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John Prine, ‘Sweet Revenge’

Aug 25, 2017

John Prine, 'Sweet Revenge'

So, yeah, everyone is talking about Taylor Swift. This is an undeniable fact and a constant that will exist from now until the release of her sixth record in three months; it will surely dominate the cultural landscape until we’re all sick of her Reputation … Swift included. This anticipation is a electrifying thing — those bubbles of excitement are not unlike the thrill of waiting on the touch of a new lover — but the machine in which music is released these days is also exhausting, and so often the chorus that envelops a body of work is much louder than the songs themselves. As Swift knows, her reputation precedes her. And surrounds her. And tweets at her and 


Of course, there is music out there now other than what belongs to Swift, and some of it are true bits of treasure. John Prine’s September ’78 was dug up like a literal one: The legendary songwriter found the recording in his basement, a live document of his ’70s swagger and prolific prime. Included in the collection is “Sweet Revenge,” a song full of Prine-ian wisdom, the lyric video for which is premiering exclusively here. Somewhat like Swift, Prine wrote “Sweet Revenge” and the album of the same name as a bit of sonic retribution. His label wasn’t happy with the commercial reception to his second LP, so he dropped a veritable masterpiece to set them straight and silence them once and for all. Swift might experience a different kind of detractor — in the form of tabloids, gossip blogs, and maybe a Kardashian or two — but she could take some marching orders from the ever-sage Prine: “Through rock and through stone, the black wind still moans. Sweet revenge. Sweet revenge, without fail.”

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John Prine, 'Sweet Revenge'
John Prine, 'Sweet Revenge'