Bright Eyes are celebrating the season with a new cover of John Prine‘s “Christmas in Prison.” Their rendition features a sample from 1993’s “A John Prine Christmas” with Prine talking about the holiday, and all proceeds will go to his The Hello In There Foundation; its 2023 grantees are Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Porters Call, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and Renewal House.
“It is strange to get a chance to share a track with a hero of mine who has passed on,” Conor Oberst says. “Normally not something I would do. I don’t like holograms. But I have so much love and affection for John as a person and his music. He really changed my life on a lot of levels. When I heard the sample of him talking about Christmas just put such a big smile on my face and I couldn’t help but want to share it with other people. A little Christmas gift to a stranger. It’s all about John and his beautiful song. But I am happy to sing in the choir. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone all around the world. I wish love and light this season to you and yours.”
There’s also a Prine x Oberst holiday ornament available to order; proceeds from that will also go to The Hello In There Foundation. Check out a picture of that below.
Conor Oberst is playing solo residencies in NYC and Los Angeles in 2024.
