Jesse Malin’s Ballad to the Country That Helped Him Get Back on His Feet, “Argentina”

I’m going to South America / With nothing but my soul / From the dark side of New York / Five thousand miles from home. Nothing else needs to be said after these opening lines of Jesse Malin‘s latest single, “Argentina,” a chronicle of his year-long health struggle and tribute to the country that helped get him back on his feet again.

Threaded by Malin and his guitar, and piano, “Argentina” faces fears from the past year and welcomes hope—I’m going to South America / Don’t know when I’ll be back / Even when you don’t want me / You always have my back—and more snapshots of the country with reverence to Eva Perone, friends Diego and Louisa, the poor faces, broken streets he saw along the way.

“As always in my songs, the themes are all there— transcendence, positivity, and global unity through music,” said Malin in a statement. “This is what I love to do, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep doing it.”

In the video, directed by Dave Stekert and Xander Strohm, Malin is featured along with scenes from Buenos Aires, where the New York City singer and songwriter was receiving treatment for six months since suffering a rare stroke in May of 2023, which left him unable to walk.

In Argentina, Malin underwent rehabilitation, including daily physical therapy, and several stem cell treatments at a clinic in Bueno Aires since September 2023.

“This might be one of my most personal songs,” added Malin. “It was written while I was in a clinic in Buenos Aires for six months, doing everything to keep my head up. A lot of the inspiration for it comes from the nurses, doctors, and physical therapists, and a lost ring owned by a departed friend that was personally delivered to me by Jimmy G [Murphy’s Law] as a gift to keep fighting.”

“Argentina” is Malin’s first release since his 2024 benefit album Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin, a triple vinyl benefitting Malin’s Sweet Relief fund, and his previous album Sad and Beautiful World in 2021.

Produced by Diane Gentile and Dave Bason, Silver Patron Saints features Bruce Springsteen, Billie Joe Armstrong, Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello, The Hold Steady, Tommy Stinson, Alison Mosshart, Tom Morello, Counting Crows, Dinosaur Jr., The Wallflowers, Spoon, Susanna Hoffs, Frank Turner, Rancid, late MC5 frontman Wayne Kramer, and others. 

[RELATED: Jesse Malin Reveals Concert Film, Album Featuring Tommy Stinson, Eugene Hütz, and More, Shares “I & I Survive,” Featuring Bad Brains’ H.R]

Malin, who had returned to New York City, recently appeared with his band for a performance on CBS Saturday Morning, and will get back on stage for two shows in New York City at the Beacon Theatre on December 1 (sold out) and 2. Both shows will also benefit the Sweet Relief fund.

The concerts will feature Malin and his band performing a full set before special guests join, including Lucinda Williams, Rickie Lee Jones, Jakob Dylan, The Hold Steady, Jim Jarmusch, Fred Armisen, Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie), Eugene Hutz, Alejandro Escovedo, Butch Walker, J Mascis, and Adam and David Immy of Counting Crows, among others. 

In 2015, Malin will head to London for two more shows at Assembly Hall in Islington on May 1 and 2, featuring special guests with proceeds benefitting his ongoing healthcare.

On August, 15, Malin shared a health update. “I’ve working real hard with my therapist here in New York, and in Argentina,” said Malin. “I’m back and they got me out of the chair a lot of the day. I have a wheelchair and I’m up on a walker. It feels good to be up,” he shared in the video posted to his Instagram. “I just wanted to say thank you, you know, for everything and all the support from you guys.”

Photo: Vivian Wang