u/jpprine

John Prine "Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings was started in November 1992. Howie Epstein and I spent a couple of weeks messin' around in the studio getting back to the 'recording mode...' It was an exciting time. No rules to follow. Just write the album and play it as we rolled along. The working title of the album was 'As You Like It' taken, of course, from Billy Shakespeare's play... I wrote 'I Ain't Hurtin' Nobody' - a song about a fellow, Lucky LaRue, who was walking down the street thinking about his sweetheart. Not making the world a better place, but certainly not screwin' it up. 'He ain't hurtin' nobody, He ain't hurtin' no one.' When I reached the bridge of the song, I looked out my window at Los Angeles at about 5:30 a.m. and figured about six million seven hundred thousand and thirty three lights were on. That's when I knew we were on our way to a new album."

john prine official Behind The Song: American songwriter.com John Prine Behind The Song: John Prine's "Illegal Smile"BY JACOB UITTI UPDATED: NOVEMBER 8, 2021 when listening to the classic John Prine tune "Illegal Smile" it's hard not to wonder what the reaction to the song-especially its lyrics-would be if the track had come out today, in 2021. when the song hit the airwaves in 1971, people lapped it up like kittens and milk. But today, to say: Relax, stop overreacting, I'm just having some good clean fun! might engender online mobs the likes never seen before.

Millions of fans grieved John Prine. But the CMA never said his name . When John Prine died from COVID-19 in 2020, tributes poured in from every corner of music. Songwriters, artists, and lifelong fans all spoke about the man whose lyrics changed music. So when the CMA Awards aired their annual "In Memoriam" segment, people waited for his photo to appear. It never did. The reaction was immediate. Fans were stunned. Musicians were angry. To many, it felt impossible that one of the most respected writers in country and folk music could simply be left out of Nashville's biggest night. Then Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires made their own statement. They publicly returned their CMA membership cards, refusing to stay connected to an organization they believed had ignored one of the genre's greatest voices. For them, this was bigger than one missing tribute. It was about what country music chooses to celebrate and who gets forgotten when the spotlight moves on. John Prine never cared about fame. He wrote songs about ordinary people, hard truths, heartbreak, humor, and survival. And decades later, those songs still feel more honest than ever. Country Wave's post country and foik music could simply rent out of Nashvilles biggest night. Then Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires made their own statement. They publicly returned their CMA membership cards, refusing to stay connected to an organization they believed had ignored one of the genre's greatest voices. For them, this was bigger than one missing tribute. It was about what country music chooses to celebrate and who gets forgotten when the spotlight moves on. John Prine never cared about fame. He wrote songs about ordinary people, hard truths, heartbreak, humor, and survival. And decades later, those songs still feel more honest than ever. What Jason Isbell later said about the CMA controversy revealed a deeper divide inside modern country music - one that many artists had been quietly feeling for years.