Brandi Carlile Pays Tribute to John Prine With 'Hello in There'

Music legend and beloved songwriter Prine died earlier this week.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

April 10 2020 5:50 PM EST

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Music legend John Prine, who wrote classics including "Angel from Montgomery," "Souvenirs," and "Hello in There," on Tuesday at 73 from complications from COVID-19.

Prine's music has been interpreted by countless artists over the decades, but Bette Midler, Joan Baez, and Bonnie Raitt are among those who've recorded his songs.

Grammy winner Brandi Carlile appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to pay tribute to Prine.

Following a moving introduction from Colbert on the devastating loss of Prine, Carlile shared about why she chose to sing "Hello in There."

"This song refers to the people that we're all staying home to protect. It reminds us that older people aren't expendable, that they made us who we are, and they've given us every single thing that we have," Carlile said, hearkening to one of the most vulnerable populations amid the pandemic.

"Even though John never got to get old and we all would have liked for him to, at the age of 24 when he wrote this song, he understood this," she said.

Watch the tribute below.