John Prine (1971) – The Classics

John Prine, as most folks now know, includes some of the classic John Prine songs, and some of the most often played John Prine songs to this day. It’s an embarrassment of riches. “Illegal Smile,” “Spanish Pipedream,” “Hello in There,” “Sam Stone,” “Paradise” and seven more indelible songs. This is a debut album that should have gone gold within a week of its release. But who knew John Prine then? I didn’t. And neither did most of the John Prine fans who exist today.

The story that led to this John Prine debut has a few main characters. Among them: Dave Prine, Roger Ebert, Steve Goodman, and Kris Krisofferson.

Dave Prine was John’s oldest brother. John also had an older brother, Douglas, and a younger brother, Billy. They grew up in Maywood, Illinois—a suburb of Chicago. As is well-documented, John was not a great student, and, as he once said: “I couldn’t concentrate on anything besides daydreaming. My brother saw this … and he saw music as a way of getting through to me.” So Dave Prine taught John a few chords on the guitar. “From there,” John said, “it was me sitting there alone in a room singing to the wall.”

Roger Ebert was a movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1970. Of course, he eventually became one of the best-known movie critics in the country. As the story goes, Roger Ebert left a movie theater in October of 1970 because the popcorn was too salty. Finding comfort in a nearby bar in Chicago—the Fifth Peg—he stumbled upon his first John Prine show. In his review of the show, Ebert explains: “He starts slow. But after a song or two, even the drunks in the room begin to listen to his lyrics. And then he has you.” After that review, John said that he never again played to an empty seat at the Fifth Peg.

Steve Goodman and John Prine met around 1970. Rolling Stone Magazine called Goodman “the impish, jubilant yin to Prine’s prematurely craggy, sardonic yang.” Steve and John would perform at folk clubs in the Chicago area together. Then, in early 1971, Steve got a gig opening for Kris Krisofferson at a club called the Quiet Knight. On the last of the four nights that Steve opened for Kris, he finally persuaded Kris to see John play at another club in Chicago.

Kris Kristofferson arrived late at the club that night and did not catch John’s show. So in the early morning hours, John got back on stage and played a brief set, including “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There,” “Paradise,” “Donald and Lydia,” and “Illegal Smile.” Kris was so taken with John and his music that he instantly bought John a beer and asked him to get back on stage to play the same set again, song for song. Kris invited John and Steve Goodman to New York City a few months later to sing three songs a piece. John sang “Hello in There,” “Sam Stone,” and “Paradise.” By 10:00 a.m. the next day, Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records had offered John a record contract.

The album was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee (except “Paradise,” which was recorded in New York City). It was well-received. On December 23, 1971, Rolling Stone Magazine famously wrote: “If he’s this good this young, time should be on his side.”

Just like that, John Prine was on the map, and, of course, dubbed another “next Dylan.”

What made this debut so startling? As a fan, I can tell you what I think: John Prine is, from start to finish, completely full of incredible songs. They’re fun, they’re thoughtful, and they’re unique. And it’s not just John’s insightful lyrics; the melodies, mostly created from three chords per song, are infectious and, in many cases, timeless. When the album is over, you just want to hear it again, from start to finish, song for song. As the years went by, John would say he grew to dislike the sound of his young, higher voice on those old records, but the songs were then—and remain to this day—outstanding.

Rolling Stone Magazine, in its 2020 ranking of the 500 best albums of all time, ranked John Prine as the 149th best album ever, saying that John’s “closest parallel isn’t another songwriter, it’s Mark Twain.”

The record was produced by Arif Mardin.

01 “Illegal Smile”

The opening lyrics to the opening song on the debut album go like this: “When I woke up this morning, things were looking bad/Seems like total silence was the only friend I had.” And with just three chords, in the key of G (John’s favorite),1 this song grabs you.

But, no, it’s not that kind of illegal smile. Here’s what John said to Performing Songwriter Magazine about “Illegal Smile”:

I have to confess, the song was not about smokin’ dope. It was more about how, ever since I was a child, I had this view of the world where I can find myself smiling at stuff nobody else was smiling at. But it was such a good anthem for dope smokers that I didn’t want to stop every time I played it and make a disclaimer.

Those of us old enough to remember the release of Meet the Beatles—The Beatles’ first album in the U.S.—also remember what a sensation “I Want To Hold Your Hand” was. It was a spectacular opening song on a debut album. Not that John Prine is necessarily comparable to The Beatles—I compare them merely because The Beatles are my favorite band and John Prine is my favorite sing-songwriter—but “Illegal Smile” was a pretty stunning opening song on a debut, too. The songs are different. The record sales were different. But both are outstanding pieces of music, introducing outstanding musicians.

02 “Spanish Pipedream”

Second song on the album; second song in the key of G. But in “Spanish Pipedream,” John throws in a few D7s, just to mix it up a little bit. Even with the same general chord progression, though, this song is absolutely nothing like “Illegal Smile.” “Spanish Pipedream” is such a happy song. Upbeat. Catchy. Sweet. And, as is the case for many John Prine songs, there’s a moral to its story:

Blow up your TV, throw away your paper

Go to the country, build you a home

Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches

Try and find Jesus on your own

This was my favorite song on John Prine for a long time. It’s still one of my favorites—which means it’s tied with almost every other song on the album. But this song still stands out because of its infectious melody and its fun lyrics.

Nashville singer-songwriter, Matt Urmy, was particularly taken with the lyrics, saying this to Wide Open Country about “Spanish Pipedream”:

When I was really getting into studying songwriting, Prine’s ‘Spanish Pipedream’ really knocked me out … The verses told a story and painted crystal-clear images. ‘She was a level-headed dancer on the road to alcohol…’, they’re very grounded, but fantastical at the same time. Then, on the chorus, he jumps up into the bigger, universal ideas.

And here’s what John Prine told Performing Songwriter about the lyrics in “Spanish Pipedream”:

Originally, the chorus wasn’t about blowing up your TV. It was something about the girls forgetting to take the pill, but sunk pretty low after that first great verse. I sounded like Loretta Lynn singing about “the pill.” Then I got the line “blow up your TV.” I used to keep a small bowl of real fine pebbles that I picked up on my mail route, and if somebody said something really stupid on TV I’d throw something at the screen.

This is the first of many John Prine songs that mention Jesus. I’m not sure if John was a “believer,” but I do believe that John found Jesus to be a compelling figure to write and sing about throughout his career.

03 “Hello in There”

This song didn’t jump out at me when I first heard John Prine. It’s certainly a pretty song. But I didn’t appreciate its meaning back in the day. I’m not sure what I thought that the song was about when I was younger, but, as the years went by, “Hello in There” took on mythical proportions. It’s now mentioned in almost every article about, and tribute to, John Prine. It’s considered one of his very best and most meaningful songs.

Here’s a young John Prine, in his early 20s, writing an accurate and empathetic song about the challenges of getting old. Who can imagine writing lyrics like this at such a young age?

So if you’re walking down the street sometime

And spot some hollow ancient eyes

Please don’t just pass ‘em by and stare

As if you didn’t care, say, “Hello in there, hello”

“Hello in There” is a song that Jason Scott references in his John Prine tribute, which was published in American Songwriter in April 2020. Scott writes:

From its organic, open-spaced arrangement to its timely, profound message, “Hello in There” only grows more urgent with every passing year. John Prine’s legacy casts a very long shadow, and a song such as this refocuses the meaning of life, love, and happiness in a stunning way.

And maybe the most poignant words about “Hello in There” come from Jason Isbell, one of America’s greatest singer-songwriters, who said this in a New York Times appreciation of John, also...