In Spite Of Ourselves

John Prine (1946–2020)

The use of this song was suggested by Robert Christgau. I was delighted that this enormously romantic true-love song came exactly 50 years after 1949’s “Slippin’ Around”, the former being as sweet as the later was, by 1940s standards, sordid. It’s from In Spite Of Ourselves, John Prine’s 13thalbum, a series of collaborations with a number of the finest female Country singers––the perfect Iris DeMent on the title track, and on a series of country standards, Emmylou Harris, Connie Smith, Dolores Keane, Lucinda Williams, Patty Loveless, Trish Yearwood, Melba Montgomery, and his wife, Fiona Prine. “In Spite Of Ourselves” is the only Prine original on the album and a perfect example of one of his many perfect songs, several of which we used to cover in my mid-‘70s band, The Unholy Modal Rounders.

Band Name Note: I had wanted to name that band the Renegade Catholics (I was raised Catholic but quit Holy Mother Church at the age of 17, when I became aware that was an option). My/our bands have always been democratic, one man, one vote, split the money evenly. I’ve never been able to afford paying salaries. Nobody else wanted to be a Renegade Catholic. Sissies.