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.
My Own Best Friend
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But, you know that ain't right
'Cause you'll just twist and twist and twist
Till I'm all crooked inside
You'll take all you gave me
Like it never was there
And I think that I might, no, I know
'Cause, I've done it before and I'd do it again
'Cause it's the only time
That makes me feel like I'm
My own best friend
I'm a victim of friction, I got too close to see
Yeah, we sparked in the dark and God hung a light on me
The lamp gets real heavy, it hangs from my heart
And it comes and it goes till I can't tell the difference apart
But I've done it before and I'd do it again
'Cause it's the only time
That makes me feel like I'm
My own best friend
So many people say, it will never work out that way
You can't stand the heat
While you're watching your heart
Just melt away in the basement on a rainy day
There's motel in Shreveport
Don't ask me where, please
They check in, they check out
By the light of the color T.V.s
The maid calls you honey
She makes your bed slow
And she speaks, of the sheets that don't fit
But you know that she knows
I've done it before and I'd do it again
'Cause it's the only time
That makes me feel like I'm
My own best friend, my own best friend
My own best friend, my own best friend
John Prine’s song ‘My Own Best Friend’ is about the singer’s struggle to reconcile his desire for a relationship with the fear of being hurt and disappointed. He is torn between his growing attraction for someone and the knowledge that this person will only end up twisting his emotions until he is left feeling crooked inside. The lyric, “you’ll take all you gave me, like it never was there” suggests the singer is aware of the potential for hurt and feeling used. Despite these concerns, the singer is eager to help this person and to alleviate their pain, even if it ultimately results in his own heartbreak.
Throughout the song, Prine details how past experiences have left him feeling vulnerable and uncertain, but at the same time, he finds solace in the fact that he has been his own best friend. He takes comfort in the idea that sometimes being alone is better than being with someone who will only hurt you. The line, “it’s the only time that makes me feel like I’m my own best friend” reinforces this notion. The song touches on themes of self-worth, vulnerability, and the complexities of romantic relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm beginning to like you
I'm starting to have feelings for you
But, you know that ain't right
But it's not a good idea
'Cause you'll just twist and twist and twist
Because you'll mess with my emotions
Till I'm all crooked inside
Until I'm confused and hurt
You'll take all you gave me
You'll take back everything you gave me
Like it never was there
As if it never existed
And I think that I might, no, I know
And I'm sure that I'll help you with that
Yes, I will help you there
I'll assist you with taking back what you gave me
'Cause, I've done it before and I'd do it again
Because I've helped others with this before and I'll do it again
'Cause it's the only time
Because it's the only way
That makes me feel like I'm
That makes me feel
My own best friend
Like I'm taking care of myself
I'm a victim of friction, I got too close to see
I'm affected by conflict, I got too involved to notice
Yeah, we sparked in the dark and God hung a light on me
We had an intense connection and it illuminated something in me
The lamp gets real heavy, it hangs from my heart
The experience weighs heavily on me and affects me emotionally
And it comes and it goes till I can't tell the difference apart
And it happens so often that I can't distinguish one instance from the other
So many people say, it will never work out that way
Many people say it won't end well
You can't stand the heat
You can't handle the pressure
While you're watching your heart
While you watch yourself suffer
Just melt away in the basement on a rainy day
Just fall apart in seclusion on a gloomy day
There's motel in Shreveport
There's a motel in Shreveport
Don't ask me where, please
I don't know the exact location
They check in, they check out
People come and go
By the light of the color T.V.s
By the glow of the colored TV screens
The maid calls you honey
The cleaning lady addresses you affectionately
She makes your bed slow
She takes her time making the bed
And she speaks, of the sheets that don't fit
And she complains about the ill-fitting sheets
But you know that she knows
But you're aware that she has other things on her mind
My own best friend, my own best friend
Taking care of myself, taking care of myself
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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