On This Day in 2020, the World Lost One of the Most Influential Songwriters of the 20th Century

On this day (April 7) in 2020, John Prine died of health complications at the age of 73. In his nearly five-decade-long career, he wrote and recorded songs that continue to touch generations of listeners. Moreover, his writing influenced countless contemporary artists, including Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Brandi Carlile, and Kacey Musgraves.

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Despite Prine’s lack of mainstream success, to know his work is to love it. Listeners who “get it” still keep his discography in heavy rotation. The same is true for some of the biggest names in the music business. For instance, Johnny Cash praised Prine in his 1997 autobiography. Cash counted him among the writers whose work he would listen to when he was looking for inspiration before writing songs. Additionally, Bob Dylan listed Prine as one of his favorite songwriters.

[RELATED: According to the Source Himself, This Is Why John Prine Was Never a Household Name]

John Prine Wrote for Himself First

John Prine picked up a guitar for the first time when he was a teenager. Before long, he started writing songs. However, it wasn’t just about creative expression for him. He couldn’t remember all of the lyrics to the songs he’d learned, so he wrote his own. After a while, he began creating original tunes.

When asked what led him to write the kinds of songs that he did during an interview for the Recording Academy, the answer was simple. “I was looking for something that would interest me. They interested me, but I didn’t know if they would appeal to anybody else,” Prine said. “I really wasn’t thinking that I was a songwriter. It was a hobby. It took three or four beers for me to stand up and sing in front of 12 people.”

Much of the praise of Prine’s work hinges on how unique his lyrics are. He knew his songs were different from the beginning. What he didn’t know, however, was how they would be received. “Some were so different that I hesitated to sing them for anybody because I thought, ‘I haven’t heard anything like this before.’ Like ‘Sam Stone,’” he recalled.

He didn’t know if he hadn’t heard anything like “Sam Stone” because it was incredibly good or incredibly bad. “The first time I sang it in public, people didn’t applaud. They just looked at me. And I thought, ‘Oh sh*t! This is worse than I thought.”

Prine’s Lasting Impact

During the same interview, John Prine offered a thought that explains so much about his output over the years. “Songs are different from the music business and music and even records. If people didn’t have music, they’d come up with it,” he said. “It’s something that people need. They need to get stuff out of them. So, people write songs. Otherwise, you’d never get it out of you.”

He spent decades helping countless listeners get stuff out. He made us laugh, cry, dance, and sing along. He inspired monumental figures to put pen to paper. Moreover, he never lost the sense of humor, humility, and humanity that were at the center of his music. He will be greatly missed for as long as his music and influence exist.

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