything but country, yet the lyricism is really what drives the song home. The movie might be a silly summer flick with an ensemble cast that includes Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, Danny Glover, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, and Selena Gomez, but “The Dead Don’t Die” works well as a serious standalone composition. The song delves into the theme of death and afterlife that were so present in much of country music’s early recordings as the peoples of Appalachia and Sturgill’s home state of Kentucky clung to life in often difficult circumstances where prosperity was scarce, death was always close, and the memory of loved ones haunted the thoughts of survivors.
“The Dead Don’t Die” doesn’t just make a scant appearance in the movie. Apparently it’s part of a running joke throughout the film, with the characters played by Bill Murray, Adam Driver, and Selena Gomez all making references to the song, including a teaser scene released before the film that shows Selena Gomez buying the Sturgill Simpson The Dead Don’t Die CD. The Sturgill Simpson song also plays during multiple scenes in the movie, including the final scene and ending credits of the movie, and Simpson is said to make a small cameo in the film as a guitar-dragging zombie. The plot of The Dead Don’t Die revolves around a small, peaceful town that is suddenly terrorized when zombies rise from their graves. The town’s small police force and a Scottish mortician try to save the town from the zombie apocalypse.
Don’t get too cozy with the idea that Sturgill Simpson is reverting back to making full blown country music just yet. He’s been saying in recent interviews that his next album will “definitely not be a country record.” Expect the new record to be more in line with the rock ‘n’ roll sets Sturgill has been performing live recently. However he’s also left open the idea of returning to his country roots in the future. Simpson also just played a blazing bluegrass set during an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry May 28th, where he recruited Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, and Scott Vestal to run through some of his songs bluegrass style.
As part of the exclusive iTunes release of “The Dead Don’t Die,” Sturgill spoke to Beats 1’s Zane Lowe. When asked if he’d been working on a new album, Sturgill responded, “Always. Been working on two or three. Just stocking the ammo up. Mostly been focusing on … I think I’m going to coach some PeeWee soccer, run for sheriff or something. Walk around with one pant leg tucked into my boot … I don’t know man, I make [albums] and then step away. The rest of it has nothing to do with me.”
Sturgill Simpson is well due to release a new album. Word is he’s been taking some time off around the birth of his third son, but a new record is in the can. Simpson was also swept up in the reorganization of Elektra Records, which is the label that has released the new track.
Sturgill also spoke to Zane Lowe about how the collaboration with Jim Jarmusch came about. “[He] asked me if I wanted to write a song for his movie, and I think I said yes before he even got the question out. I’ve always loved his work, probably since I was too young to really understand or be watching. ‘Ghost Dog’ and ‘Dead Man’ had a huge impact on me. I’ve probably seen ‘Ghost Dog’ 200 to 300 times. It’s a bucket list thing getting to work with him.”
As for writing the song, Sturgill says, “Well, that was the title of the film so I knew it had to be the title of the song. Just reading the scripts, and little anecdotes and takeaways from what I thought the real underlying message Jim was getting. It was different, because I usually write most stuff from the perspective of my own experience. It was fun, a lot of fun.”
June 13, 2019 @ 9:47 am
Nevermind it just being on iTunes. The “exclusive” has ended and it was just released on all platforms.
June 13, 2019 @ 9:49 am
Great song!
June 13, 2019 @ 9:54 am
Definitely a good song and something you could see being on High Top Mountain
June 13, 2019 @ 9:58 am
Just got blue-balled hard
June 13, 2019 @ 10:03 am
Heck Yeah!!!!
June 13, 2019 @ 10:08 am
The boy still got it
June 13, 2019 @ 10:10 am
OMFG. This. This is amazing. How is he so damn perfect in making it so hardcore yet so philosophical? God bless Sturgill.
June 13, 2019 @ 10:33 am
That was fantastic. It’s too bad he doesn’t want to make traditional country anymore cause he does it so damn well. Speaking of traditional done so damn well.. Jamey Johnson needs to drop a new record
June 13, 2019 @ 10:43 am
“Just stocking the ammo up.” Love it. Remember, he has been quoted “I am plotting your destruction.” All I can say is, CAN. NOT. WAIT.
June 13, 2019 @ 11:01 am
How many funerals will this be played at?
June 13, 2019 @ 11:06 am
Very good, insightful question.
June 13, 2019 @ 4:08 pm
Holy shit, a reply from the Trigger!
June 13, 2019 @ 12:56 pm
I just added it to mine- yes, I have a running list of songs I want played at my funeral.
June 13, 2019 @ 11:01 am
People should not be judging this as a country song – it’s for a movie, for Pete’s sake!
Good song, great sound, awesome stuff.
June 13, 2019 @ 11:39 am
Shitfire, that’s some damn fine country music right there. Good stuff from ol’ Sturg, look forward to the day that he finally comes full circle and puts out an honest to goodness country disc.
And on another topic, anybody see the tracklist for the Ken Burns’ country music soundtrack? The 5-disc version looks like a keeper. Nothing shocking there, and nothing you haven’t heard a million times (or probably don’t own already), but it’ll be nice to have it all in one place – a nice “history of country music” all on disc.
And refreshingly, there ain’t no Aldean, Bryan, FGL, et al to be found. Hell, even Garth didn’t make the cut.
June 13, 2019 @ 7:03 pm
That’s because the time frame of the documentary is supposed to stop around the time Garth got started
June 13, 2019 @ 11:51 am
Was working in Atlanta this past week and had to spend Tuesday night. I’ve always been a Bill Murry fan so I decided to take a Lyft and see The Dead Don’t Die. The movie starts playing and its Sturgil I hear. I immediately pull my phone out (I’m the only one in the Theater other than some guy on the front row) and ask Suri what song is playing. She says “I believe this is The Dead Don’t Die by Sturgill Simpson”. I thought somehow I’ve missed a previously released Sturgil song. I then thought maybe it’s from his Sunday Vally days? Then it clicked as the chorus started…. this it’s new Sturgill! and this was written for the movie that I’m having a private showing of. Throughout the movie, the song was revisited. Each time it sounded better and better. After the movie, I searched everywhere for it with no luck.
As for the movie, it fit my sense of humor very well. I have an extremely dry sense of humor and just loved every minute of it. It’s definitely not gonna be for everyone but, I just couldn’t beat a very funny movie solo and Sturgill playing every 30 minutes or so.
And here is a thought….. he keeps saying he isn’t going to do a country album. Maybe he messing with us and isn’t going to do a “mainstream” country album?
June 14, 2019 @ 12:10 pm
It’s funny you suggest that Sturgill might be messing with people by saying he’s not doing a country record. I’ve also wondered this same thing. Maybe he’s not releasing a “country record” by today’s standard of country music, which actually isn’t country at all…. if that makes sense.
Regardless, I still think he’s among the best artists of our time. I’m sure whatever he releases will be great. Plus, his voice is unmistakably country, so his music will always have that, at the very least.
June 13, 2019 @ 12:45 pm
Reminds me of Dwight yoakum
June 14, 2019 @ 8:45 am
It reminds me a bit of Traveler’s Lantern that Dwight did with Ralph Stanley.
June 13, 2019 @ 12:48 pm
Welcome home Sturgill.
June 13, 2019 @ 1:19 pm
This is country music.
June 13, 2019 @ 1:21 pm
If you think this is the stuff, listen to his recent Opry appearance with Sierra Hull that can be found online and you’ll wish he’d crank out a bluegrass album pronto.
June 13, 2019 @ 1:28 pm
Much much much much better.
June 13, 2019 @ 1:56 pm
I’m still a fan of A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, but I can’t lie, I’m pumped about a new true-blue country song from Sturgill.
June 15, 2019 @ 6:54 am
I listened to both Metamodern and Sailor’s Guide recently, having not heard them in quite a while. I still can’t say I love Sailor’s Guide (except for Sea Stories), but I like it. It was so good to hear Metamoderrn, though. Probably in my top 5 or 10 of the decade. So good. Sailor’s Guide is good enough so that he’s still on my list of “buy it blind” artists and if his next one is more rockish, there’s a chance I’ll love it. I was a rock guy a good long while before getting into country. But it was really good to hear a quality country song from Sturgill again.
June 13, 2019 @ 2:14 pm
Hopefully this will be a sign of him ditching that jam band shit
June 13, 2019 @ 2:30 pm
I had watched the movie one month ago in France, beacause it was previously realeased there for the International film festival of Cannes. I loved it immediatly and I shared my opinion about that song on my blog. But at that time the song hadn’t been released and the only thing I could share on my little post was my feelings about it and the fact that it was vvery country, with a lot of pedal steel. I needed to wait one month to be able to listen to it again and it’s so amazing! I’m glad that my American friends and all those who love country music in the world are now able to listen to it too. This song is a gem!
June 13, 2019 @ 3:42 pm
Gorgeous song! I’m looking forward to the movie too. Big Jarmusch fan.
June 13, 2019 @ 5:48 pm
I trust this site so much that I read the title of this article, went to ITunes and immediately bought this song without listening to it beforehand. Not disappointed, as usual.
Keep up the good work Trig.
June 13, 2019 @ 5:50 pm
It’s awful, but I’m happy for him.
June 14, 2019 @ 11:09 pm
I’m not the biggest fan of him but it’s far from awful
June 13, 2019 @ 5:53 pm
Oh and if any of you have young children, this might be helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nAMKRQTHTLsy381LbqidxQ2JTUO29wRaA
Yes, someone literally made an album called Lullaby Renditions of Sturgill Simpson.
June 13, 2019 @ 6:36 pm
this is just awful . if this was someone singing on a street corner with an open guitar case I’d toss him some coin………and the website link for antares auto-tune . did the producer not hear ( or care ) how off-pitch this vocal is ?
there are just too many great singers and writers around to even consider this in their league .
June 13, 2019 @ 6:59 pm
Sturgill has always been better in concept than execution. But then, aren’t we all.
June 13, 2019 @ 10:35 pm
”Sturgill has always been better in concept than execution. But then, aren’t we all.”
I’d second that bit of philosophy , corncaster….well put ….
but hell …a lotta folks here love him ….. I guess I’d give him points for being ‘ real ‘ …or at least real-er than radio
I ‘m not sure I’d say that SS is doing it HIS way ,though ……everything he’s done from the early ‘country’ stuff to the jam-band stuff to this is pretty derivative .
melodically this song misses the mark totally .
lyrically ….meh .
vocally ? … I’ve already addressed my feelings on that ….mumble on SS
June 13, 2019 @ 7:32 pm
This song is just okay. It won’t be going in my playlist. Sturgill is a very talented guy but no focus. I don’t see him going very much farther in his career. Plus, I’ll never forget how he insulted half his fans over politics. Dumb.
June 14, 2019 @ 5:50 am
1/3 rd of his fans at best. Half this country didn’t vote for Captain Bone Spurs.
June 15, 2019 @ 8:15 am
BuT ThE PoPuLaR VoTe ReEeEe.
We must be approaching a Godwin’s law but for Trump at breakneck speed.
June 13, 2019 @ 8:01 pm
Now that’s as country as you can get in this day and age. Albert ruined it for me though with the auto tune rant because now I can’t get passed it. Also the piano can go. Not a fan but still a Sturgill fan.
June 13, 2019 @ 8:03 pm
Why does it matter that it’s C(c)ountry, if the singer can’t sing? And I don’t just mean that I hate his voice(I do hate his voice). He’s objectively pitchy throughout this song. Man I wish he’d hang it up.
June 13, 2019 @ 10:22 pm
Shove it.
June 13, 2019 @ 8:45 pm
I was waiting for the negativity to start. Good gravy.
June 13, 2019 @ 9:32 pm
Oh the dead don’t die anymore than you or I
They’re just ghosts inside a dream
Of a life that we don’t own
They walk around sometimes
Never payin’ any mind to the silly lives we lead
Or the reapin’ we’ve all sown
There’s a cup of coffee waiting on every corner
Someday we’re gonna wake up and find a cornerstone
But the dead will still be walking around this whole world alone
Well, after life is over, the afterlife goes on
There’ll be old friends walking ’round in a somewhat familiar town
That you saw once when you looked up from your phone
Nobody by the same heights, you can save all your goodbyes
Stop trying to pretend that we’re all not alone
And the streets look so empty in the morning
There’ll be no one out at night for the lights to shine down on
But the dead will still be walking around and this whole world alone
After life is over, the afterlife goes on
Hearts break when loved ones journey on
At the thought that they’re now forever gone
So we tell ourselves they’re all still around us all the time
Gone but not forgotten, just memories left behind
But the dead will still be walking around and this whole world alone
After life is over, the afterlife goes on
After life is over, the afterlife goes on
———
IMO that’s some pretty cool song writing. Sturgill entertaining for me
June 13, 2019 @ 9:57 pm
Makes my heart sad and happy at the same time….i miss this true country style. Thank you Sturgill.
June 13, 2019 @ 10:52 pm
I saw the movie last week. The song plays A LOT during the movie, and that’s a good thing. It’s also a funny thing. Sturgill becomes a punchline throughout the movie.
June 14, 2019 @ 6:06 am
Why does he insist on fucking up a good thing? A whole album like this would be peaches.
June 14, 2019 @ 7:36 am
There was a time on here when SS would have dominated the comment board. Maybe that’s what happens when you alienate half of your fan base.
June 14, 2019 @ 7:44 am
More room for us at his shows!
June 14, 2019 @ 8:19 am
I can’t speak on the comment board, but I will say this post received more positive reactions on social media than any post so far in 2019, though many others have generated more traffic. I do think he soured himself with some of his fan base, but I think generally this song is being very well received.
June 14, 2019 @ 8:26 am
And it’s crazy someone would let their political beliefs get in the way of enjoying this song. I lean left or progressive and I love Hank Jr and go to his concerts. I just take a piss break during that NRA song.
June 14, 2019 @ 9:31 am
I don’t think it was the political belief of the listener that got in the way of enjoying SS music I think it was SS labeling some of his listeners as ” ignorant fucking bigot” for supporting Trump……”anybody who’s still supporting that guy can’t be anything in my mind but an ignorant fucking bigot.”
June 14, 2019 @ 9:57 am
That wasn’t his first shot he took at his fans. Trig covered the night he stopped his concert to break up a fight and he said (paraphrasing) “I can’t wait until these flannel, boot wearing red necks learn what I’m about.” I took that as a shot at me. I still went to his concert 2 months later.
June 14, 2019 @ 8:02 am
so he tries different things and does music HE wants to make instead of kowtowing to the masses or this fan base or that, you’re always going to upset someone that’s life, and a great songwriter/artist makes music that is true to them – if you don’t like it fine,if you do even better but one thing no one can accuse Sturgill of is being a sell out and yes I too would love to see Sturgill return to his roots but respect him above all for being true to his vision.
June 14, 2019 @ 8:43 am
Damn good writing Stringbuzz. And what i think gets lost for most listeners is Sturgs philosophical approach to his writing. It goes over a lot of peoples head. Non-surface level BS cannon fodder from what he’s said. Wow, I actually have to think to understand the meaning behind a song instead of just being able to tap my foot and slap my knee. Thats just too much for me.
June 18, 2019 @ 6:37 am
Just a song for a movie, no different than Stapletons Toy Story song.
Not like Sturgill actually cares if anyone will enjoy the song either way.
April 11, 2022 @ 3:20 pm
I can’t find a cd of th I s song. Where do I buy it ?