Listening to John Prine today. Lost the fight with the damn virus.
RIP.
March 12, 2018 | Bob Boilen --
An American treasure came to the Tiny Desk and even premiered a new song. John Prine is a truly legendary songwriter. For more than 45 years the 71-year-old artist has written some of the most powerful lyrics in the American music canon, including "Sam Stone," "Angel From Montgomery," "Hello In There" and countless others. John Prine's new songs are equally powerful and he opens this Tiny Desk concert with "Caravan of Fools," a track he wrote with Pat McLaughlin and Dan Auerbach. Prine adds a disclaimer to the song saying, "any likeness to the current administration is purely accidental." That song, and his second tune, the sweet tearjerker "Summer's End," are from John Prine's first album of new songs in 13 years, The Tree of Forgiveness, produced by Dave Cobb. It was recorded with his longtime band in Nashville's legendary RCA Studio A. Guests include Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. There's even a songwriter's co-credit with Phil Spector. For this Tiny Desk Concert John Prine also reaches back to his great "kiss-off" song from 1991 called "All the Best," and then plays "Souvenirs," a song intended for his debut full-length but released the following year on his 1972 album Diamonds in the Rough. It's just one of the many sentimental ballads Prine has gifted us. Over the years, his voice has become gruffer and deeper, due in part to his battle with squamous cell cancer on the right side of his neck, all of which makes this song about memories slipping by feel all the more powerful and sad. "Broken hearts and dirty windows Make life difficult to see That's why last night and this mornin' Always look the same to me I hate reading old love letters For they always bring me tears I can't forgive the way they rob me Of my sweetheart's souvenirs"
Apr 11, 2020
NPR Music
The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.
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Every time I saw John Prine perform, he invited friends to join him. The outpouring of love and respect has always been so profound. And so when John Prine died on April 7 from complications related to COVID-19, I knew his friends and those he touched would want to pay tribute to him. Here are five artists performing their favorite John Prine tune in their home (or bathtub) in honor of one of the greatest songwriters of any generation.
SET LIST
Margo Price and Jeremy Ivey, "That's the Way That the World Goes Round"
Courtney Marie Andrews, "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness"
John Paul White, "Sam Stone"
Nathaniel Rateliff, "All The Best"
Brandy Clark, "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness"
Feb 9, 2019
CBS This Morning
It's been 47 years since John Prine earned his first Grammy nomination for best new artist. Since then, he's won two. At the age of 72, Prine has never been more popular. His highest charting album yet, "The Tree of Forgiveness," is up for three awards at Sunday's Grammys. John Dickerson traveled to Nashville for this extended conversation with the songwriting giant.
Americana 18th Annual Honors aired on November 23, 2019 on PBS.
Enjoy musical highlights from the eighteenth annual Americana Honors, showcasing the best and brightest in Americana, including Brandi Carlile, Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, Mumford & Sons, Our Native Daughters, and more.
John Prine was called "the Mark Twain of American Songwriting." He expertly blended the usual with the bizarre, sadness with humor. I think every Prine fan of a certain age had a mixtape or burned CD of some of John's Prine-iest songs. Here's an hours worth of my favorite weird, smart, funny, and unquestionably Priney songs.
0:07 Please Don't Bury Me
2:51 It's a Big Old Goofy World
7:40 Living in the Future
11:17 Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian
14:24 Fish and Whistle
17:21 The Frying Pan
19:07 Christmas in Prison
22:08 Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone
27:52 Linda Goes to Mars
30:53 The Accident (Things Could Be Worse)
33:39 When I Get to Heaven
37:17 Dear Abby
41:29 Jesus, the Missing Years
47:57 That's the Way the World Goes Round
51:14 Illegal Smile
54:27 In Spite of Ourselves