Why Bruce Springsteen Loved John Prine: “A Complete Original”

John Prine was a songwriter’s songwriter. Though he had (and continues to have) legions of fans, his peers also held him in high esteem. One such peer was Bruce Springsteen. Shortly after Prine’s death, Springsteen shared a few words in tribute to his late musical friend. Find out why The Boss loved Prine, below.

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Why Bruce Springsteen Loved John Prine: “A Complete Original”

Prine passed on April 7, 2020, from COVID-19 complications. The world was shocked and devastated by the huge loss to the music community. In the wake of his death, Springsteen used his SiriusXM slot, E Street Radio, to remember the late Americana icon.

“John Prine was a sweet and lovely man, and I was proud to count him as my friend,” Springsteen said at the time. “He wrote music of towering compassion with an almost unheard of precision and creativity when it came to observing the fine details of ordinary lives. He was a writer of great humor, funny, with wry sensitivity. It has marked him as a complete original.”

We have to agree with Springsteen in his assertion of Prine’s originality. Though many may be able to recreate his simple, yet affecting melodies and simple guitar riffs, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who could write lyrics with the same candor.

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Among his most recognizable songs are “Angel from Montgomery,” “Spanish Pipedream,” and “Hello in There.” All of those songs (and the rest of his discography) showcased Prine’s ability to tell hard truths in appealing ways. We could all learn a thing or two by listening to Prine.

Springsteen continued his comments saying he felt angered by Prine’s death. Like so many of Prine’s fans, he felt it was a monumental loss of talent.

“His death just makes me angry,” he continued. “He was simply one of the best we had, and we will miss him…A true national treasure and a songwriter for the ages. We send love and prayers to his family.”

Springsteen was one of many icons to express their sympathies to Prine’s fans and family after his passing. Elsewhere, Bob Dylan mirrored Springsteen’s ideas calling his music “Pure Proustian existentialism” and “Midwestern mindtrips to the nth degree.”

Revisit Prine’s biggest songs–including the Springsteen-approved “Angel from Montgomery”–below.

(Photo by Kevin Estrada/MediaPunch/Shutterstock)