One of the most eye-catching track titles to pop up on Bright Eyes’ forthcoming LP, The People’s Key, was “Haile Selassie,” Conor Oberst’s presumed ode to the late Ethiopian Emperor and unintentional messiah to the Rastafarian movement. Now that we’ve heard the song — in the form of a free MP3 via Saddle Creek — it’s clear that the Cassadaga-esque cut leans lyrically closer to the latter Rasta doctrine that looks to Selassie as a spiritual leader. Don’t expect it to sound like reggae though:
“I liked the idea of having a record that’s reggae-influenced but not musically,” Oberst told Interview Magazine. “You know, just lyrically. I think there’s so much about Rasta culture that’s interesting. Just the idea of preaching one-ness, that we’re all in this together. Which I suppose is at the root of most any religion. You’re gonna find it, if taken in the right context.”
Picking up thematically from where the epic “Four Winds” left off, enjoy “Haile Selassie” in exchange for an e-mail address (as well as the first single, “Shell Games”) here.