Legendary Chicago singer-songwriter John Prine died over five years ago, in April 2020. Prine was primarily known as a songwriter, one whose music was often known more by cover versions from more famous singers. You can read our list of the best of those John Prine covers here. But he was also a prolific performer of covers himself. Throughout his career he covered at least 100 different songs, mostly country, blues and folk, naturally, but occasionally straying into other genres. In tribute to Prine, Old Boy Records in Nashville has released The Belonging EP Vol. 1, a new EP which collects some of Prine’s best studio covers for charity.
The EP begins with the 1853 Stephen Foster song “My Old Kentucky Home Good Night” which celebrates the state where Prine’s family was from before they moved to Chicago. Prine recorded it in 2004 for tribute to the 19th century songwriter, Beautiful Dreamer.
The next track is from nearly 100 years later: Buddy Holly‘s “Oh Boy!”, which is also the name of the label Prine founded to release his music. Prine recorded a typical version with the surviving Crickets for their 2004 album The Crickets and Their Buddies but this version is acoustic and could easily be a demo as it’s just Prine and one other musician.
Next up is “Loretta,” a Townes Van Zandt song Prine recorded for a 2001 tribute album. Van Zandt and Prine are a pretty natural pairing, as both songwriters were known in part for their humour.
But the star attraction here is a little more out of left field for Prine than Townes Van Zandt. It’s a song we here at Cover Me declared the best cover of 2018 and the best Stevie Wonder cover ever. It’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” When it first came out we noted that you can truly appreciate the lyrics, writing “it’s as if Wonder wrote it to be a sad, wistful ballad.” Later in 2018, we said “What John Prine did to “I Just Called To Say I Love You” is amazing. He didn’t just remake it; he had to crack through both the tremendously thick crust of schmaltz around the song and the long-stewing resentment against the song.” And in 2022 we noted “Prine reinvented Wonder’s often-derided original into a somber, country ballad, shedding new light on Wonder’s lyrics.” It’s an incredible cover and a reason to get this EP on its own.
Lastly there’s “Sweet and Dandy,” a song not as old as “My Old Kentucky Home” but still quite old, which Prine sort of does a Dylan impression on. It’s probably the most disposable thing here but still has the charm you expect from Prine.
Though only five songs, they span over 100 years of songwriting, and the genres of traditional songs, rock and roll, country and pop. It’s a great demonstration of Prine’s eclectic taste and his ability to make any song his own. Check it out:
