Hello In There (song)

Last updated
"Hello in There"
Song by John Prine
from the album John Prine
ReleasedJuly 1971
RecordedAmerican Recording Studios, Memphis, Tennessee
Genre Folk
Length4:29
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s) John Prine
Producer(s) Arif Mardin

"Hello in There" is a song written by American singer-songwriter John Prine. [1] The song deals with themes of isolation as a result of growing old.

Contents

Background

Prine wrote the song when he was 22, stating: "I delivered to a Baptist old people’s home where we’d have to go room-to-room... and some of the patients would kind of pretend that you were a grandchild or nephew that had come to visit, instead of the guy delivering papers. That always stuck in my head." [2] Prine also went on to state that some of the names of the characters in the song come from real-life sources, such as Rudy being the name of a neighbor's dog.

Other versions

In 2020, Jason Isbell covered the song for the Alzheimer's Association's Music Moments compilation. According to Isbell, John Prine is one of his favorite songwriters. [3] Joan Baez also covered the song on her 1975 album Diamonds & Rust .

The Hello in There Foundation

After John Prine's death from COVID-19 in 2020, Prine's family established the Hello in There Foundation. While also honoring Prine himself, the foundation aims to support marginalized groups and persons. [4]

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References

  1. "John Prine - Discogs". Discogs . Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  2. "Behind The Song: John Prine, "Hello In There"". American Songwriter.
  3. "Hear Jason Isbell's Acoustic Cover of John Prine's 'Hello in There'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  4. "The Hello in There Foundation" . Retrieved March 14, 2023.