Almost everyone knows John Prine for his legendary and lengthy music career. Considered to be among the best songwriters of all time, Prine wrote his own songs, which were so good that they were often later recorded by other artists.
These are three of the best songs Prine wrote that were covered by someone else, and all still sound remarkable today.
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“Angel From Montgomery” by Bonnie Raitt
“Angel From Montgomery” is one of Prine’s most notorious songs. First released by Prine in 1971, as part of his eponymous debut album, several other artists have also recorded the iconic song. But one of the best versions belongs to Bonnie Raitt. Raitt’s version is on Streetlights, her fourth studio album, out in 1978.
The song says, “Make me an angel / That flies from Montgomery / Make me a poster / Of an old rodeo / Just give me one thing / That I can hold on to / To believe in this livin’ / Is just a hard way to go.”
Raitt includes “Angel From Montgomery” on some of her other albums as well. It is part of her 1995 live album, Road Tested. “Angel From Montgomery” also appears on The Best Of Bonnie Raitt, out in 2003.
“I Just Want To Dance With You” by George Strait
One of George Strait’s numerous No. 1 singles is “I Just Want To Dance With You”. Released in 1998, Prine wrote “I Just Want To Dance With You” with Roger Cook. It is part of Strait’s One Step At A Time record.
The feel-good love song says, “I want to dance with you, twirl you all around the floor / That’s what they intended dancing for / I just want to dance with you / I want to dance with you, hold you in my arms once more / That’s what they invented dancin’ for / I just want to dance with you.“
Two years before Strait released “I Just Want To Dance With You”, Prine included a version on his 1986 German Afternoons album.
“That’s The Way The World Goes Round”
In 2009, Miranda Lambert released Revolution, her third studio album. Included on the project is “That’s The Way The World Goes Round”. The song was written solely by Prine. His version is part of his 1978 fifth studio album, Bruised Orange.
“That’s The Way The World Goes Round” says, “That’s the way that the world goes ’round / One minute you’re up and the next you’re down / It’s half an inch of water and you think you’re gonna drown / That’s the way that the world goes ’round.“
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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