John Prine Songs Ranked
John Prine (October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American country-folk singer-songwriter. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death, and was known for an often humorous style of original music that has elements of protest and social commentary. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, as well as serious songs with social commentary and songs that recollect melancholy tales from his life. In 2020, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Here are all of John Prine songs ranked.
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20. In Spite of Ourselves (In Spite of Ourselves, 1999)
“Love this album. It is so very entertaining and keeps me laughing. Some of the songs are of a more serious nature and I enjoy those too. However, I especially like the title song, “In Spite of Ourselves”.
19. Paradise (John Prine, 1971)
“Classic John Prine, attacking a sore subject in a positive way, as only he can. A true American folk hero! Whoever doesn’t like John Prine’s music has no sense of humor. His songs deal with some issues in a lighthearted way,”
18. Everybody Wants to Feel Like You (The Missing Years, 1991)
“I adore this record. Every song has a beautiful, extremely tuneful melody. The arrangements are simple, but very pleasing. The album is both humorous and wistful. “
17. Hello In There (John Prine, 1971)
“I love John Prine’s music. He is a great folk singer and tells stories with his music. This song is great but the whole album is great also. Great listening!
See more: John Prine Albums Ranked
16. Donald and Lydia (John Prine, 1971)
“Only John Prine can pull at your heart strings and make you smile at the same time. Wonderful, thought provoking song.”
15. Mexican Home (Sweet Revenge, 1973)
“Upbeat country album, which embraces all the clichés of the genre. It can be fun, it can be corny, it can be enjoyable and it can also be annoying. John Prine has rough but very average vocals and his songwriting skills are good enough to make some catchy tunes.”
14. Angel From Montgomery (John Prine, 1971)
” It is a great song. Respected and Re-performed by many well-known musicians. Truly A Great Blues song destined to go down in history. Thank You John Prine.”
13. Illegal Smile (John Prine, 1971)
“Second only to Sam Stone this is a classic poetic masterpiece that is instantly recognizable, and a classic. His voice is at it’s best,”
12. Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone (Bruised Orange, 1978)
“John Prine was one of the best songwriters of my generation. I have a special place in my memories because I saw him play at a small club in Virginia Beach during the tour for this album. That said, this is a wonderful album, full of great songs. This is American folk art done right!!!”
11. Grandpa Was a Carpenter (Sweet Revenge, 1973)
“Ok you old hippies who remember good old folk music (or for those who can’t). This is a must have! Prine and others wrote many of their songs during the Viet Nam era, and some of his songs reflect this. This album has varied songs. Some happy, some sad, some silly, some serious, and some humorous. Really brings back memories for me!”
10. Yes I Guess They Oughta Name a Drink After You (Diamonds in the Rough, 1972)
“I don’t know if this album is truly a ten but god damn it was hitting when I listened to it. Such a charming and simple classic country album. Souvenirs is the best song I’ve heard in a long time. The only track I didn’t love was Diamonds in the Rough, but even that fit nicely into the album and was a good closer.”
9. Bear Creek Blues (The Unbroken Circle: , 2004)
“This is classic John Prine with mostly songs I haven’t heard before. Love the easy thoughtful way he sings. The instrumentals are always of a melodic beat that somehow get into the soul’s rhythm and is very catchy.”
8. Automobile (Pink Cadillac, 1979)
“John Prine is, quite simply, a national treasure. His ability to write poignant, witty songs is second to none in my book. How a humble man from Melrose Park can keep cranking out such good stuff is beyond me, but I’ll take it for sure”
7. Saddle in the Rain (Common Sense, 1975)
“Every time I listen to a Prine cd I feel like a friend is in the house. Once in a while his rough and somewhat disheveled exterior waxes sweet as in the first song and he allows us to catch a glimpse of another side of him. “
See more: Neil Diamond Albums Ranked
6. Please Don’t Bury Me (Sweet Revenge, 1973)
“I love John Prine music. He is a great folk singer and tells stories with his music. This song is great but the whole album is great also. Classic John Prine, attacking a sore subject in a positive way, as only he can. A true American folk hero!
5. It’s a Big Old Goofy World (The Missing Years, 1991)
“John Prine is a true treasure of a songwriter. In today’s music world of unimaginative blandness, Prine’s songs stand out as a beacon that there are still some musicians out there who place creativity above image and celebrity. In addition, his songs are not one-dimensional. His music can range from serious and insightful to whimsical and lighthearted. “It’s A Big Old Goofy World” falls under whimsical and lighthearted. Sung with tongue in cheek the lyrics include well-known cliques strung together. It is just a delightful little song that will leave a smile on your lips and possibly the tune stuck in your head. Oooh, baby, it’s a big old goofy world.”
4. Sam Stone (John Prine, 1971)
“One of the words most overused in talking about folk music is “gritty.” And the way I know that is that this song is gritty. This song is really gritty. All the other songs that are supposed to be gritty come across as torch songs compared to this one. It is about ruination, a ruination fed by webs of dreams that were never true but that a lot of people wanted so badly to be true that they spent their lives lying so that the lies took on a life of their own down through the generations.”
3. Lake Marie (Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings, 1995)
“A very interesting, if almost nonsensical, story told through a song by John Prine. With a background of country/folk music, John Prine shares a story of two babies, two lakes, and a rough relationship/marriage. You’ll have to figure out the meaning of the song yourself, but I’m sure you won’t be disappointed if you listen to the song over and over again and never figure it out!”
2. Dear Abby (Sweet Revenge, 1973)
“This album is one of his best and Dear Abby is the best of the best. I have to thank my brother for turning me on to John.”
1. Space Monkey (Live on Tour, 1997)
“If you’ve seen Prine before the between song chatter will be extra enjoyable. If not it’ll probably be even more so because however clever and witty his songs are, the way the banter adds to them on-stage is the reason you’d need to go see him live or in lieu of that, to pick up records like this one which offers a scattershot selection of songs from his career (leaning toward the recent) and a few studio cuts thrown in to snare in those who resist live albums but love Prine.”