Why Robert Plant Called John Prine’s Music a “Vast Enduring Treasury”

Regardless of your musical taste, great lyrics are great lyrics, and under those great lyrics is a universal truth that applies to every walk of life. One songwriter who consistently wrote such lyrics was by no surprise, John Prine. Many musicians in the same realm as Prine have gushed over his ability to unpackage the world in such few lines. Though, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, was one of the unexpected few to put Prine’s name atop the songwriting pedestal.

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When looking at the surface, Prine and Led Zeppelin seemingly have nothing in common. Prine is sentimentally gentle and eloquent whereas Zeppelin is instinctually violent and verbose. However, that didn’t stop Robert Plant from finding the universal common good entrenched in the work of John Prine.

Robert Plant’s Video Homage to John Prine

Second to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Matter of fact, some may argue that the Songwriters Hall of Fame is a greater organization for a multitude of different reasons. Though, that is a conversation for another time and place. Regardless, in 2019, shortly before his death in 2020, Robert Plant inducted John Prine into the coveted organization. Well, he did so via Skype that is.

Despite the pond separating the two artists, Plant was still able to deliver a sweeping message articulating his affinity for the average Joes’ spokesperson. And in a classic British fashion, Plant did not hold back on using rather sophisticated superlatives. Plant stated in Prine’s induction speech, “Your work is extraordinary. It’s a vast enduring treasury, a beacon of light in these ever-weirder times.” “Sometimes it seems like you’re writing for all of us, which in fact, you probably are. But today, I feel like you wrote this one just for me,” added Plant.

Plant continued, “And today, I’m sure you wrote this one for me, in fact, I don’t know whether you’ve been following me around, but this is today’s favorite John Prine song for me. It’s called ‘Far From Me.’” Rarely, if ever, has a British rock star voiced such a deep-seated appreciation for the great American poet.

Although John Prine always produced, and Robert Plant never ceased to amaze, so this instance was bound to happen at some point. Prine’s single, “Far From Me,” was recorded and released in 1971 on his debut self-titled album, John Prine.

Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music Association