Song · John Prine
“In Spite of Ourselves” by John Prine featuring Iris Dement
From the album In Spite of Ourselves (1999) Featuring Iris Dement
“In Spite of Ourselves” by John Prine featuring Iris Dement appears on 10 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 2020 and 2026. It was first released in 1999 on the album In Spite of Ourselves. Its best result is #85 on The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,237 indie & aaa song of all time and #156 of the '90s.
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John Prine wrote "In Spite of Ourselves" on his own, words and music, and sang it with Iris DeMent as the title track of his 13th studio album, released in 1999. It was the only song he wrote for the record: the rest of it pairs him with women from folk and alt-country, among them Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless and his wife Fiona Prine, on classic country duets.
It was also his first release since he had come through throat cancer, and it landed well: Allmusic's Michael B. Smith counted the album among Prine's finest work, and Robert Christgau gave it an A, saving particular praise for DeMent.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1283 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2021 | 157 | WYEP | WYEP 2021 Labor Day Countdown | 168 |
| 2022 | 85 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s | 900 |
| 2022 | 847 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 | 603 |
| 2023 | 307 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
| 2023 | 401 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 | 1229 |
| 2024 | 390 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years | 1049 |
| 2025 | 90 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s | 500 |
| 2025 | 470 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs | 800 |
| 2026 | 694 | KXT | KXT 917 Song Countdown | 917 |
Also listed as: In Spite Of Ourselves (ft. Iris Dement); In Spite Of Ourselves; In Spite of Ourselves feat. Iris Dement.
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