John Prine wrote this song, yet it belongs to Bonnie Raitt. As Prine tells it, a friend and fellow Chicago folkie wanted to write a song with Prine and suggested they write another song about an old person as Prine had done in, “Hello in There.” That songwriting partnership didn’t pan out, but Prine wrote this song, not about an old woman, but a woman feeling old and depleted.
In an interview with American Songwriter, Prine shared, “I had this really vivid picture of this woman standing over the dishwater with soap in her hands and just walking away from it all. So, I just kept that whole image in mind when I was writing the song and I just let it pour out of that character’s heart.”
There is such longing and such a helpless feeling in this song, the woman dreaming that an angel could save her from a life of missteps and regret, like hoping lotto could solve all our problems. Prine captures details and the rhythms of common speech like a Midwestern version of Chekov. He cuts so close to the bone, yet never tips into sentimentality, which leaves us with the sadness and hopelessness of this woman staring out her window, hearing the flies buzzing and wondering where it all went.
#Songoftheday #Spreadinghappiness #bonnieraitt #johnprine #angel
YouTube: https://youtu.be/s4S1Q1vfngA?si=Zt3crvQ2ZjXCvoo3
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6JssQFiBCi6ZcE6060S9A7?si=77e26d16b3794351