"Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" is a song written by American singer-songwriter

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

and recorded on his 1986 album ''

German Afternoons ''German Afternoons'' is the ninth album by American folk singer and songwriter John Prine, released in 1986. Recording ''German Afternoons'' was Prine's second release on Oh Boy Records, the independent label he formed with his manager Al Bunett ...

''. The song was covered by American singer-songwriter

Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...

, who released it as a single from her 1988 album ''

View from the House ''View from the House'' is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes. It was released on July 25, 1988 by MCA Records. The album marked a return to her early country music roots. Carnes recorded the album in Nashville, Ten ...

''. Carnes' version reached number 70 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart. The song gained further fame with a duet recording by Prine and American singer

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'' starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award fo ...

on the latter's 1993 album '' Other Voices, Other Rooms'' and the release of the track as a single.

Other versions

The song has been covered by many, including English band

Alabama 3 Alabama 3 are a British/English musical group founded in Brixton, London in 1995. They are best known for their track "Woke Up This Morning", which was used for the opening credits of the TV series ''The Sopranos''. In the United States, the ...

on their 1997 album ''

Exile on Coldharbour Lane ''Exile on Coldharbour Lane'' is the debut album by Alabama 3, released on 11 November 1997 on One Little Indian and Geffen. The name and cover are references to ''Exile on Main St.'' by The Rolling Stones and Coldharbour Lane a major street i ...

'', as well as American singer-songwriter

Jeffrey Foucault Jeffrey Foucault (born January 26, 1976) is an American songwriter and record producer from Whitewater, Wisconsin, United States, whose work marries the influence of American country, blues, rock 'n' roll, and folk music. He has released seven ...

in 2009 on his Prine tribute album ''

Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes ''Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes'' (sub-titled ''Jeffrey Foucault Sings the Songs of John Prine'') is an album by American singer/songwriter Jeffrey Foucault, released in 2009. It is a tribute to musician John Prine. Allmusic entry for ''S ...

''. Irish singer

Susan McCann Susan McCann (born 26 February 1949) is an Irish-born country and Irish singer. She had a 1977 hit "Big Tom is Still the King" which become a Number 1 in the Irish pop charts. Today, Mccann is affectionately known as 'Irelands First Lady Of Cou ...

recorded a version in the early 90s along with a video and also included the track on her 2016 compilation album ''Through The Years''. Scottish singer

Roddy Woomble Roddy Woomble (born 13 August 1976) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and writer. He is the lead vocalist of indie rock band Idlewild, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums. Celebrated for his poetic lyrics and warm, baritone voice, In 2 ...

recorded a live version in 2014 on his album ''

Live at Kings Place ''Live at Kings Place'' is the fifth solo album by folk musician and Idlewild vocalist Roddy Woomble, released in August 2014 as the 75th offering from the Society of Sound, a music subscription service provided by Bowers & Wilkins. Track listi ...

''.

The Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member. After their initial punk-influenced releases and tour ...

included a version of it on their 2019 album ''

Varshons 2 ''Varshons II'' is the tenth studio album by American band The Lemonheads. It was released on February 8, 2019, through Fire Records. It is the second cover album by The Lemonheads, with ''Varshons'' being released in 2009. Track listing Discog ...

''. Dave Matthews performed it live from his home studio as a tribute to Prine on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

'' on April 9, 2020. The track also appears on

Kurt Vile Kurt Samuel Vile (born January 3, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is known for his solo work and as the former lead guitarist of rock band the War on Drugs. Both in the studio and during li ...

's extended play ''Speed, Sound, Lonely KV'', released in October 2020.

Chart performance

References

{{Kim Carnes 1986 songs 1988 singles 1993 singles MCA Records singles John Prine songs Kim Carnes songs Nanci Griffith songs Songs written by John Prine