jmjiloveyou

<h2>Recording career</h2><h3>1970s</h3><p>Prine's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine_(album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">self-titled debut album</a> was released in 1971. Kristofferson (who once remarked that Prine wrote songs so good that "we'll have to break his thumbs"<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine#cite_note-Chilton,_Martin_2013-16" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[16]</a>) invited Prine and Goodman to open for him at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bitter_End" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Bitter End</a> in New York City. In the audience was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Wexler" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jerry Wexler</a>, who signed Prine to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Records" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Atlantic Records</a> the next day.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine#cite_note-Betts-15" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[15]</a> The album included Prine's signature songs "Illegal Smile" and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Stone_(song)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Stone</a>", and songs that became folk and country standards, "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_from_Montgomery" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Angel from Montgomery</a>" and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_(John_Prine_song)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Paradise</a>." The album also featured "Hello in There", a song about aging that was later covered by numerous artists, and "Far From Me", a lonely <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">waltz</a> about lost love for a waitress, which Prine later said was his favorite of all his songs. The album received many positive reviews, and some hailed Prine as "the next Dylan". Bob Dylan himself appeared unannounced at one of Prine's first New York City club appearances, anonymously backing him on harmonica.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine#cite_note-Huffman-17" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[17]</a></p><p>Prine's second album, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamonds_in_the_Rough_(album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Diamonds in the Rough</em></a> (1972), was a surprise for many after the critical success of his first LP; it was an uncommercial, stripped-down affair that reflected Prine's fondness for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluegrass_music" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bluegrass music</a> and features songs reminiscent of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Williams" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hank Williams</a>. Highlights of the compilation include the allegorical "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Compromise_(song)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Great Compromise</a>", which includes a recitation and addresses the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vietnam War</a>, and the ballad "Souvenirs", which Prine later recorded with Goodman.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine#cite_note-18" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[18]</a></p><p>His subsequent albums from the 1970s include <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Revenge_(John_Prine_album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Sweet Revenge</em></a> (1973), containing such fan favorites as "Dear Abby", "Grandpa Was a Carpenter", and "Christmas in Prison", and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense_(John_Prine_album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Common Sense</em></a> (1975), with "Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard". The latter album was Prine's first to chart on the U.S. Top 100 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Billboard</em></a> and reflected his growing commercial success. It was produced by Steve Cropper. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruised_Orange" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Bruised Orange</em></a> from 1978 is a Steve Goodman–produced album that gave listeners songs such as "That's The Way That The World Goes 'Round", "Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone", "Fish and Whistle", and the title track.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine#cite_note-19" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[19]</a></p><p>In 1974, singer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Allan_Coe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Allan Coe</a> achieved considerable success on the country charts with "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Never_Even_Called_Me_by_My_Name" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">You Never Even Called Me by My Name</a>", co-written by Prine and Goodman. The song good-naturedly spoofs stereotypical country music lyrics to create what it self-describes as "the perfect country and western song". Prine refused to take a songwriter's credit (stating he was too drunk when the song was written to remember what he had contributed) and Goodman received sole credit. Goodman bought Prine a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukebox" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jukebox</a> as a gift from his publishing royalties.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine#cite_note-20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[20]</a></p><p>In 1975, Prine toured the U.S. and Canada with a full band featuring guitarist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlen_Roth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arlen Roth</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine#cite_note-21" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[21]</a></p><p>The 1979 album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Cadillac_(album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Pink Cadillac</em></a> features two songs produced by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Records" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sun Records</a> founder <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Phillips" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Phillips</a>, who by this time rarely did any studio work. The song "Saigon" is about a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_veteran" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vietnam veteran</a> traumatized by the war ("The static in my attic's gettin' ready to blow"). During the recording, one of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_amplifiers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">guitar amplifiers</a> blew up (which is evident on the album).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine#cite_note-22" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[22]</a> The other song Phillips produced is "How Lucky", about Prine's hometown.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prine#cite_note-23" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[23]</a></p>