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John Prine - A Thread
I was born and raised in Muhlenberg Co., KY, which, for a rural middle-of-nowhere county, has some interesting claims to fame: birthplace of the Everly Bros., Warren Oates, Merle Travis (of “Travis picking” fame), James Best...and John Prine’s parents. 1/
I was born and raised in Muhlenberg Co., KY, which, for a rural middle-of-nowhere county, has some interesting claims to fame: birthplace of the Everly Bros., Warren Oates, Merle Travis (of “Travis picking” fame), James Best...and John Prine’s parents. 1/
Prine of course alludes to that fact in his famous song “Paradise”, which mentions Muhlenberg County by name in the chorus. As such, everybody from Muhlenberg County is at least vaguely familiar with the song. I basically knew just the chorus until my mid-late 20s. 2/
I was of course aware of Paradise itself: the former town sacrificed to the gods of energy. Anyone crossing over the Green River into Muhl Co on the WK Parkway will have no trouble seeing the big cooling towers of the Paradise plant off in the distance. 3/
But I digress. In my mid-late 20s I decided that I had a cultural and civic duty to own that song. So I bought Prine’s eponymous debut album, which has “Paradise”. The song was as wonderful and relatable as I’d hoped, and it remains a favorite of mine to play and sing. 4/
What I wasn’t expecting was just how good the rest of the album was. “Paradise” will always be my sentimental favorite, but no song of his has moved me more than “Sam Stone”. I’ve listened and sang along with it a hundred times, and I still don’t always make it through. 5/
I could talk at great length about “Sam Stone” or “Paradise” or most any song on that album. It is surely one of the most impressive debuts in the history of recorded music. But for years that was the only Prine album I owned. 6/
I eventually bought enough to where I have seven albums (maybe 40% of his work). While I’m looking forward to someday getting them all, I have listened to enough to know this: Prine had a keen insight into the human condition and incredible empathy. 7/
First time I listened to “Souvenirs” my jaw nearly dropped, because I understood exactly what he was talking about. “Summer’s End”, with the spirit of understanding and forgiveness woven into the lyrics. “Bruised Orange”, about not letting yourself get swallowed by anger. 8/
Prine also famously had an offbeat sense of humor—at times raucous, at times understated, and often weird. Being a Kentucky guy who’s known several midwesterners, I can see the influences of both in his sense of humor (Prine himself is from Maywood, IL) 9/
Quick aside: another reason I’m drawn to Prine is that he’s the product of a very common Kentucky story, which is Kentuckians moving north to OH, IN, IL, MI to find work. My great uncle lived most of his life in Michigan, my grandfather worked in northern IN as a younger man. 10/
So his sense of humor: Listen to “Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone”, or “Jesus, The Missing Years”, or “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore”. Some levity helps after getting crushed by “Sam Stone” or succumbing to the wistfulness of “My Darlin’ Hometown” 11/
And he could be funny and movingly sentimental at once. There may be no better example of this than the last song on his last album, titled (perhaps aptly enough) “When I Get to Heaven”. Here, give it a listen; this thread will wait. 12/ https://youtu.be/OaDGYFNmtyY ">https://youtu.be/OaDGYFNmt...
But throughout his work—the light-hearted, the heavy, the funny, the poignant, the angry, the vulnerable, the inspiring, and everything in between—is a humanity as powerful and undeniable as that of any artist I’ve ever listened to. 13/
