Hello in There | |
Artist: | John Prine |
Album: | John Prine |
Released: | July 1971 |
Recorded: | American Recording Studios, Memphis, Tennessee |
Genre: | Folk |
Length: | 4:29 |
Label: | Atlantic |
Producer: | 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.
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.
David Allan Coe's 1983 album is titled Hello in There and features a cover of the title song, in tribute to John Prine. 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]
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]