Almost there!
There was never much doubt that John Prine would be represented in this list, and, although a number of his songs appeared in the original writers’ lists, the iconic and most covered song of his has duly found its place, at No. 2. Two writers voted it No 1.
In the late 60s, when Prine was in his early 20s, he was delivering to a Baptist old people’s home and was sufficiently moved to write a song about old people and disadvantaged people on his epic song Hello In There. It appeared on his debut album 3 years later, which included at least 4 bona fide classic songs, including the track that appears here. A friend who had been visiting with him at the old people’s home suggested he wrote another song about old people, so, intrigued, he came up with the idea of “a song about a middle-aged woman who feels older than she is… She wanted to get out of her house and her marriage and everything. She just wanted an angel to come to take her away from all this”.
Andrew Frolish, who voted this his No 1 song, summarised the track as follows: It’s a quietly-desperate song of hope for something more: “Just give me one thing that I can hold on to // To believe in this livin’ is just a hard way to go.” Prine’s vivid imagery and raw, emotive narrative in Angel from Montgomery make this a true cornerstone of American songwriting. Tuneful and timeless and heartfelt, Prine’s songs just make us all care that little bit more. Andrew hits the nail right on the head – Prine wrote songs with such humour, and such economy of words and simplicity of tune that his songs resonated not just in their time but for generations that have followed. Universal themes about love, politics and social changes, the homeless and disadvantaged. Angel from Montgomery was such a song, and the testimony to that is the number of cover versions that have emerged over the years. The most famous of all is by Bonnie Raitt, who stated: “I think Angel from Montgomery probably has meant more to my fans and my body of work than any other song, and it will historically be considered one of the most important ones I’ve ever recorded. It’s just such a tender way of expressing that sentiment of longing – like ‘Hello in There’ – without being maudlin or obvious. It has all the different shadings of love and regret and longing. It’s a perfect expression from [a] wonderful genius.”
There are many versions of this song, both live and on record, and if you have only explored the Raitt version (as well as the original, of course), you should take a listen to or watch The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, Grace Potter and John Mayer, to mention but a few. It just goes to show the impact of the song: so many people cover it (from famous names to sheer amateurs), and it remains as good a song as it was when written nearly 60 years ago.
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