The Story Behind John Prine’s 1971 Classic “Illegal Smile” And Why it Was Never a Song About “Smoking Dope”

“I was terrified,” said John Prine in the liner notes of this 1993 compilation, Great Days: The John Prine Anthology, of working on his eponymous 1971 debut. “I went straight from playing by myself, still learning how to sing,” he added, “to playing with Elvis Presley‘s rhythm section.”

John Prine introduced the world to a songwriter of natural witticism and timeless storytelling in his lyrics from his reflections on aging and isolation with “Hello In There,” the plight of a drug-addicted Vietnam veteran, “Sam Stone,” and his classic “Angel From Montgomery.”

In the liner notes, Prine also cited the opening track on the album, “Illegal Smile,” which quickly became an anthem for smoking weed and getting high. And though Prine delivers some trippier imagery—I chased a rainbow down a one-way street, dead end—in almost nursery rhyme-like rhythm, lyrically, linking the song to pot was never his intention.

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[RELATED: The Final Song John Prine Wrote and Recorded, “I Remember Everything”]

“The song was not about smokin’ dope.”

Maybe it was also the line, Ah, but fortunately, I have the key to escape reality / And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile that set off some alarms, and turned “Illegal Smile” into a pro-smoking anthem, but Prine’s description of the song was much more innocent.

“I have to confess, the song was not about smokin’ dope,” revealed Prine. “It was more about how, ever since I was a child, I had this view of the world where I could find myself smiling at stuff nobody else was smiling at. But it was such a good anthem for dope smokers that I didn’t want to stop every time I played it and make a disclaimer.”

When I woke up this morning, things were looking bad
Seems like total silence was the only friend I had
Bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down, and won
And it was twelve o’clock before I realized
I was having no fun

Ah, but fortunately, I have the key to escape reality
And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile
It don’t cost very much, but it lasts a long while
Won’t you please tell the man I didn’t kill anyone
No, I’m just tryin’ to have me some fun

Last time I checked my bankroll
It was getting thin
Sometimes it seems like the bottom
Is the only place I’ve been
I chased a rainbow down a one-way street, dead end
And all my friends turned out to be insurance salesmen

Ah, but fortunately, I have the key to escape reality

“When I first started singing it, I went on this underground TV program, and the only stage set they had was two chairs and this fake marijuana plant,” added Prine. “I came on and sang ‘Illegal Smile,’ and they kept having the camera pan in, real psychedelic-like, on the plant. On top of that, I got fined by the musicians’ union for not taking any money to do the show.”

Photo: John Prine at Symphony Hall on April 26, 1974, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Tom Hill/Getty Images)