Country singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton released a new single entitled “Arkansas” recently. The song combines elements of Chris Stapleton’s signature rustic sound with rock and roll, blues and southern rock. It features a short guitar solo which is very reminiscent of rock n roll and blues, as well as a prominent guitar riff throughout the song very reminiscent of blues. Other instruments heard in the song include bass guitar, piano, drums and acoustic and electric guitars.

Lyrically the song is about the narrator having a great time in Arkansas. The narrator had such a good time that he tells people in the chorus of the song “Gotta get down, get down to Arkansas / Havin’ so much fun its probably a little bit against the law / All the boys and girls down there sure do know how to have a ball / if you wanna get down, get down to Arkansas.” Several different places around Arkansas are mentioned such as the Ozark Mountains, Fayetteville, West Memphis and Little Rock. The narrator explains various things that are common place in Arkansas such as stopping for a barbecue in Little Rock or looking at the Ozark Mountains which the narrator describes as “it sure does feel like you’re sitting on top of the world to me.”

Furthermore while traveling through the various towns in Arkansas the narrator explains “when we lit out of Fayetteville they were calling the hogs” which is a reference to the tradition by students and alumni at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. When the university’s football team, the Razorbacks are losing the fans do a cheer referred to as “calling the hogs.” At the end of the second verse the narrator explains “when we hit West Memphis there were blue lights in our rear view.”

Chris Stapleton announced back in August the release of a new album Starting Over which will be released on November 13, 2020.