Today’s fruit #songoftheday is Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow) by John Prine. In my opinion, he is the greatest songwriter ever to live, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Ask Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, or Roger Waters. He is dearly beloved in our household and In Spite of Ourselves is my wife and I’s song. Our business’s name is taken from the lyrics.
I’ll be quite honest. I started writing this post at about 4 PM. I was doing some research into his passing, and I stumbled upon an article discussing a re-release of his vinyl ‘Fair & Square’ this October (Scott, 2021). I don’t know how I missed this, but in October there will be a concert presented by the Prine family entitled “You Got Gold: Celebrating the Life & Songs of John Prine” in Nashville. The event runs from October 3rd through the 10th and tribute concerts will be held at the Ryman Auditorium, the CMA Theater, and Basement East. We were lucky to see him twice locally, but I would love to be there to honor him.
I rushed to the website to see if tickets were available. They’re not. Every listed event is sold out. But we must go. We hardly take vacations because one of our pups doesn’t do so well on her own. But we must go. I searched ticket resellers and StubHub came through. We snagged tickets to the Thursday event at the Ryman on the main floor eight rows back! Again, we don’t typically go on vacation or splurge on travel, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. So, we’re going to Nashville! Visiting Nashville has always been on our bucket list, and this seems like the perfect excuse. I am now pleading with the gods to keep another Covid-19 lockdown at bay.
If I had to list my favorite songs of his I would just list them all. I do recommend beginning with his first album ‘John Prine’ then skip to ‘The Tree of Forgiveness.’ The latter was released in 2018 and the last track is When I Get to Heaven. I can’t imagine he thought he would pass in three years, but the song is prescient. After hearing the news and bawling my eyes out, I played When I Get to Heaven and found myself chuckling. He was at peace with his mortality. Even in death, he continues to teach us.
Can’t wait to see you in heaven John!
Photo credit: Rolling Stone
Links:
Scott, J. (2021, July 28). John Prine's 'Fair & Square' Coming to Deluxe Vinyl Reissue This Fall. Retrieved from American Songwriter: https://americansongwriter.com/john-prines-fair-square-coming-to-deluxe-vinyl-reissue-this-fall/