Hello In There (song)

"Hello in There"
Song by John Prine
from the album John Prine
ReleasedJuly 1971
RecordedAmerican Recording Studios, Memphis, Tennessee
GenreFolk
Length4:29
LabelAtlantic
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.

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

David Allan Coe's 1983 album is titled Hello in There and features a cover of the title song, in tribute to John Prine.[citation needed] 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]

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]

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.