Born and raised in Maywood, Illinois, Prine learned to play the guitar at age 14. He attended classes at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. After serving in West Germany with the U.S. Army, he returned to Chicago in the late 1960s, where he worked as a mailman, writing and singing songs first as a hobby and then as a club performer.
A member of Chicago's folk revival, a laudatory review by critic Roger Ebert built Prine's popularity. Singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson heard Prine at Steve Goodman's insistence, and Kristofferson invited Prine to be his opening act, leading to Prine's eponymous debut album with Atlantic Records in 1971. The acclaim Prine earned from his first LP led to three more albums for Atlantic. He then recorded three albums with Asylum Records. In 1981, he co-founded Oh Boy Records, an independent label where he released most of his subsequent albums.
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 sometimes melancholy tales from his life.
Prine was the son of William Mason Prine, a tool-and-die maker, and Verna Valentine (Hamm), a homemaker, both originally from Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Maywood. In summers, they would go back to visit family near Paradise, Kentucky. Prine started playing guitar at age 14, taught by his brother, David. He attended classes at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, and graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois. He was a U.S. Postal Service mailman for five years and was drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War era, serving as a vehicle mechanic in West Germany before beginning his musical career in Chicago.
Prine is widely regarded as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation. He has been referred to as "the Mark Twain of songwriting".
Johnny Cash, in his autobiography Cash, wrote, "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years—Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four ..."
Roger Waters, when asked by Word Magazine in 2008 if he heard Pink Floyd's influence in newer British bands such as Radiohead, replied, "I don't really listen to Radiohead. I listened to the albums and they just didn't move me in the way, say, John Prine does. His is just extraordinarily eloquent music—and he lives on that plane with Neil [Young] and [John] Lennon." He later named Prine as among the five most important songwriters.
Prine's influence is seen in the work of younger artists, whom he often mentored, including Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Tyler Childers, and Robin Pecknold.
The last song Prine recorded before he died was "I Remember Everything", released on June 12, 2020, alongside a music video. It was released following the two-hour special tribute show, A Tribute Celebrating John Prine aired on June 11, 2020, which featured Sturgill Simpson, Vince Gill, Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Bonnie Raitt, Rita Wilson, Eric Church, Brandi Carlile and many other country artists and friends.[45] On the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Prine singing "I Remember Everything" was the soundtrack to the COVID-19 memorial video.
Back Street Affair
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you fell in love with me
And with all your young heart you learned to care
It brought you shame and disgrace
The world has tumbled in your face
'Cause they call our love a back street affair
They say I wrecked your home,
They don't know the sorrow that we had to bear
For the one I'm tied to
Was the first to prove untrue
Now they call our love a back street affair
We have each other now,
That's all that matters anyhow
For the judgment of gossip's never fair
We'll just be brave and strong
Then someday they'll see they're wrong
Let 'em call our love a back street affair
We'll be free to love someday
When all the talk has died away
And the happiness we hoped for then we'll share
We'll climb a mountain high,
Then the world will hear us cry
That our love was not a back street affair
No, our love was not a back street affair
The song Back Street Affair by John Prine is a heart-wrenching story of a woman who fell in love with a man who was already taken. She had no idea that he was not free when she fell in love with him, and as she learned to care with all her young heart, she realized that their love was a shameful and disgraceful affair. The world has tumbled in her face because people call their love a back street affair.
Despite the judgment of others, the woman and the man have each other now, and that's all that matters. They've had to bear the sorrow of their love being called a back street affair because the man was a husband that had gone wrong. They know the truth, though. The one the man was tied to was the first to prove untrue, and now their love is being called a back street affair.
The woman remains brave and strong in the face of gossip and judgment. She believes that someday the world will see that their love was not a back street affair. They will be free to love someday when all the talk has died away, and the happiness they hoped for will be shared. They'll climb a mountain high, and the world will hear them cry about the truth of their love that was not a back street affair.
Line by Line Meaning
You didn't know I wasn't free
You were unaware that I was not free to love, that I was already committed to someone else.
When you fell in love with me
Yet you still fell in love with me, probably because of the good qualities you saw in me.
And with all your young heart you learned to care
You learned to care for me with all your heart, despite the differences in our circumstances and the challenges our love was going to face.
It brought you shame and disgrace
Our love brought you shame and disgrace, as people started to judge you unfairly and label you based on their narrow-minded views about love and morality.
The world has tumbled in your face
The harsh reality of the world has hit you in the face, as you faced public scrutiny and ridicule for loving a man who was already married.
'Cause they call our love a back street affair
People label our love as a back street affair, as something dirty and immoral that is not worthy of respect or admiration.
They say I wrecked your home,
They accuse me of wrecking your home, of being the cause of the problems in your previous relationship or marriage.
You're a husband that's gone wrong
They see you as a husband who has gone wrong, who has betrayed his vows and his family by cheating on his wife with another woman.
They don't know the sorrow that we had to bear
They don't know the sorrow and pain that we had to endure to be together, the sacrifices and compromises we had to make to be happy and fulfilled in our love.
For the one I'm tied to
I'm still tied to the one I was committed to before, even though I'm now in love with you and want to be with you.
Was the first to prove untrue
That person was the first to prove untrue, to betray the trust and faith we had in each other and in our relationship.
Now they call our love a back street affair
Despite all that, people still call our love a back street affair, failing to understand the complexities and nuances of our situation, and judging us based on their own biases and prejudices.
We have each other now,
Despite all the challenges and obstacles, we now have each other, and that's all that matters to us, as we love and support each other unconditionally.
That's all that matters anyhow
In the end, what really matters is our love for each other, which transcends social norms and conventions, and gives us a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
For the judgment of gossip's never fair
We don't care about the judgment of gossip, as we know it's never fair or accurate, and often based on hearsay and rumors rather than facts and truth.
We'll just be brave and strong
We'll be brave and strong, facing whatever challenges come our way, and not giving up on our love or each other.
Then someday they'll see they're wrong
Someday, people will see that they were wrong to judge us harshly, and that our love was not a back street affair, but a genuine and meaningful bond that was based on love, respect, and understanding.
Let 'em call our love a back street affair
Until then, we don't mind if they call our love a back street affair, as we are confident in our love and in each other, and that's all that really matters.
We'll be free to love someday
We'll be free to love someday, when all the talk has died away, and people stop judging us unfairly.
When all the talk has died away
When all the talk about our love has died away, and people have moved on to other things and forgotten about us.
And the happiness we hoped for then we'll share
Then, we'll be able to share the happiness we always hoped for, and enjoy our love without any fears or doubts or judgments from others.
We'll climb a mountain high,
We'll overcome all the challenges and obstacles that come our way, and rise up to the top like a mountain we've climbed.
Then the world will hear us cry
Then, the whole world will hear us cry out our love for each other, and how it was not a back street affair, but a true, genuine, and meaningful love.
That our love was not a back street affair
We'll make it clear to the world that our love was not a back street affair, but a beautiful, powerful, and inspiring love that brought us together and made us both better people.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimmy Rule, Billy Wallace
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@necktieguy1
Love this version. Patty Loveless can sing anything with anyone. I love her duets. Thanks for this post.
@warrenhoward913
YouTube is so nice. Finding a lifetime of artist I've missed.
@johndoniphan7211
Another great friend I never got to meet. We been friends since 1968. What a blessing. JFD OF Galax Va
@purpleivory2
When you fall for Patty you fall hard.
@mitch4531
a departure from John's normal stories--very likeable--sound good together/and apart--feel good song!
@frankburton320
Class. From the Legend that was John Prine. Thanks for this Wonderful Upload. Regards Frank
@kristijones6552
Wow. Its keeps getting better. Love this man's music.
@edicamon8486
John's music is so pleasant and entertaining...God bless you.
@deadskunk8733
I first heard this on KPFT Public Radio right after it came out. I called the station to find out who it was. I then headed straight to the record store and bought it. All these years later everything on the album still gives me chills. Hehehehe
@mainsey8024
Rip mate