Wanna hear a gloriously upbeat song about terminal illness? Conor Oberst has just the thing for you then.

His latest release brings in The Mystic Valley Band for a good, old-fashioned knees-up that sticks two fingers up to death and disease.

The chorus refrain of I Don’t Want To Die In The Hospital is just perfect. Imagine yourself singing that one while walking down the street.

Rather than describe this as a song about death, Oberst thinks of it as a type of jailbreak anthem:

This guy didn’t mind the idea of dying, but he just didn’t want to die in such an undignified place (as a hospital). He wanted to be out in the desert, under the stars. He told me if he was ever in a hospital that I should break him out. It’s a jailbreak song.

There’s an awesome country sound to this record, but the humour in the lyrics should appeal to a broad audience. I’ve included a clip below for your listening pleasure:

The single is released on 17th November 2008.