Song · John Prine
“Angel from Montgomery” by John Prine
From the album John Prine (1971)
“Angel from Montgomery” by John Prine appears on 9 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 2001 and 2026. It was first released in 1971 on the album John Prine. Its best result is #37 on The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #695 indie & aaa song of all time and #498 of the '70s.
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"Angel from Montgomery" first turned up on John Prine's self-titled 1971 album, and it began with a friend's suggestion that he write another song about old people, after "Hello in There". Prine felt he'd said his piece on that subject, but he was taken with the idea of a middle-aged woman who feels older than her years, and he ended up picturing her at the sink, soapy hands in the dishwater, wanting out of her house and her marriage and waiting for an angel to carry her off. He thinks he set it in Montgomery because he loved Hank Williams, who had ties to the city.
Arif Mardin produced, with Reggie Young and John Christopher on guitars, Bobby Emmons on organ and Bobby Wood on piano, and they keep it plain and tender around Prine's voice. Plenty of other artists have covered it since.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 441 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2004 | 176 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2007 | 133 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2009 | 42 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2014 | 231 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) | 885 |
| 2022 | 499 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
| 2022 | 732 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time | 1055 |
| 2023 | 37 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places | 800 |
| 2026 | 561 | KXT | KXT 917 Song Countdown | 917 |
Also listed as: Angel From Montgomery.
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