Brandi Carlile Honors John Prine With Stunning ‘Hello in There’ on ‘Colbert’ [Watch]
Brandi Carlile paid tribute to legendary singer-songwriter John Prine with a performance of "Hello in There" on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Wednesday (April 8).
After an emotional introduction from Colbert, who reflected on how Prine impacted his life and reminisced about their performance of "That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round" taped in 2016, but never aired, Carlile delivered a poignant performance virtually from her home, sitting by the fireplace with a guitar in hand.
"There's so many amazing and powerful messages that John Prine has left the world and for the people that weren't familiar with his music, they're about to get a whole lot of truth dropped on them, which I am really happy about," she begins in the video above.
Carlile selected "Hello in There" because she thought it was the song Prine would want her to sing, as its message is particularly relevant during this time of social distancing to protect vulnerable people from contracting coronavirus.
"This song refers to the people that we're all staying home to protect and 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," she explains.
Carlile used her unwavering voice to keep Prine's words alive with a beautiful rendition of the song. With the gentle plucking of the guitar, Carlile honors the song's humble, but powerful message to reach out to those in need of companionship, particularly people in older generations, as she sings, "So if you're walking down the street sometime / And spot some hollow ancient eyes / Please don't just pass 'em by and stare / As if you didn't care / Say 'hello in there.'"
Prine died at the age of 73 on April 7 due to complications from COVID-19, leaving his family and many fans and friends grieving the loss of the prolific songsmith. His wife, Fiona Prine, announced on Twitter on March 17 that she had tested positive for coronavirus and that she and her husband had self-quarantined from each other and the rest of their family. She revealed in another tweet on March 29 that Prine was admitted to the hospital and was in "critical" condition after contracting coronavirus. Carlile, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde and Jason Isbell are among the many artists who also paid tribute to Prine on social media following his death.
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